 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-11-15 17:40
I have my All-County audition tomorrow. I read over the regulations carefully today. It says to recieve full rhythm credit for the musicality etude, you must play it at the tempo marked (which is 96). My teacher told me that this is much too fast to play the etude musically, and I agree. I've been playing it at about 75-80. Should I speed it up and play it less musically (and lose musicality points) or hope the judge will understand my slow-down and not take off too many rhythm points?
Thanks,
Micaela
P. S. It's a Nocentini etude from the Hite Melodious and Progressive Studies Book 1. One of the last ones, it starts on a G half note (I can't remember the number).
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-11-15 18:31
Micaela -
The first and most important principle of test taking:
* * * * * Don't argue with the instructions. * * * * *
If they say they will take off points if you don't play it at the marked tempo, that's what they'll do if you play it slower.
Work it up to 96 if you can and make the best music you can, even if you're not completely comfortable. Everyone else is in the same boat.
Try phrasing in larger groups of notes, which will also help your musicality by letting you play groups of notes as a single musical gesture.
That said, it's better to go slower than to break down and have to stop. You just do the best you can.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-11-15 18:55
Micaela...I think you are referring to Etude #24. My best advice is to play it as close to 96 as possible. Notice that the marking is Allegretto Maestoso.
Allegretto should fall somewhere between Andante and Allegro, and the Maestoso marking indicates majestically. Therefore 96 should be observed as your basic tempo.
That being said, it is still VERY possible to play this etude musically. You can do many things with the etude at this tempo. I would look at the phrases, and find appropriate areas to use rubato. Be careful not to get so expressive as to sacrifice the movement of the line.
Also, as I'm sure your teacher has reminded you, musicality is based on many areas. Don't forget all the expressive devices available to you as a musician, and use them to make the etude "yours"...GBK
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-11-15 19:44
GBK wrote:
> I would look at the phrases, and find appropriate areas to use
> rubato.
I would be <b>very</b> apprehensive in using rubato in an etude (remember that an etude is set up to exercise some technical point). Any change in tempo within a phrase may be misconstrued as an error rather than artistic expression. I'd save rubato for the pieces that are more generally artistic; bringing out an inner voice on a complex and intricate passage with piano, that sort of thing most benefits from rubato IMHO.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-11-15 19:52
Mark...Perhaps rubato was a poor word choice. But, I would still look at the phrasing very carefully to see if there are very definite cadential points that can be shown by a slight (very slight) slowing of the tempo...GBK
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Author: Emms
Date: 2001-11-15 22:03
Surely it's best to play at a speed you're comfortable with. You may not get full marks, but neither will you get full marks if your performance is rushed and not at your best. Try to increase the speed but not at the expence of musicality.
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Author: susannah
Date: 2001-11-16 05:27
one major thing that has been overlooked so far is that the audition is TOMORROW!!!. OK forget about the judges, and at this late stage, play it how you feel comfortable. Good luck
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-11-17 14:58
I played the audition last night- at the slow tempo. All of the other auditioning clarinetists that I met were playing it more slowly, my teacher told me to play it slowly and my music theory teacher said to play it slowly. I think it was the right choice- the judge really liked me. She said that she "loved my sound!" I'm not sure if she would have heard enough of it to love it had I played it at the fast tempo.
The "tempo rule" was for all instruments and I decided that in this case, the metronome marking was just not a good one (it was just the one photocopied out of the Hite book and I often disagree with Hite's tempos) and to play it at what felt right.
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