Author: William
Date: 2003-05-02 15:01
In an ensemble, after intonation and precision, balance is the most important issue to address. It is probably that the brass are simply playing too loud for the woodwinds--a problem often shared with the percussion. The measure of a great band, orchestra or chamber group is not how loud they can play, but rather, how soft.
Think of the Rocky mountain range. The American peaks are higher than the Canadian counterparts, but because the surrounding "flat lands" are higher in the US than in Canada, the Canadain peaks appear to be much more majestic. It is the contrasting "relief" panorama that creates this effect, not just the inheriant peak heigth (This info was provided to me by a US Forest Service person)
The same is true in musical "peaks"--the greater the contrast, the more effective the expressive results. And being able to control "soft" is the best way of createing "musical relief." If you can play soft, then you do not have to play as loud to effective dynamic contrast. The result, a more controlled and easy to listen to ensemble sound.
Th "rule of (musical) thumb" is: Less is More.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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