 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-08-07 12:16
The SmartMusic computer program was brought up on the BB by Sue G on June 23rd. Since having used it for over a month now I wanted to let you know my opinion. To be honest, I looked at the other sites that were suggested in response to Sue, but I had to put my money down on one program or the other and chose this one. So I haven't tried any other program. I have only the old Music Minus One vinyls against which compare this.
Currently I'm preparing for a pretty important clarinet exam and don't want a repeat of what happened before, that in practice I'd do just fine on the two solos and then I fall apart at the exam. The biggest benefit I'm deriving from SmartMusic is the matter of getting accustomed to playing with someone else. Having to play with accompaniment used to cause panic in the more difficult areas of the solos because I felt like the accompanist was running away with the music and that I was out of control. It's been a tremendous tool in my preparation without the cost of spending hours and hours with my real accompanist.
This program can be adjusted for sensitivity - you can tell it to hold the tempo even if you stray, or adjust it to follow your every whim. It will record your playing along with the accompaniment so it can be sent by e-mail or recorded to CD. It will transpose pieces of music to another key. You can adjust the tempo of each section of the piece and have the program remember your settings. There are a great number of accompaniments available - you'd have to check to see if the one you want is there, of course.
There are other features that I haven't explored yet because I don't need them and don't have the time to experiment with them. The initial cost isn't too great, and the monthly maintenance fee is quite reasonable when you consider the cost of having a person play for you. I figure that with 2 hours of use in the first month, you've recovered the cost of the program and the monthly fee is far less. When preparing for an important event you're going to use the program far more than 2 hours.
When rehearsing with my accompanist even she notices that I have more confidence now. When she tears into the fast passages I don't feel that rising panic anymore. So now at this point my practice will consist of trying to be sure the results are consistent, that I'm always in control of the phrases and that they don't run away with me - that's my assignment for the next few days.
This is like any other tool, it is very useful, very flexible, full of options, but there are disadvantages as well. I have to be sure that the microphone hears me well enough so the program will respond to my playing (my kids helped me with the audio controls). Learning what the program does for me and how to adjust the settings takes a little time, and I don't always have a lot of time to mess with it. So it's not the same as a real accompanist because after all it is a mindless program.
In spite of the drawbacks the benefits have been worth it. It's like having a tempermental accompanist at your beck and call any time of day or night, playing any part of the solo over and over if need be without complaining. I feel that this is an example of tools that can be added to our routines that make a concrete difference.
Other BB users may have exprience with these accompaniment programs, and it would be interesting to hear more of your observations. I'd like to hear from teachers to see if they've noticed a difference in their students' abilities because of using these programs.
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Author: samacro
Date: 2003-08-07 16:35
I have been using Smart Music for about six months now after being introduced to it by a college professor. I have enjoyed using the program and would definitely recommend it to teachers and students alike. Like Brenda said, practicing with a piano before meeting with the accompanist is always helpful. I have also enjoyed the recording capabilities of the program. When I begin to work on a particular piece, I will make a recording of myself once I can play through it. However, just recording it is not enough. You must listen to it and critique your performance- picking out problems with tricky licks and intonation, etc. Then I will continue to make recordings as I work through the piece, comparing and contrasting each one. By the time I have mastered the piece I will have a very good recording and practice with the recording process, which is always very valuable.
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