Klarinet Archive - Posting 001004.txt from 2000/07

From: "Tony Pay" <tony_pay@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Listening for what's wrong
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 14:59:32 -0400

>From: LeliaLoban@-----.com

[snip]

>Tony Pay wrote,

>>I find that listening to what other people do tells me at least
>>as often what I *don't* want to do myself.
>
>As professional clarinet players, David Hattner and Tony Pay already >have
>developed critical ears. Students need to learn to listen >critically,
>too, another good reason to encourage them to listen to as >many
>performances as possible. I think I would be wary of a Svengali->type
>teacher who forbade students to listen to recordings of works >under study.

There is this unfortunate obligation of professionals, or amateurs who want
to get better, to listen not for what is right in a performance, but for
what is *wrong*.

It's the only way.

Mark Twain said that the Mississippi was irrevocably changed for him when he
learned to navigate it. The effect in music is similar.

Lelia quotes me above as saying that I find that "listening to other people
tells me at least as often what I *don't* want to do myself." I should have
included the information that that is (unfortunately?) also true of
listening to myself. I find it takes around a bottle of wine to make
anything I have done myself even remotely tolerable.

They say that those who live by the sword, die by the sword:-)

Tony
--

...This tagline is to be, or not two sentences to be, combined, that is the
question.

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