Klarinet Archive - Posting 001180.txt from 1998/07

From: "David C. Blumberg" <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] re: Massive Brass
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 11:03:01 -0400

Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:23:22 -0700
From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subject: RE: [kl] re: Loud Brass
This is a real problem.
Asking an orchestral trumpet player to tone it down is of no use--it's like
asking a golden retriever not to run after a ball when you throw it. These
guys (almost always guys, anyway) have been in training for years to "crack
the bell" when they get to the last page of the symphony--what you are
complaining about is EXACTLY the sound that they are trying to get. They
have less than no sympathy for you--your pain is part of their endorphin
rush.
What makes the problem worse--at least for me--is that I am in perfect
agreement with them (when I am in the audience). The trumpet call in Mahler
5 *should* send a shiver up your spine, even if you're only a college
student and can only afford balcony tickets. (Heck--hearing Bud Herseth do
this is why 3 of my college buds drove 2,000 miles to Chicago in midwinter!
It was a great trip . . . but a different story). Part of what makes
orchestral music exciting is the extreme dynamic contrast that great
orchestras can get--the difference between Stanley Drucker's ppp and Phil
Smith's fff is an enormous palette of color.
And as loud as these folks get, it is nothing compared to a big band
(playing Kenton charts, for example). If I recall, the Peanut Vendor
requires the entire section to lip trill a double f . . . I sincerely doubt
that this can be done mezzo forte.
So what to do? For the big band, earplugs are a necessity--I won't rehearse
w/o them, much less play a gig with the amps turned on. For musicals in the
pit, I usually try to make do with 1 plug in the most offended ear. In the
orchestra, I don't like plugs--hearing the flute and oboe is (often) imp't,
and I find that plugs make that too hard--so I beg for "blare shields" and,
if we can, putting the trumpets down on the end where they can bother the
violas.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I had the experience of being the Clarinet player sitting in front of
Charles Schlueter (Princ. Boston Sym. Tpt.)at the Grand Teton Orch. Seminar
playing LaMer. Loudest wall of sound I have ever experienced! Felt like a
tidal wave. Makes your hair raise up in the back. I played in front of Phil
Smith too, it was not the same at all.

David Blumberg
reedman@-----.com
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Music/Blumberg.html
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Sponsors/

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