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Looking for a light solo

Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-06-15 19:11

I'm going leaving for camp in a few weeks and I'm looking for a fairly light solo to work on there when I'm tired of my band and orchestra music. I'd like something with some technical challenges but nothing too knotty. I'm working on the Copland Concerto right now but I don't want to work on it too much without seeing my teacher every week- I don't want to learn lots of mistakes. I think I'll bring the Jeanjean Arabesques but I'd like something else too (I'm going for 4 weeks). Just something for a little relief that's fun to play. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Micaela

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RE: Looking for a light solo

Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-15 19:41

Micaela -

If you can find a pianist at camp (or even if you can't), the "finger wiggler" theme and variations solos on opera tunes are perfect light summer music. Carl Fischer has had a series of these in print forever, edited by Gustave Langenus. They're really cheap, too. My favorite is the Erwin Fantaisie by Meister, but they're all great fun. The solo parts for many of them also appear at the end of part 3 of the Lazarus method and some editions of the Klose method, so you can take one book to camp and have both solos and scales.

Another possibility is to get a book of familiar classic songs, such as the Stephen Foster Songbook. Anybody can be a virtuoso on the fast notes, but very few are virtuosos on the slow notes - able to sing on the instrument - to move people's hearts with a simple melody.

Play a song to someone specific. Look straight at the guy you've got a crush on, and bring a tear to his eye. Or imagine your grandmother sitting in the audience, and play your love to her.

Give yourself a little challenge, too. Get a songbook without a solo part, or with a solo part in C, and you will come back from camp knowing how to transpose. This is easy to learn on songs, where you already know the melody and it's mostly in step-wise motion.

Have a great summer.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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RE: Looking for a light solo

Author: Keil
Date: 2001-06-15 20:21

Which camp are you going to this summer? You might like Weber's Concertino... It's light and a lil technical

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RE: Looking for a light solo

Author: Gary
Date: 2001-06-16 21:25

Debussy, Petite Piece
Ravel, Piece en forme de Habanera
Vaughan Williams, Six Studies in English Folk Songs
Gershwin, Three Preludes (second mvt. is on A clarinet)
--and depending on how zealous you are, --
Bernstein, Sonata

good luck
Gary

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RE: Looking for a light solo

Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-06-17 14:50

Thanks for your replies! Ken- Thanks for the valuable advice (as always). I'm see what my local store has. My transposing "skills" are virtually non-existent. Keil- I've already played the Weber Concertino, it's one of my favorites. I'm going to Hartwick's program this summer. Gary- I just got an A clarinet so maybe the Gershwin would be fun. I've played the second prelude on piano (it's the only one I'm capable of) and fooled around with the Heifetz violin arrangements (on my violin, I can play the second decently and the first and third sort of), which I like more than the clarinet arrangement. Maybe I'll try transposing like Ken said and just ignore the many double stops.

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RE: Looking for a light solo

Author: ClairGirl
Date: 2001-06-20 08:00

Grande Duo Concertante by Weber- the rondo is relatively easy to learn in a short time (as is the whole piece) and sounds very beautiful with the piano when performed.

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