Klarinet Archive - Posting 000284.txt from 2004/10

From: jab <jab@-----.com>
Subj: Fwd: [kl] Differing skill levels
Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2004 11:31:41 -0400

On Oct 9, 2004, at 7:16 AM, Christy Erickson wrote:
> I take pride also in a quality performance and don't understand the
> "let's just have fun and not worry about it" attitude. How can you
> have fun
> when the performance is littered with poor intonation, incorrect
> rhythms and
> screechy tone coming form the people who insist in playing a first
> part and
> usually don't know how to finger any note above a C, let alone voice
> those
> notes or play them in tune? It IS great fun to give a great
> performance.
> Anything less is not fun to me at all.

Many musicians who sing in a community chorus have a similar complaint.

Part of the phenomenon you're describing is a director who's not
using the time to improve the group. (Playing a level 5 piece with
a group that cannot play a level 2 piece well, is like tossing "Les
Miserables"
at a first-semester French student and waxing on about Javert
and Valjean without caring that the students can't read the thing.)

Honestly, one of the best things I could suggest would be for the
director: find the Bach "16 chorales" (four-part) books for the group,
and spend warmups (or more than just that) making them into music.
Playing slowly and listening, that'll help their musicality more than
botched 32nd-note runs.

-Jeff Bowles

ps. There's nothing nastier than singing in a men's chorus, and
listening
to first tenors who think they're good because they can overpower the
group with a high note. It's like sitting next to a trumpet section in
a junior high!

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