 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2004-10-07 15:57
Let me give you the long story.
One of the groups I play with is doing Barnes' Third Symphony this Sunday night. The second movement, Scherzo, has a couple of not-too-simple, exposed bass clarinet solos involving 16th notes with a fair number of accidentals at 120 beats per minute. One alternates figures in the high clarion and low chalumeau. I get to play the solos because I'm the only bass clarinetist with an extended range instrument and both solos go down to fourth-line-below-the-staff D. The conductor had intended, although he didn't explain it too clearly, that the other two basses play the clarion figures and I play the chalumeau figures, but it looks like I get to do it all. (His concern was about jumping back and forth between registers, but I have absolutely no problem doing that. It's fingers and timing that concern me.)
Why am I anxious? Besides it being a demanding and exposed solo, 99% of the 70 or so members in the group have more musical training than I do. (Yeah, I know my math is weird, but it gets my point across.) Many are either music educators or even professionals. I'm just a dedicated amateur who is somewhat intimidated.
I have been woodshedding the solos and can, when not under pressure, play them pretty well, although not yet to perfection. (I'll continue working.) But, at last night's rehearsal, we went through the movement twice. The first time, I totally flubbed the more difficult of the solos. (I had been expecting the other bassist who was there to be playing along and was surprised to find myself out there by myself. I ended up not finishing it.) The second solo I managed to get out, but not to my satisfaction. The next time we went through it, I managed to force out both solos, but I'm sure they were still both far from perfect. Fortunately, the conductor did not make us go back either time to see if I could pick it up. After rehearsal, our contra player, a friend, complimented me on how well I did.
I primarily fear that when crunch time comes I will freeze and dread that possibility. (It would be a big overall confidence builder if I did well on the concert.) We have one more rehearsal and getting it near perfect on that would help me a lot.
I plan to continue to rehease the solos, but didn't figure that that alone was enough. So I asked the conductor if he had a recording, which he did -- the publisher's recording, and I borrowed it. I intend to listen to it and to practice along with it, giving me the chance to play it in context and use a better player's performance as feedback as to whether I am getting the timing, etc. right.
Any other suggestions? I was thinking of seeing if I could get together with one of the more pro members of the group and playing for him/her to prove to myself that I can play it in front of an audience with more knowledge and credentials.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-10-07 16:09
The biggest thing that I can tell you (this is GOLDEN) is to not analyze your playing while in performance.
DO NOT analyze your playing while in performance. And don't think about the upcoming solos either.
Concentrate on what you are doing while you are doing it - not ahead and for damn sure not behind.
Reason? It will surely give you a lot more problems.
Let the adrenaline rush work for you while performing.
Also try video taping you playing the work while practicing. Get used to the pressure.
If you refuse to analyze your playing while performing you will not freeze up.
Remember this - the brave man dies but once, the coward dies a thousand times.
Be brave!
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2004-10-07 21:16
David B, your advice is indeed golden. It can be difficult to not spend the rest or the passage before your solo thinking about what is coming.
I would only add that it helps to get to the point in your private practice where you are actually having fun with it. If a passage is difficult in itself I find I often finally have a "click" moment when I am practicing and it is there from then on. Or, if a passage is difficult in the way it fits into the ensemble, there can be a "click" moment at rehearsal. Either way you have to go for it for awhile even though it's not all the way there.
Now if I can only put that into practice if I have to play Peter and the Wolf again and get that pesky cat up the tree.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2004-10-07 22:07
The rehearsals have been too few for me to have a "click" moment there. That is why I asked for, and thankfully got, a recording to use. I hope that my rehearsal click moment will come when playing with the recording. Actually, it is that one that I have been most concerned about--getting all the notes out but having to concentrate on that aspect so much that I potentially miss the fit with the rest of the group. Fortunately, it is a movement where the beat is very evident and easily felt. (The audience will have trouble not tapping their toes.) During the first of the solos, the bassoons are playing steady staccato eighth notes, which should help. The second solo doesn't have the steady-beat accompaniment but immediately follows the same bassoon eighth note pattern.
(As an aside, I noticed on the recording that the second bass solo was actually a unison duet with piccolo, but we haven't had that in rehearsal. Odd, unless the piccolo player has been absent for the preceding rehearsals.)
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2004-10-07 22:19
Absolutely a recording can help prepare for the ensemble rehearsal. I usually just listen with my music in front of me. Mental rehearsal and letting my ear absorb the whole usually helps me more than playing along, although that may vary according to the player.
If you are going to be unison with the piccolo I sure hope he or she will be there enough before the performance to work out the bass clarinet-piccolo intonation!
Have fun and good luck
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2004-10-08 15:17
I emailed the conductor and he responded that the piccolo player (piccoloist?) had been ill on rehearsal day. He must have meant days, because this wasn't our first rehearsal. I suspect she will be a dress rehearsal tomorrow.
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Author: DougR
Date: 2004-10-08 18:18
I've recently had a similar experience (exposed, high-speed bass clarinet licks) and appreciate the suggestions above...
in my case, I had a month prior to the 1st rehearsal to get the licks down (which didn't lay remotely naturally at first, even at 1/4 tempo).
After about a jillion nice, slow repetitions of the difficult passages, I'm almost at the point where I can pick up the horn cold and knock the licks off without thinking about it. And I STILL screw up, when distracted by that "analytical" voice (which usually contributes wisdom on the order of "gee, that sucked!" and "uh-oh, here comes a hard part!!") Duh!
You sound like you might enjoy Barry Green's "The Inner Game of Music," which applies some Zen concepts, among other things, to getting notes out fluently in high-pressure situations. He has a website worth checking out, too.
Good luck with it!
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