In every orchestra we all know who the boss is.. It doesn't even have to be discussed. The principal cellist is the leader in the orchestra... Oh sorry, the cellist inside of me is coming out. Of course I know the conductor is the boss. I was just messing with you!
No matter who you are in the orchestra you cater to the every whim of the conductor. But sometimes it can be hard to read what they want from you just looking at the end of a stick. There are so many different styles of conducting it really does take skill to intepret them.
In my personal opinion the best way to hone in on this skill is to sit in the back of the section. And I don't just mean the back, I mean last chair! I know most of us hate being back there but you can't learn more anywhere else in the orchestra.
I remember my first year at Sewanee Summer Music Festival I spent the first three out of the four weeks in the last few chairs. I don't think I had ever learned that music about orchestra and boy was it exciting! Sitting in the back forces you to pay extremely close attention to the conductor because it can sometimes feel like you are jumping into a moving car.
First off, it's difficult to see the conductor. If you aren't careful you can easily fall into the habit of staring into your music and just zoning out. At least when you do that in the front the conductor stares you down till you stop. This forces you to sit up strait and learn your music really well because you only ever have time to glance at it! Second, if you are sitting in the back of the orchestra you don't have as much support as if you were sitting in the middle or the front. In the front, you have the support of the other principal players and in the middle, you have th e support of you entire section.
This is why sitting in the back of the section is such a great learning experience. It becomes essential for you to learn exactly what the conductor is giving you because more often than not, they are your only life line. You are literally forced to learn how to follow.
Following is not only a hard skill to learn, it's a hard skill to want to learn. But unfortunately, to become a great musician it's something you have to master. It's important also for playing in a small ensemble and EVEN for being a soloist. The best soloist puts down their ego and learns how to follow the music, not their own personal goals.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Becoming and Orchestra Savant Lesson #2- Breathing part II
I know I've already dedicated one whole blog to breathing and if you want to stop reading because you are tired of me rambling on about this topic, I won't be offended. But I can't leave out breathing when discussing the basics of orchestral playing. I promise I will try to be succinct!
In orchestra it can be difficult to stay connected on the high level that I discussed in my last blog post. While listening isn't any less important than breathing, it can sometimes be hard to do one well without the other. As you may have picked up from my other posts I believe breathing to be the mortar of all music making. It absolutely holds everything together.
But in orchestra it holds a particularly interesting role. Its always been my opinion that an orchestra should seem like one instrument opposed to sixty players banging out notes. This is the essence of why professional orchestra auditions are so rigorous. They are looking for a musician that will fit in perfectly to their well oiled machine. They don't want someone who will stick out like a soloist. And if an orchestra really does act as one organism it is essential they breathe together.
Of course your mind jumps to ninety people trying to breathe together and that's honestly a pretty funny image, but that is not what I meant. I just mean breathing together can help with gesture and musical direction. It connects you in a very physical way. One simple example of this is breathing with your section leader or conductor before an entrance. When you have ten to twelve say... Cellists, it can be hard for everyone to start together, even with a cue from your leader. Breathing offers an easy way for everyone to connect. There are many other deeper reasons as well like phrasing, rhythmic security, etc. And when you achieve that high level connection, you give the music the ability to ebb and flow effortlessly. The music begins to breathe and speak for itself.
Can you see how this would be connected to listening? Letting the music speak for itself is the highest achievement. It really should be what we aim for as musicians. Unfortunately, the more instrumentalists you have in one group, the harder this becomes because everyone has there own idea of how it should be done.
Both breathing and listening are a release of sorts. They allow instrumentalists to focus on others and a common goal and let go of their own ideas and adopt the group's vision. Mastering both of these things can be truly challenging but the result is extremely gratifying.
I hope I was succinct enough... Don't forget, more tomorrow!
In orchestra it can be difficult to stay connected on the high level that I discussed in my last blog post. While listening isn't any less important than breathing, it can sometimes be hard to do one well without the other. As you may have picked up from my other posts I believe breathing to be the mortar of all music making. It absolutely holds everything together.
But in orchestra it holds a particularly interesting role. Its always been my opinion that an orchestra should seem like one instrument opposed to sixty players banging out notes. This is the essence of why professional orchestra auditions are so rigorous. They are looking for a musician that will fit in perfectly to their well oiled machine. They don't want someone who will stick out like a soloist. And if an orchestra really does act as one organism it is essential they breathe together.
Of course your mind jumps to ninety people trying to breathe together and that's honestly a pretty funny image, but that is not what I meant. I just mean breathing together can help with gesture and musical direction. It connects you in a very physical way. One simple example of this is breathing with your section leader or conductor before an entrance. When you have ten to twelve say... Cellists, it can be hard for everyone to start together, even with a cue from your leader. Breathing offers an easy way for everyone to connect. There are many other deeper reasons as well like phrasing, rhythmic security, etc. And when you achieve that high level connection, you give the music the ability to ebb and flow effortlessly. The music begins to breathe and speak for itself.
Can you see how this would be connected to listening? Letting the music speak for itself is the highest achievement. It really should be what we aim for as musicians. Unfortunately, the more instrumentalists you have in one group, the harder this becomes because everyone has there own idea of how it should be done.
Both breathing and listening are a release of sorts. They allow instrumentalists to focus on others and a common goal and let go of their own ideas and adopt the group's vision. Mastering both of these things can be truly challenging but the result is extremely gratifying.
I hope I was succinct enough... Don't forget, more tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Becoming an Orchestra Savant Lesson # 1- Why are you even here/hear?
I've now been playing in orchestra for six years and while that doesn't make me an expert, I have learned a lot. I've played in both good and bad orchestras. I've played with professionals, college students, high schoolers, and beginners. I've been the principal and I've sat in the last chair. It's been fun but in many cases a challenge and if I've learned anything it's that you can't plop yourself in a chair and expect it to be easy. It doesn't matter how good you are, playing in an orchestra takes a lot of work.
So, for the next week I will be exploring the seven basics for 'mastering the art of orchestra playing.' As I've said, I am absolutely not an expert and would never claim to be. I am only sharing my humble and growing opinion. So, here it goes!!
Two years ago while atttending Sewanee Summer Music Festival I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Kenneth Kiesler. While he is both an amazing conductor and educator... he is more than terrifying. I can still remember that brilliant rehearsal like it was yesterday. We were rehearsing Shostakovich's 12th symphony (which if you don't know... is very hard). We had been sawing away for a little over an hour and the theme so far had been 'listening'. Kenneth Kiesler kept shouting,"You're not listening! Do you even care? Why are you even here?"
We all looked around, totally confused. What did this man want from us? He began to point at people in pairs and he commanded them to pick up their parts and switch places. In only a few minutes the orchestra was in shambles! There were woodwind players in the percussion section, the concert master was sitting last chair viola and we had a violist for a concertmaster!!! I personally was sitting next to a French Horn player.
With all of our parts in front of us and our new stand partners, Kenneth Kiesler gave the down beat without a word. In one second we were an entirely new orchestra. We were an orchestra that was 'listening.' Everything finally clicked.
If I haven't lost you, that's great but just just in case I'm going to do some explaining. Before Kenneth Kiesler's little experiment we weren't really listening. Sure we were being conscious of the melody and trying to stay below it dynamically. Frankly, this is a perfectly fine way of playing in orchestra. There are many orchestras that do this very well and are pretty good orchestras.
But the kind of listening that Kenneth Kiesler was demanding was something entirely different. This level of listening requires you to listen to individual players in the orchestra and actually care about their part. This makes it essential to have complete mental focus. To be perfectly honestly you should care about your part least of all.
Let me just say, if you aren't completely mentally exhausted after playing an entire symphony, you've done something wrong. I remember having a hard time forming lucid sentences after performing the Shostakovich Symphony! But it's worth it because the music comes alive in an unreal and chilling way. It starts to breathe and it becomes less about playing your notes and more about following the music.
Kenneth Kiesler taught me that day about being a musician rather than an instrumentalist. Which is my own personal way of distinguishing the good from the not so good. A musician is someone who is captured by the music and an instrumentalist is captured by their own sound and is self-obsessed.
ANYWAYS, I digress. Being a great orchestra member demands a tireless, high level of listening. It can turn a fairly good orchestra into a brilliant one. So, I challenge you to listen and completely wear yourself out during your next orchestra rehearsal. Like I always say,"If it isn't hard, it's probably not worth it."
So, for the next week I will be exploring the seven basics for 'mastering the art of orchestra playing.' As I've said, I am absolutely not an expert and would never claim to be. I am only sharing my humble and growing opinion. So, here it goes!!
Two years ago while atttending Sewanee Summer Music Festival I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Kenneth Kiesler. While he is both an amazing conductor and educator... he is more than terrifying. I can still remember that brilliant rehearsal like it was yesterday. We were rehearsing Shostakovich's 12th symphony (which if you don't know... is very hard). We had been sawing away for a little over an hour and the theme so far had been 'listening'. Kenneth Kiesler kept shouting,"You're not listening! Do you even care? Why are you even here?"
We all looked around, totally confused. What did this man want from us? He began to point at people in pairs and he commanded them to pick up their parts and switch places. In only a few minutes the orchestra was in shambles! There were woodwind players in the percussion section, the concert master was sitting last chair viola and we had a violist for a concertmaster!!! I personally was sitting next to a French Horn player.
With all of our parts in front of us and our new stand partners, Kenneth Kiesler gave the down beat without a word. In one second we were an entirely new orchestra. We were an orchestra that was 'listening.' Everything finally clicked.
If I haven't lost you, that's great but just just in case I'm going to do some explaining. Before Kenneth Kiesler's little experiment we weren't really listening. Sure we were being conscious of the melody and trying to stay below it dynamically. Frankly, this is a perfectly fine way of playing in orchestra. There are many orchestras that do this very well and are pretty good orchestras.
But the kind of listening that Kenneth Kiesler was demanding was something entirely different. This level of listening requires you to listen to individual players in the orchestra and actually care about their part. This makes it essential to have complete mental focus. To be perfectly honestly you should care about your part least of all.
Let me just say, if you aren't completely mentally exhausted after playing an entire symphony, you've done something wrong. I remember having a hard time forming lucid sentences after performing the Shostakovich Symphony! But it's worth it because the music comes alive in an unreal and chilling way. It starts to breathe and it becomes less about playing your notes and more about following the music.
Kenneth Kiesler taught me that day about being a musician rather than an instrumentalist. Which is my own personal way of distinguishing the good from the not so good. A musician is someone who is captured by the music and an instrumentalist is captured by their own sound and is self-obsessed.
ANYWAYS, I digress. Being a great orchestra member demands a tireless, high level of listening. It can turn a fairly good orchestra into a brilliant one. So, I challenge you to listen and completely wear yourself out during your next orchestra rehearsal. Like I always say,"If it isn't hard, it's probably not worth it."
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