 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kevin
Date: 2004-07-03 03:36
haha, naturally, the first file I went after was Lopham Lament
Of course, the tone of the group wasn't as high as the pro bands, but they are really indeed a fine H.S. ensemble. And I give praise to the flutist for that nice flute solo there in that movement!
I didn't really catch the squeek.. not as bad or noticeable as you think, so don't fret it.
Finally, it was nicely recorded. I don't know if this was a professional recording job or not, but I didn't catch any surplus noises, audience sounds, etc...
Igloo Bob wrote:
> I have no recordings of my junior year, the tech guy gave
> us a very in-depth reason as to why that was so, but I still
> think that he just forgot to hit the record button when we
> started playing.
^^ROFL!!!^^
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-07-03 23:57
It's a bit hard for me to comment, both because it's a recording and because I've never played (or even heard in concert) most of the repertoire. Also, lots of what I tend to listen for doesn't transfer extremely well to recordings (I'm very critical in person).
The Ticheli seems pretty nice.
I'm getting a high-pitched noise, which I assume is due to the mp3 compression, and it distracts me a bit.
Of course, the tell-all pieces are always the ones that "everyone knows"... America the Beautiful is perfectly good for high school, but definitely has a "band" feel to it (partially due to the arrangement, probably). Unfortunately, in a piece like that it's quite easy to overplay, causing the classic "band woodwind section" sound. The recording quality also isn't quite up to par with the NM ones.
The 4th Norfolk Dance and March Grandioso could use a better sense of pulse (don't run away from the downbeats), and the clarinets could do a better job of blending as a section... it feels like you're still "playing notes" (which, granted, I was guilty of through almost two years of college). The march finally finds its time at the very end.
I hear a bit of the rush-drag phenomenon that still plagues me from time to time: The ensemble will start to play toward the back of the beat and settle to a slower tempo. In response, a very tempo-conscious player or section or two tries hard to stay with the director to keep the tempo where it should be. The rest of the ensemble then assumes he is rushing and more steadfastly holds into the slower tempo. The player gives up, and slows back to the rest of the ensemble, after which it feels like it is going to slow, and players begin to subsequently rush, trying to bring the tempo back up to its former glory, and so on, throughout the duration of the piece. The only cure is time, experience, and a good sense of downbeats, ovals, and where each note leads (a good internal metronome won't even half solve the problem).
I don't pay much attention to the occasional squeak unless they're very often. Things happen!
Best wishes with your ensembles, and do take this with a grain of salt (I can be quite critical).
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: ken
Date: 2004-07-04 03:24
Lance, I downloaded and listened to most all the selections and for high school ensembles they were terrific, some of the finest amateur band performance and interpretation I can recall ever hearing. A few rough spots; the usual, tempos and blending but that's to be expected for intermediate players (with a few gifted advanced players sprinkled in). I was most impressed with the technical proficiency, raw excitement and musical maturity on the Techelli ... the band's level of playing smoked the other concert band stuff ... so much so it sounded like a totally different band to me. The band really sounded like they worked hard on the piece both as an ensemble and individually. Stylistically, the melody also remained consistent as it was being handed of from one soloist-section to another. The band swung hard on the jazz charts as well. More kudos, the fact your band is tackling ANY of Philip Sparke's music is an indicator of their commitment to their instruments and high degree of talent (including the director).
Don't be discouraged by the lack of response from the BBoard. There just aren't a lot of band enthusiasts that frequent the BBoard or choose to post so it's nothing personal. I'd estimate 90% of the woodwind players who post here are orchestra and chamber folk or seriously into their solo literature. Not to be denied, there are many extremely knowledgeable jazz and blues lovers as well. Otherwise, you're in good company; there's a small well established band contingent who appreciate what you're trying to achieve.
To contribute to the thread and hopefully keep things rolling, here's a recording of the "Il Convegno" duet (1st part) I recorded with a coworker in 2002 with band acompaniment. I sent a courtesy copy to GBK about a year ago and he was very complimentary so I feel on solid ground posting it among my peers. I've never attached an MP3 before so I hope this works. I imagine it's best to download it, run a cautionary virus scan and play it off the HD. Not playing it from the site (if that's where the file lives) so Mark doesn't want to chase after me with a rubber hose. Enjoy! v/r Ken
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2004-07-04 03:30
ken wrote:
> I've never attached an MP3 before so I hope this works.
It won't. mp3 files are excluded as attachments.
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