Klarinet Archive - Posting 001227.txt from 1999/01

From: Dodgshun family <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] HELP! message from Sara ( Klarinet94@-----.com)
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 15:50:04 -0500

At 03:11 PM 24/01/99 EST, you wrote:

>My clarinet is in good repair, we have it checked out frequently because it is
>insured. When my band director is not being a meany, he says that it is my
>confidence. If I would play more confidently, my overall playing would be
>better. The thing is, when I play confidently, I will make a mistake and hide
>(if I play at all).

I've always worked under the idea that if you're going to make a mistake,
make sure it's confident. If you sound confident, people don't realise that
it's a mistake. I have proof that if you sound confident, you sound right;
we did Peter and the Wolf in my orchestra last year, and I got to play the
"Cat". The tune recurs in quite a few different keys, and this is where I
screwed up. There's one place where the tune recurs twice, close together;
the first time it starts on F#, the second on F natural. No prizes for
guessing what I did - played them both starting on F#. I didn't realise
until I got to the end; my parents were in the audience, and they knew I'd
done something wrong, because this "oh shit" expression appeared on my face,
but no-one else realised what was going on. The conductor thought that the
cellos and basses were wrong (!), because I'd kept going and played
confidently. I also managed to completely throw the flautist, but I don't
know why. He shouldn't rely on me to the extent that a pitch difference can
put him off! Anyway, the moral is that if you're confident, you sound
right. Don't be scared of making a mistake - if you do, you know what you
have to work on for the next rehearsal. So play confidently, and your
playing will improve.

Anna

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