Author: Dutchy
Date: 2008-09-29 13:56
Would I be an Evil Person, damned to eternal hellfires, if I ventured to opine that it's okay to breathe where you need to breathe, changing an end-of-measure quarter note to an eighth note and an eighth rest, for example, as needed? ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
For me, working with Barret is a means to an end, the end being improved technical facility, which, yes, includes a breathing workout, but I don't approach them as pieces that *must* be played 100% perfectly as-written. I view them as exercises you do to improve your breathing (and fingering), rather than as festival performance pieces where the judges are sitting there with the music in front of them, making ticks where you breathed but no rest was indicated.
So for me, if I can play them perfectly, that's nice, but sometimes I get to the point where I must balance frustration and boredom at feeling required to work on a Barret yet again until it's quote-unquote perfect, with my interest and motivation. And it's at that point that I generally move on to the next etude. I'm now on my second time around working my way through them, and I've added the first page of the first sonata to my "September" regimen; page 2 to follow in October, page 3 in November, etc. And even if I'm not playing the first page correctly up to speed, still it's fascinating, and it keeps me working at it, which is the important thing.
So, Cowtime, if it's up to me, I'd say don't obsess too much about getting it perfect. When it turns into a chore, then it's time to rethink your approach, IMO.
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