 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: marzi
Date: 2006-05-13 13:43
Bah, i finally did it,during a "solo" bit at a concert, skipped a line at the bottom of the first page during the vaughn williams folk song suite and totally lost my place, went to the next page and thought i had the wrong page, by the time i realized what i had done, (and i've done this at home during practice but never during rehearsals)too late, couldn't figure it out until the start of the next bit. And I quess second clarinet didn't know where we were either. thank goodness the bassoon had something, but it was still awfully quiet there for a minute. Naturally this was our final concert, naturally we actually had an audience in the auditorium that outnumbered the orchestra for a change, i think due to our new conductor, but our very tactful conductor gave me a "bravo" anyway afterwards, - well, hope they better find another 'first" for next year! someone who has better sight or better memory, !
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Author: vin
Date: 2006-05-13 15:02
Almost everybody skips a line now and then, even high-level professionals. The more you perform, the better you'll get at it. Just let it go, get back to practicing... you'll have other opportunities that WILL go well.
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Author: BelgianClarinet
Date: 2006-05-13 17:27
Whatever accident happened, just take care that next time is better, it is the only way !!.
Hopefully you learned so much from this 'error', that one day you'll be glad it happened.
And it looks like you have a great conductor (or did I miss something ?)
Important is : you know what happened, experienced it, and now, more than ever, are convinced to make sure it'll never happen again.
The nice part about musicians is : if we do it wrong, the world will not stop, if we do it right, it is the greatest experience for everybody, so ...
up for the next concert !!
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2006-05-13 19:50
>>...couldn't figure it out until the start of the next bit.
I'll bet that's why the conductor gave you the "bravo." You didn't give up and you used your brains. You figured out what had gone wrong, and at "the start of the next bit," you knew where you were and you came back in again. Well done! You're way ahead of people who get so upset and confused by a mistake that they mess up all the way through the rest of the concert.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: D
Date: 2006-05-13 22:33
Last concert I did was full of lots of very short pieces, all written out in a book, with tacit slips where it was someone elses turn. And yes, you guessed it, I started playing the wrong piece.
Mind you, in that one the musicians outnumbered the audience for much of the performance, even though it was a quintet!
We all have bad performances......next time it's your turn for a really great one!
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-05-13 22:36
At least your conductor handled it tactfully. Don't worry about it though, it could happen to anyone. Just live and learn from it!
Oh, that piece is very pretty and I love playing first part on it!
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Author: marzi
Date: 2006-05-13 22:58
you're right, belgian clarinet, she has turned out to be just the conductor we needed(with a mfa in conducting and a doctorate), she pulled us together the best we've ever been, . this included singing very softly to the violins to "key " them in during one piece. and thanks to everyone,.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2006-05-14 11:20
Without "the agony of messing up" it's impossible to get the full fanatastic high of "the thrill of nailing it".
It's part of what makes live music so exhilarating. Each performance is different.
Hopefully, the mess ups will become few and far between.
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Author: Mike S
Date: 2006-05-14 11:58
I'm far more involved in singing than in clarinet playing and I've got my own 6 voice a cappella group. We regularly put on concerts with around 1 hr 15 minutes of music - all one voice to a part. I know that, as amateurs, we don't have the ability to get through the whole concert without something going wrong. We have, however, over the years, developed the ability of not getting embarrassed or worried about mistakes - even big ones!! In that way, our audiences don't get embarrassed or worried either - so we can all still enjoy the music. If I'm attending concerts as a member of the audience, I find it is offputting when performers are fazed by a mistake and it then affects the rest of their performance and I get worried for them.
Live music is edge of the seat stuff. It is scary and rewarding in equal measure and it is prone to mistakes from time to time. At an amateur level, the trick is not to get flustered and let the show go on. Most of the audience won't even know - and will only find out if you let on there was a problem!!
I remember many years ago, taking part in a production of Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream". I was playing the part of Oberon and in the play, Oberon and Puck share two scenes. In the first of these, I opened the scene and delivered the opening speech from the second scene. Puck carried on from where I left off and we did the entire scene word-perfect but in the wrong part of the play. After we left the stage, Puck and I had a discussion about what we should do for the second scene. Should we do the first scene so the audience experienced the whole play (not necessarily in the right order), or should we repeat the same scene?!! At the end of the day, we went for the latter option (speaking quickly), and noone in the audience was any the wiser!!
Mike
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2006-05-14 21:26
I suppose we all have our horror stories. Here's one of mine.
Playing the Mozart 498 "Kegelstadt" trio with piano, viola and clarinet, I sailed right past a repeat in the minuetto. When I woke up, the violist had her bow tip on my shoulder, and the pianist was whispering "Bob, Bob, ..." We restarted, and the audience was still appreciative --although, the violist hasn't spoken to me since.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2006-05-15 11:14
My worst clarinet horror story (never mind the piano horror stories) happened when I played first clarinet in my high school orchestra. I had serious stage fright problems and worked myself into insomnia and nausea, worrying about a solo. I practiced the part so much that I should have been able to play it in my sleep (if any), but when the time came, I panicked to the point where my mouth went absolutely rigid. I was biting like an alligator, and knew it, and couldn't stop myself. No sound came out at all. None. Not even a squeak. My good friend the second clarinet player, fortunately, realized what was happening. He'd learned the part, too, and he played it so well that I imagine the audience only heard the foul-up as a late entrance.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: David Niethamer
Date: 2006-05-16 03:29
My two favoirite horror stories from my first year in the RSO:
In the Strauss 2nd Horn Concerto, there is a two bar resrt at the bottom of the first page and another at the top of the next page (after a page turn). I counted one of them, and came in early in a concert. Not one of my shining moments!
At the end of the season, (after I had gotten renewed, thankfully!) we did Polovetsian Dances in an outdoor concert. The big solo was fine. Then comes a 3/4 section in one to the bar, then a 6/8 section in one to the bar. Counting one to the bar has always been a bugaboo of mine - I have to concentrate to do it right. After the 3/4 (clarinet in A) I turned the page, clipped it fast to the stand, all the while doggedly counting one to the bar and waiting for the oboe cue. Alas, I neglected to change back to my Bb clarinet. The look on the maestro's face indicated that he had just experienced and unplanned stress test for the evening! At that tempo, transposition up a half step was not an option.
Life goes on. Your family will still love you. And you have great stories for your grandchildren.
David
David
niethamer@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/index.html
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