 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DrH2O
Date: 2007-09-19 15:57
I am still very much a newbie and am about to take a giant leap and join a community band (I've never played in a band before). I sat in on a rehearsal and although the music looks within reach on paper, the tempo is positively daunting.
I've read many posts that caution against trying to play too fast, that speed will come with control, and that control is achieved through slow, meticulous practice. I'm trying to apply those principles and with much practice have managed to get one of the pieces (The Gallant Seventh) pretty much under control, except that my max tempo is still well short of the performance tempo. So how do I bridge the gap when it comes to rehearsal? Hang on for dear life and play as fast as possible? Jump in where I can manage it under control and just follow along with the rest? My teacher says I should give it a try even if I feel a bit lost for now, but I'm feeling a overwhelmed and looking for advice on how to manage without mucking things up too much.
I'm both terrified and thrilled at the prospect of playing in a band!
Anne
Anne
Clarinet addict
Post Edited (2007-09-19 19:25)
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Author: davyd
Date: 2007-09-19 17:27
About the only immediate fix I can suggest is learning how to leave out notes you can't play up to tempo. Example: if there's a triplet, play only the 1st note; if there's 4 sixteenths, play only the 1st and 3rd. You won't be playing the part as written, but you'll be able to keep up. Hopefully, there are enough other players in the section to carry you.
As you improve, add the 3rd note of the triplet, and the 4th of the sixteenths, and then the other notes.
Ultimately, there's no substitute for lots and lots of practice. Clarinet parts in concert bands often have 10,000 notes per square inch (as a teacher once described them), so this is a problem you'll always have.
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Author: MichaelR
Date: 2007-09-19 17:35
DrH2O wrote:
> I am still very much a newbie and am about to take a giant leap
> and join a community band (I've never played in a band before).
Congratulations! it's a good thing.
> how do I bridge the gap when it comes to rehearsal?
> ... My teacher says I should give it a try
> even if I feel a bit lost for now
What does the director say?
My approach (I joined the Vancouver Community Concert Band in late July) is to play what I can, finger without blowing when I can't, and choose target pieces to practice each week. The targeted practice is to add pieces that I can play to my repertoire. So far that's working out. My conductor says to hang in there and learn by doing.
> I'm both terrified and thrilled at the prospect of playing in a
> band!
It's more fun than playing alone.
--
Michael of Portland, OR
Be Appropriate and Follow Your Curiosity
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-09-19 18:13
There is another approach you could try. Play three notes of the passage in question rapidly (at tempo). Just three should be do-able. Now shift over one note and play that group of three. etc, etc. At worst, you'll find one or two particular intervals that give you a bit of trouble, at best you'll be able to soldier through the entire "difficult passage" in this way. Then try the whole passage again....at tempo.
This helps me get through tough spots pretty fast.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-09-19 19:04
I see I'm not alone. On my first evening I was shocked, to put it mildly. The band just went whoosh! and was done with the piece before I could focus my eyes on the score.
All helpful advice above.
I also skip the occasional sixteenth and play staccato eighths instead. Sometimes I skip a bar with a crazy riff and resume playing once the melody has eased up a bit. No one expects you to play full throttle from day one.
Concentrate on the pieces that are new for everyone, not those that have been in the band's repertoire for the last 20 years.
Drill pesky passages, don't indulge in playing the adagio parts over and over. Practice, practice, practice (1/2 to 3/2 hours daily here).
But boy, band is fun. I love the rehearsals as much as I do the concerts.
--
Ben
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Author: nes
Date: 2007-09-20 02:44
i'm having trouble with the premiere rhapsodie fast runs. Getting them up to speed is difficult. any suggestions?
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Author: BobD
Date: 2007-09-20 14:01
If you can't play at band tempo just drop out and follow the music visually while trying to finger the notes....but without making sound. Everyone has this problem at times . There are some pieces you may never master at the tempo suggested....as I have personally experienced. Your post has reminded me of my first day in Grade School Band....thanks for the memory.
Bob Draznik
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Author: DrH2O
Date: 2007-09-21 13:30
Thanks for the suggestions - they were a big help!
I made it through my first rehearsal - all sight reading of pieces new to the band this year, so there were quite a few bobbles and stops along the way. I played along where I could and made good use of the strategies above (I really need to work on my counting!). I had a great time and with practice I think I'll get a lot of it, although those 16 notes in cut time are probably going to have to wait awhile!
The more I learn about music the more I am totally awed by what it takes to be a professional musician - wow! I also think that learning music in adulthood must be one of the most demanding mental tasks out there - maybe someone should market a music learning program as a brain exercise tool for maintain/developing mental acuity as we age - talk about multi-tasking.
Anne
Clarinet addict
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-09-21 13:41
Dear Anne,
The guide to adult learning has been written, "The Inner Game of Tennis," by W. Timothy Gallwey.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: InTheBassment
Date: 2007-09-30 17:26
Don't forget that the best way to learn is to surround yourself with people who are better than you. Being in this band gives you a great resource- a whole bunch of clarinet players in your area. Don't forget to utilize that, and don't be intimidated by them. Everybody has been in your situation before. Don't be afraid to ask questions!
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Author: Rhythmacres
Date: 2007-10-05 15:34
Here is one more tip. When you're doing your slow, controlled practice, make sure you have a direct finger connection from one note to the next, no matter how long it takes. That way the brain is receiving clear neural pathways. You can slur it to make sure there are no blips in your fingerings. Disregard tempo entirely and focus on relaxed, controlled fingerings. If there's one interval that's bugging you, separate it out and make it easy. Then practice from the notes ahead, and then incorporate a few notes after. If you know all the notes, there's no reason to make a mistake at this point of practice. Most people practice by playing too fast, evaluating, and then correcting. This messes up the input to the brain. Just make sure the knowledge comes first. It's all about programming.
Also, Galwey wrote another Inner Game book for musicians called The Inner Game of Music. It's great.
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