Klarinet Archive - Posting 000426.txt from 1996/07

From: Marylou G Verano <savorygrrl@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: sight-reading
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 22:52:05 -0400

Dearest ROBERT...

Here is a message I sent to someone on the same subject. I hope you will
heed my advice...

Although I am only a senior in high school, I have worked with Alfred
Reed and Yasuhide Ito, and made the All-State band twice. Hee hee. Just
had to put in a word for my ego.

So here you are, and I hope you will be willing to trade tips and
information with me!

Sincerely,

savorygrrl@-----.comFrom: savorygrrl
To: KLARINET%VCCSCENT.BITNET@-----.com
Subject: Re: Sight-reading
References: <199607222337.TAA21672@-----.com>
X-Status: New
X-Mailer: Juno 1.15

Dearest FRIEND...I feel your pain. I choked my State Honor Band
auditions two years in a row because I couldn't SIGHT READ!!!These are
the tips that my clarinet teacher, David Slagle, gave me. He is a member
of the Air Force Band in Blue, one of the best bands on the West Coast.
:) 1. Stay calm. ;)2. Look at the time signature. If you can't do
anything else, make sure you can count right!!!3. Check the key
signature. How many sharps? How many flats? 4. What tempo is the
piece in? Moderato? Furioso? Legato? 5. Check dynamics, strange
rhythms, and accidentals. Also Left/Right combinations. Yeah, I know,
pretty straightforward, eh? :) What also helps is if you buy a book of
orchestral excerpts, if you don't have one already. If the stuff looks
really difficult and obscure, more power to you. :) Just read through
one of those books... you don't have to straight sight-read through it
for an audition, but just look at it. "Familiarize" yourself with
whatever could be strange... use your imagination. It also helps, if you
find a note with five notes in it or more (darn it I wish I had the
technology to show you this!!)(okay, wowee I can make an example!!)
____8____| | | | | | | |* * * * * * * *...imagine a word with
eight syllables. It helps if you have a good vocabulary...How about
"antitranscendentalism", for example? (smiling)It may sound a little bit
ridiculous at first. But music is a language, and every phrase is a
sentence. For a 5-note combination similar to the above, imagine the
word "geophysical" or "serendipity". If you've ever played the Brahms
Sonata in F minor, you feel my pain. :) I would love to hear more from
you, and trade advice! Sincerely,savorygrrl@-----.com