 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2005-01-18 20:34
They've been playing Mr. Opie's Holland on the different HBO channels a lot lately, and the part where Mr. Opie improves Gertrude's clarineting 1000 fold by telling her to "play the sunset" has me wondering, what the heck does that mean? Sure, the moviemakers want us to think it's just some feel-good inspirational-type advice that makes her play better all by herself, but there's gotta be more to it than that?
So, if you've seen the movie and heard Gertrude's before-and-after playing, what does "play the sunset" mean?
- Arch your tongue
- Don't puff your cheeks
- Keep your fingers directly above the keys
Any others?
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-01-18 20:36
Hmmm . . . play beautifully?
Whatever he meant, I firmly believe that he'd say that I'm playing "high noon".
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Dano
Date: 2005-01-18 20:47
Something about "play the sunset" reminds me of "Round Midnight". I think it means get in the groove of "the sunset". Play how you feel when you see the sunset. Just like when you play "Round Midnight" you get into the feeling of being "round midnight". Or if you say "I'm playing at high noon". We all can identify with that. I certainly can. I don't think he meant it as "Arch your tongue", "Don't puff your cheeks" or anything like that. It has more to do with feeling than technique.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-01-18 21:15
Basically, I think he meant was (as dano pointed out) that you take the feeling you get when you look at a setting sun, and put that feeling through your instrument for all to hear.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-01-18 21:20
I call that kind of imagery "horse s&*& movie imagery"
But the bottom line was that he was telling her to relax and stop thinking so much about the printed page and just enjoy the music making.
Sometimes it's also called "paralysis by overanalysis"
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2005-01-18 21:40
But did you see her playing? She had a lot of technical issues to overcome, a lot more than could be remedied just by Holland's going all Clayton Williams on her and telling her to relax.
/just a movie, I know
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: Dano
Date: 2005-01-18 21:54
When I was a kid of about 8 or 9 around the first year of clarinet lessons, my teacher would say to me, "this is not a typing class". I was too young to understand the true meaning of that until later. I guess that is what he meant by "play the sunset".
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-01-18 22:32
What really was offensive about that film was that they didn't use union musicians for the soundtrack like they are supposed to.
That caused quite an uproar in those circles.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2005-01-19 13:20
I believe that there is a unique medical condition the result of which causes those afflicted with it to see colors when they hear music. In that event, it might be possible(?) to 'play the sunset', reproducing portions of the musical spectrum with your sounds. Too far out?
Bob A
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-01-19 13:31
I think he was trying to tell her that being a good player went beyond the technical skills he had tried to instill in her. It meant being able to visualize, feel and enjoy the sunset before playing it. It meant becoming artistic and creative--and even a bit emotional--like the emotions evoked when watching a beautiful sunset. Passion--that's the ticket that places one player above another when all else is equal. He was wanting her to love and enjoy playing--not merely struggle with the technical end of things.
If a sunset didn't "do it" for her--she could take herself back to a moment she really enjoyed (much like method acting for those of us who were drama majors) and bring that joy and passion into her musical skills. I totally got it. It was an actor thing--not really a good musician line. We can thank Hollywood for that line.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-01-19 13:38
Not at all, Bob, Listen to The Grand Canyon Suite, the St. Helens Volcano eruption [H----?] [ Mt. St. Helen's Symphony: Alan Hovhaness - I've got that one. Mark C. ], Respeghi Pines movements, and Birds, Wagner's "Forest Murmers, Rhine Journey", Beeth's Symp 6, et many-more al. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: William
Date: 2005-01-19 14:18
I recall a composition class during college in which the instructor told his students to "compose the window". What he mean't was for the student to take whatever feeling dirived from looking out of any window--or of any other visual cue, fo that matter--and create music that would envoke a similar feeling, emotional respsonse, etc, in the listener. Mr. Holland was trying to tell his student to "look" to the music, and not just "look" to only playing the notes. Just my am thoughts.............
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