 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: z123carleigh
Date: 2007-02-17 22:54
Easy question! The correct answer is the 2nd one always, right? Because for my next audition on Saturday I'm to play my chromatic scale, going up to altissimo G, at 120mm 16ths tongued. On average, I can play it at 105mm. On a REALLY good day, 110mm. But everytime I even think of attempting it at 120mm I break out into a cold sweat.
For district and county auditions this wasn't a problem, I just played it at a reasonable tempo and all was good. But for state, they (supposedly, I've never done this before) give you the tempo on a metronome, and I am so afraid that they will put the darned thing at something really fast and I'll mess it up. My intuition is telling me they won't, because I was a judges aide for district auditions and everytime someone started it that fast, the judges would roll their eyes and sigh (behind a screen).
But, back to my original question. In the worst case scenario, should I get points taken off for a sloppy scale, or for not following the judges' directions?
Post Edited (2007-02-17 23:00)
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2007-02-17 23:24
Wow they ask for it tongued? For my state audition they ask for it slurred. What you should do is just practice it in increments to play it faster before Saturday. On saturday just play it at your comfortable pace if you can't play it at the given tempo. That's what I would do. I wouldn't try to play a sloppy chromatic.
Edit.
I just looked at the VA State Band website. It says slurred up and tongued down at a minimum pace of MM=120. Try to play that every day. Usually when they say something like that on the website they want you to be able to play it for the audition but more than likely don't. In NC, they give us the whole scale pattern (8th-16-8th)(8thTrip for arpeggio) Usually they wont count off if we play at a different pace. I slow mine down just a little. Try to stay as close to the original tempo being clean =] And GOOD luck. Chip a reed ;] not really haha
Post Edited (2007-02-17 23:30)
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Author: z123carleigh
Date: 2007-02-17 23:46
That's what I'm doing, speeding it up bit by bit. But I doubt that I will be able to do it at 120.
Man I wish I could do it all slurred. I'm moving to North Carolina.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2007-02-18 00:37
Hello Carlene,
I teach in Charlottesville and I have a student who'll be there for the audition.
There will be many people who will be able to play the scale as asked and even faster. There will be many there who will not be able to tongue sixteenths at 120 bpm.
It is always better (in this case) to play perfectly slower than imperfectly fast. I'm surprised that the metronome wasn't played at your district audition. You have to know what tempo you are going to play and ignore the metronome at all costs.
Are you a senior? If not, then you should work steadily through the year to achieve the desired tempo.
Two bits of advice: Don't listen to anyone in the general warm up room and don't be swayed from the tempo you pick. Don't overpractice your scales or etude the day of the audition.
James
PS...How'd you like the "F-sharp alternate" prepared etude?
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-02-18 13:31
Tattoo this on the inside of your eyelids:
1. Slower and accurate is ALWAYS better than fast and sloppy.
-- If the evaluators want it faster, they'll ask for it, and you'll have the advantage of just having played it.
2. For scales, "accurate" means rhythm first and notes second.
-- Practice with a metronome.
-- At the audition, if you miss a note, put it behind you. Keep going, and HOLD THE RHYTHM.
3. Learn scales by setting the metronome to 40 and playing one note per click.
-- Scales get engraved into your muscle memory just as well at a slow tempo as at a faster one.
-- Increase the tempo one click at a time. If you make even one mistake, or get even a little nervous, go back.
-- For this slow practice, while you play a note, visualize the finger movement you will make to go to the next note. Get the feeling of your fingers making the correct movement, and then make it.
-- If you go fast and sloppy, you're only practicing how to make mistakes.
-- When you practice, NEVER GO FASTER THAN PERFECT.
4. On scales, it helps to group the notes as one note, then the next three notes as a pickup to the next on-the-beat note, and so on. So, for a C major scale, it's C, D-E-F-G, A-B-C-D, etc.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2007-02-18 16:19
As we all learn (but some of us non-pros ignore) unlike History, say, or Sociology, a "C" grade isn't going to hack it in music performance. Miss 25% of the notes and you're flipping burgers.
One wonders how good (in simple terms of missing a note every now and then, never mind little details like tone, expression, tempo, &c.) do you have to be to retain a professional job level? "A" - miss 5%? "A+" = miss 2% or 0%?
It is a little like the question:
What do you call a person who graduates dead last from medical school?
Answer...
[keep clicking...]
"Doctor".
JDS
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