Author: MikeC855
Date: 2015-12-02 11:14
Well, I survived the concert. So did my cor. The new Hiniker crook made a huge difference. Thanks, Chris!
Couple of interesting things were discovered along the way. Most daunting was that my right hand was going numb from the pressure of the weight of the instrument on my thumb. The last couple of weeks of practicing and rehearsals found my index finger losing feeling right at the tip. If I wasn't conscious about finger position it would drift down, slightly pressing the key and make a mess of things, especially long tones. Using a neck strap delayed onset of the numbness, but not completely.
Second was becoming more aware of a peculiarity of this particular horn, that the RH F key is way too wide, and certain fingerings (transitions into C# especially!) will move the third finger enough to "nick" the F key. You can imagine that sounds great... not! It's going to the shop - probably tomorrow! - to get this key narrowed for a little more space between it and the D ring key.
The first clarinetist, sympathetic to my plight, commented afterwards about how intense this piece is, how much concentration it takes because so much is exposed [relative to other advanced wind band literature]. No kidding, and it's going to take a couple of days to unwind.
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Confounding band directors since 1964.
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