 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sanya
Date: 2005-03-05 15:40
The soundtrack has some pretty amazing clarinet parts (solos!) to it. We're, of course, performing this musical -- a friend of mine plays Maria, and she fits the part so damn well -- and of course, I'm in the pit band. Now, some parts are quite tricky, but alright, I can deal. However, once we start practicing with singers... well, singers can't count. They become overdramatic and start doing all sorts of things with their voice, and we have to change our speed to keep up with them. Anyone have any suggestions on how not to screw up when playing with the singers? My music teacher is an oboe player, and she used to tell me that the biggest mistake she made was agreeing to play for an opera. The singers were nuts!
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Author: Bnatural
Date: 2005-03-05 16:00
I haven't done many pits but, the most important lesson I learned was to go to as many practices as you can, I was going to practices weeks before I even had the book... just to learn those little idiosynchroses of each singer, once you do start playing w/ them; play underneath them for awhile, just to get a feel.
Good luck
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-03-05 16:18
Lets hope that John Moses and GBK will respond, they ARE pros in this funny business. I've played S of M a couple times along with a bunch of others, all in local Mus Thea settings, enjoyed most of them, ALL had some trickey parts or coordination/accommodation with singers and their lack of "consistency" as to how to do it !! Is your oboe teacher going to play at least thoso "Goodbye" solos?, I found them to be the most trying, pitch and timing. Keep one eye on conductor, hope the stage does also. Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-03-05 16:29
- and we all remember Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria.
The hills are alive... ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
/cue: rimshot
...GBK
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Author: poopsie
Date: 2005-03-05 18:13
I am currently participating in my first musical right now. Cameot!!! (Also one of the musicals that Julie Andrews played in. She is a great singer.) I found that the key is to know the music well enough so that if a singer skips a few measures in the song, you can know where in the score they jumped to and make it sound like nothing happened. I don't know if that is very understandable, but I hope it helps. (Just remember, there are many more knowledgable people on this board than me and this is the method might not be for everyone.) Watching the director helps too.
Oh, and the Singer is always right, even if they are wrong.
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Author: William
Date: 2005-03-05 19:07
Following the singers--and other on-stage activities--is the job of your conductor. Your job--as well as that of the entire pit--is to follow her/him. One sure way to "screw up" would be to follow a lost singer on your own, regarless of what the conductor or the rest of the pit ensemble is doing. Individual initiative like that could be catostropic for the entire theater ensemble and bring the show to a stop. Just know your book and follow your leader as best you can.
Also, avoid watching the action on stage and missing a cue. The conductor of the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus band used to (quite gruffly) tell his musicians, "If you want to watch the show, buy a ticket!!" Always be alert for cues--it's all too easy to get envolved with the show and miss a critical downbeat. (expecially if the show is a good one)
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Author: Aussiegirl
Date: 2005-03-06 06:40
Ive played in a few pit bands, and the one bit of advice that you should heed is for the band to practice as much with the cast as possible. Youve probably realised by now that playing the song as a band is entirely different to playing it with the singers! Your musical director may discover certain bits where the singers are likely to change tempo or skip parts and tell you as the band what you will do if that happens, that is always really handy! Writing in vocal cues on your book may help too.
Have fun, and drink plenty of milk products in front of the cast, just to rub it in
Well thats what we did anyway
Fiona
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2005-03-06 14:25
If you've chosen to play a musical, especially one as famous and often recorded as THE SOUND OF MUSIC, be prepared for a wonderful musical experience.
I suggest you buy, or borrow, as many copies of that great score as you can find. They'll all be slightly different, which will help you with the variations in tempos that are possible. Play along with the CDs and learn all the solos from memory. Most of your singers will have done exactly the same thing, so you'll all "be on the same page" when the rehearsals roll around.
The conductor is always the one to follow. It's his/her job to adjust to the singers, or have them follow his beat. Just stay with your conductor, that's your job. I'm sorry to disagree with your music teacher, but most singers these days are fine musicians too. They must, at times, be directed to sing with the stick, and not on their own.
You, on the other hand, must be well prepared as a player; it's such a tuneful musical, you can't help but have fun every night!
Good luck,
PS The DVD of THE SOUND OF MUSIC is still available, and is a one of the great movie musicals. It's not the Broadway version, but it will help refresh your memory about the story, and perhaps bring a tear to your eye. Julie Andrews is a world treasure, and Chris Plummer is elegant as the Captain.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
Post Edited (2005-03-06 17:03)
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Author: diz
Date: 2005-03-06 20:55
Sad fact Sanya ... in most cases the audience is paying to hear the singers NOT the orchestra. The trick to playing in a pit, in my experience, is to forget the fact that you think your god's gift to solo clarinet playing ... you're not, you're part of a supporting ensemble, blend in with the other winds, don't force your tempos (even if you think they're right - ever) and always follow the M.D. If you buck up against the M.D. you won't be hired again. LIke JJM said ... learn your solos from memory and then you won't have to worry about them if they're technically challenging.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: sanya
Date: 2005-03-07 01:02
diz wrote:
> Sad fact Sanya ... in most cases the audience is paying to hear
> the singers NOT the orchestra. The trick to playing in a pit,
> in my experience, is to forget the fact that you think your
> god's gift to solo clarinet playing ... you're not, you're part
> of a supporting ensemble, blend in with the other winds, don't
> force your tempos (even if you think they're right - ever) and
> always follow the M.D. If you buck up against the M.D. you
> won't be hired again. LIke JJM said ... learn your solos from
> memory and then you won't have to worry about them if they're
> technically challenging.
>
I'm not sure how to respond to you, diz, but I never, ever thought I was god's gift to clarinet playing. I know I'm not a solo, and I know how to behave as part of a team. The whole point of this post was that I know how difficult it is to sometimes follow the M.D. when the singers start skipping bars, and I just wanted some advice. The way you commented makes it seem like you think I am completely full of myself, and I'm not.
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Author: diz
Date: 2005-03-07 03:26
sanya - I apologise - I too misread my own inference here ... not directed at you at all. Just my experiences as being both a professional instrumentalist and conductor at various times. The basic thing is, enjoy your self and be diligent but blend in with the ensemble and follow, follow, follow.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-03-07 03:41
Just think of it as a chamber ensemble, and make sure to compliment the singer. The singer really SHOULD try to stay in a somewhat consistent rhythm, but if he/she fluctuates in rhythm/tempo/dynamics/etc, do your best to do the same.
Memorizing would be a good idea here. That way you don't have to focus on what to play as well as what the singer is doing. You're fingers will hopefully remember the patterns and you can concentrate more on following what's going on.
So like it was said above, although the part may be marked clarinet "solo", unless it's between acts, it's really secondary to whatever is going on onstage and is just there to support it.
On a sidenote, it is a bit of a shame that the singers are hamming it up as they are. I know that if I had written something musical, I would want it done that way. It's almost a slap in the face as though what they wrote 'wasn't good enough, so I need to exaggerate and deviate from it to make it interesting.'
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: poopsie
Date: 2005-03-07 04:01
Well, i thought that i should clear up a subjuct from my earlier post. When I said to "know the music well enough so that if a singer skips a few measures in the song, you can know where in the score they jumped to and make it sound like nothing happened" I didn't mean to be a renegade and jump to the measure the singer has jumped to. I simply meant that knowing the music will help you when the director tells you where you should be in the music. The change, in other words, will not phase you or your playing.
Sorry if there was any confusion!
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