Klarinet Archive - Posting 000398.txt from 1994/11

From: Heather Joy Bridges <hbridges@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Listening to a recording first.
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 1994 23:53:57 -0500

On Mon, 28 Nov 1994, Oliver Seely wrote:

>For those of us who find ourselves "out of shape"
>after being away from the instrument for too long,
>but drafted for a performance (yes it DOES happen
>occasionally), a recording can make
>the difference between a disaster and a decent
>performance. I was drafted to do the principal part
>of the Castelnuovo Tedesco guitar concerto for
>a concert on short notice. The recording allowed
>me to develop what I felt to be just the right amount
>of "whimsy" for the part -- something that I would
>have played mechanically straight had I not listened
>closely to the recording and practiced with it.

Not only do recordings help if you haven't practiced in a while, but taping
yourself while practicing is a good habit to get into. It allows you to hear
the mistakes you make that you may not first realize, but more importantly,
self-consciously, you often perform better because it's almost as if you are
playing for an audience. Just a suggestion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heather Joy Bridges
hbridges@-----.edu
Virginia Tech
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~