Author: Phil Freihofner
Date: 2008-01-09 06:26
vboboe wrote:
> <<On another topic, was listening to a recording on TV Galaxie
> channel of VSO doing Debussy's Clair de Lune (wow, that's a
> gorgeously beautiful shimmering piece) and among the other solo
> passages there was the E-Horn and the oboe (and the bassoon),
> and i certainly could tell the difference between oboe's solo
> melody playing, and merge-with-the-woodwind or with-strings
> playing, there's just more 'presence' (projection) in the solo
> passage -- on same reed i betcha>>
>
> So for you experienced players out there, do you deliberately
> do ‘something extra’ when playing solo passages compared to
> merging with the other musicians, and if it’s not a Mystic
> Secret never to be divulged, what is that ‘extra’ in
> playing technique?
This is an interesting question. What are the tools available to either step forward or back?
One can play louder or softer. Articulations, independant of volume, can be crisper or harsher or more exaggerated, or they can be softened. Vibrato can be more pronounced or vary within a note, or to blend, can be suppressed altogether or limited to fit "within" the bounds of the vibrato used by the other instruments.
It is possible to intensify the core of the tone by operating at a higher air pressure level. At higher air pressure levels, the slightest flutter or tremble or other variation of breath pressure can be used expressively. These gestures can draw or direct attention to the musical gesture. If overused, though, they are like an actor that is a habitual scene stealer. When minimized, this can help the instrument recede into the background. I'm not sure what to call this technique. It is not vibrato, though it does involve "micro" fluctuations of breath pressure (on a much shorter time scale than a simple crescendo or diminuendo).
I'd like to see "intesity" given a good breakdown. I think I only hit a couple of its components. One additional thought: "change" draws attention, and things that do not move tend to fall into the background. So maybe the main thing is that when soloing, one uses every available tool in a dynamic way, but in blending, one takes care to follow and stay within the dynamics of others, or play in a way that is as "static" as possible while staying musical.
http://adonax.com
Post Edited (2008-01-09 06:30)
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