 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Buster Brown
Date: 2005-08-14 13:21
I currently play in 3 groups, a community band, an 18 piece big band, and a small 7 piece group and they all have the same on-going problem. we don't do dynamics very well. We can play loud and we can play soft, however, we can't seem to play soft for very long. We always tend towards too loud.
Our band director tries to hold us back on the loud passages, but that seems to end up destroying the contrast. Loren Schissel (spelling) was a guest conductor last year and our audience told us it was the best we've ever played. Loren allowed us to "blow our brains out" on the loud parts and we really palyed soft on the soft parts.
Our big band also gave one of it's best-ever concerts last week. For whatever the reason we were playing together and softly when called for. The dynamics were great. We can always play loud, but the soft was unusual.
Is this a problem in all amateur groups or do I come from an afflected part of the country? What are your experiences and can you suggest anything. Not sure I can get it appled in the large groups, but I know the smaller bunch will work at it. Maybe we're just all getting older and need to play louder to hear the sounds. We always tend towards louder when sightreading.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-08-14 23:04
I don't know where your community band plays, but ours plays most of its performances outdoors.
Our new director -- very capable guy; I'm still getting used to the fact that you can actually depend on him for cues -- tried to instill the idea of a dynamic range into the group. And he gave us pieces which depended on dynamic effect.
So, first outdoor concert of the season comes. What is the main gripe from the audience?
"It wasn't loud enough!"
So, we are back to playing marches and overtures and medleys from Broadway hits. It's what works. Sensitive doesn't work outdoors.
Slam, bam, thank you, ma'am?
Susan
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-08-15 00:11
In the groups I've been in (all community type groups), it feels to me that the louds are not loud enough and the softs are not soft enough. That the players tend to find a range which they feel comfortable playing in and are almost afraid to go outside of that range, even if the music calls for ppp or fff.
I haven't been in anything in the summer, but as far as I remember, I remember directors always saying something along the lines of "Very good, but don't be afraid to play out" or "Very good, but give me half that volume and it'd be perfect".
However for strictly band purposes (not orchestral or chamber ensemble) I agree that the tendency in the groups I'm in is to be louder than necessary. Except when we're SUPPOSED to be loud, and we're not loud enough! ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-08-15 00:26
Yes, its been a problem in every group IMHExperience. It seems to me that the conductors must be insistant on dyn levels and section balance, as happily our Tulsa Band conds. are. We all desire to "show-off" our insts and skills, myself included, but must cooperate for the overall "good". Our [softer] "one-of-a-kind" inst. players, SOLO cl,tpt,tmb,oboe, sax, and [my own] bass cl/alto cl parts, must be heard as the composers intend over the rest of the band, which may require severe disciplining. I have found that chordal balance and projection of "moving parts" sometimes needs major conductor regulation of volume levels, for performance as rehearsed, also !!. Even Sousa marches have some soft parts ! Others, please help my poor efforts and explanations. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-08-15 00:58
I don't know that your efforts/explanations are poor, Don. But I do agree with you about the need to let a featured instrument have the floor.
We have a kick-a** french hornist in our band (actually, two or three), and I just wish to heck the rest of the brass would put a sock in it when she has her 8 bars of immortality.
I'd say ditto for the oboist -- except I'm the oboist. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
But your point is well-taken: even within the audience-pleasing context of loud-louder-loudest, there at least needs to be some consideration for the texture of the piece.
Susan
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-08-15 01:05
Actually, if your band can not play waith excellent dynamics, it sucks.
Talk about it. Play back tapes of places where the dynamics change. Remind them that, in what they just heard, they could make a bigger contrast, get softer, louder, ...
Play the tape, and then play the band.
You just can't let everything go mf to f and expect anyone to care about your ensemble.
Bob Phillips
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2005-08-15 12:20
It seems everything is getting louder...
Carefully graded dynamics are what make music fun to play and worth playing...blasting is a big part of the problem why many interpretations fall short.
David Dow
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Author: BassClarinetGirl
Date: 2005-08-15 14:30
I'm only in High School, but it seems to me that we can play very soft for a little while, but the trumpets brass tend to get louder as we go, even when the clarinets or flutes or french horns have the melody. So, to counter their loudness, we tend to play louder, just so that we can be heard.
In Jazz Band, the tenor and bari saxes almost always play louder than we should, because we have a large brass section, so we play a little louder just to keep from being covered up.
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2005-08-15 23:56
You might like to look at your problem this way:
Which has more musical energy, and At VaRyIng SPEEds; PLEase NOte THAt bit;-)...
...is it this:
DU-wha, DU-wha, DU-wha, DU-wha,....?
...or is it this:
DUWHADUWHADUWHADUWHADUWHADUWHADUWHA....?
(The second is obviously continuously louder, acoustically.)
You can use an instrument to find out your own answer -- or just singing to yourself is actually enough.
If that's clear to you, you may also see that there is a relationship between that sort of energy representation, and clarity; so that 'moving the sound around' more, gets you more clearly heard.
An interesting bonus is that playing in this first, more energetic way:
DU-wha, DU-wha, DU-wha, DU-wha,..
... is clearly heard: but it also leaves space for other stuff to be heard, even while it is itself being better heard.
So the short answer is, I'd say that the mastery of the release of chords and phrases, slower or faster (as in the above) depending on the context, is what separates the men from the boys in ensemble playing.
Tony
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2005-08-16 00:29
EEBaum wrote:
>>Very very few bands can play soft properly. I don't recall the last performance I attended where they did.>>
Could you explain what you mean by, 'playing soft *properly*'?
Is it different from 'playing soft', and if so, how?
(*I* think there's a difference, BTW.)
Tony
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