I've played in a fair number of groups over the years. Some were really awesome and motivated me to practice, increased my love of my instrument and music, and taught me a lot. Others were not so awesome and were more frustrating, making me want to walk away and never return. What were the differences?
A lot has to do with how the orchestra is run. Sure, it can be fun to be social and chat a lot, but I was trained by a couple of professional musicians who expected their students to act professionally too. So to me, a rehearsal should get down to business and rehearse. There's still time before and after rehearsal, and during any breaks, for socializing.
The conductor makes a big difference. A conductor who can constructively critique the group's playing, and pinpoint what needs to be corrected, is essential. Anything else is just a waste of time, because why else are you rehearsing?
What is the conductor's attitude? Does he or she show up early to answer questions and start rehearsal on time, or do they waltz in 15 minutes late and expect you to wait for them? Respect works both ways, so the conductor should respect the musicians and what they are contributing.
A lot has to do with the musicians themselves. Not just their playing ability, although it can be very pleasurable to be able to sight read through a major symphony with a modicum of competence. But what are the attitudes of the players? Do they respect each other and their conductor? Do they show up on time, with their parts prepared? Did they come to socialize, to have fun, to learn, to make music? Sure, this is all a part of orchestra, but finding a group that is in line with your own attitude can make or break the difference.
Finally, assess the overall feel of the group. Is this somewhere your contributions are valued? Do you go home feeling energized or drained? If one group leaves you feeling frustrated, don't despair! There are lots of community, student, and professional groups out there, so go try a different one.
A good place to start your search is on the Community Band and Orchestra Links page. You can also ask your private teacher, your school teacher, or even music stores about groups in your area.
Happy Playing!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sight Reading Tips
Here's some really great sight reading tips from STRINGS. But the most important one is to practice sight reading every day! Yup, that's right, sight reading needs practicing too, and the more you sight read, the better you'll do. Happy Practicing!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Practice Tip #3 - The Four Practice Steps
Last time, I discussed the need to do more than just play through your piece during your practice sessions. The need to take your piece apart, perfect each piece individually, then put it back together. Well, how do we do that?
Several ways. One of which is the Four Practice Steps.
The first thing you need to do is divide up the part you're perfecting. Take it a measure, or even just a couple of beats, at a time.
1) Stopped Eighth Notes
Play the little itty bitty section you have (4-8 notes maximum) as all stopped eighth notes. The point of this first practice step is to get the notes figured out. Bowings don't matter, neither do rhythms. And certainly dynamics and other musical ideas aren't in play here. Just the notes. Place each note accurately, precisely, and perfectly. If you play a wrong note, now's the time to fix it. Mark your part as needed. You'll need to do this step a few times until you know where all the notes are. Use a piano to check your intonation if you need to.
2) Hiccups
Set the first note of your itty bitty section. Check your finger, check your bow. Then play that first note, twice. Very quickly. The rhythm should sound like the word, "hiccup". Again, bowings and rhythms that are marked in the piece don't matter. We're still after solidifying those notes. Then, once you've played your first hiccup, stop. Set your next note. Check your fingers, check your bow. Then play another hiccup. Keep going like this until you reach the end of your itty bitty section. This is supposed to be slow going - you're perfecting notes here! So make sure you stop in between each note so you can check the next one. You should never be playing any wrong notes here. Repeat this step a few times, until you don't have to stop for as long, BUT YOUR INTONATION IS STILL PERFECT. That's important. Never practice incorrect notes.
3) Doubles
This step is just like the hiccups, without any stops. Start slow, and each time you repeat this step go a bit faster. You should be playing this step very fast, PERFECTLY, before you go on.
4) Stopped Slurs
NOW is where bowings and rhythms finally start to matter. Play the bowings as marked, but instead of playing any smooth slurs, all slurs that are written in your part should be stopped. Yes, this means you actually stop the bow. This step is very important. It makes our body stop so our brain has time to direct the muscles to do the correct bowing. It also allows our brain and muscles to figure out how much bow to give each note. If you only have one note per bow, it's not hard. Go up to two notes per bow, not that difficult either. But what if you have eight, or sixteen, notes per bow? This is where stopped slurs come in very handy to quickly learn how to distribute our bow. This step should also be repeated, with the same passage, several times.
NOW you get to play it as written. If you followed the steps correctly, you should easily be able to play the passage correctly, as written, with correct bowings and intonation. Assign yourself a small section to learn each day, and you'll be amazed at how quickly you learn your piece! Once you have a few very small sections mastered, try going through the four practice steps with longer sections. This should not take as many repetitions, as you've already learned it. You're just putting it together now.
The four practice steps are just one method of learning difficult passages. More ideas to come soon!
Happy Practicing!
Several ways. One of which is the Four Practice Steps.
The first thing you need to do is divide up the part you're perfecting. Take it a measure, or even just a couple of beats, at a time.
1) Stopped Eighth Notes
Play the little itty bitty section you have (4-8 notes maximum) as all stopped eighth notes. The point of this first practice step is to get the notes figured out. Bowings don't matter, neither do rhythms. And certainly dynamics and other musical ideas aren't in play here. Just the notes. Place each note accurately, precisely, and perfectly. If you play a wrong note, now's the time to fix it. Mark your part as needed. You'll need to do this step a few times until you know where all the notes are. Use a piano to check your intonation if you need to.
2) Hiccups
Set the first note of your itty bitty section. Check your finger, check your bow. Then play that first note, twice. Very quickly. The rhythm should sound like the word, "hiccup". Again, bowings and rhythms that are marked in the piece don't matter. We're still after solidifying those notes. Then, once you've played your first hiccup, stop. Set your next note. Check your fingers, check your bow. Then play another hiccup. Keep going like this until you reach the end of your itty bitty section. This is supposed to be slow going - you're perfecting notes here! So make sure you stop in between each note so you can check the next one. You should never be playing any wrong notes here. Repeat this step a few times, until you don't have to stop for as long, BUT YOUR INTONATION IS STILL PERFECT. That's important. Never practice incorrect notes.
3) Doubles
This step is just like the hiccups, without any stops. Start slow, and each time you repeat this step go a bit faster. You should be playing this step very fast, PERFECTLY, before you go on.
4) Stopped Slurs
NOW is where bowings and rhythms finally start to matter. Play the bowings as marked, but instead of playing any smooth slurs, all slurs that are written in your part should be stopped. Yes, this means you actually stop the bow. This step is very important. It makes our body stop so our brain has time to direct the muscles to do the correct bowing. It also allows our brain and muscles to figure out how much bow to give each note. If you only have one note per bow, it's not hard. Go up to two notes per bow, not that difficult either. But what if you have eight, or sixteen, notes per bow? This is where stopped slurs come in very handy to quickly learn how to distribute our bow. This step should also be repeated, with the same passage, several times.
NOW you get to play it as written. If you followed the steps correctly, you should easily be able to play the passage correctly, as written, with correct bowings and intonation. Assign yourself a small section to learn each day, and you'll be amazed at how quickly you learn your piece! Once you have a few very small sections mastered, try going through the four practice steps with longer sections. This should not take as many repetitions, as you've already learned it. You're just putting it together now.
The four practice steps are just one method of learning difficult passages. More ideas to come soon!
Happy Practicing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)