Post by creamburmese on Feb 6, 2015 20:43:13 GMT
As some of you may recall, I originally signed up to join a guitar orchestra to "encourage" me to develop some guitar skills - in particular playing with/in front of others, reading music (and applying it to the guitar - the difficult part), keeping going despite mistakes etc etc. My original attempt fizzled out before the first practice as I found that figuring out the music (the bass part - easiest) was hard for me, and even harder to practice (no melody - no fun). Anyway a few months further on and a bit better at reading music, I determined to try again, and last night was the first practice.
For last night I had the music in advance and I THOUGHT I could play it. that was without the distraction of people playing a different part next to me, stopping and starting at odd intervals, adding staccato, pizzicato, ponticello etc (I learned a couple new words if not the techniques) that weren't in the score, plus changing note lengths and stopping notes to suit the conductor, IN ADDITION TO instructions regarding loudness and other tonality issues. Although I have to say the patience enthusiasm, fortitude and general bonhomie of the conductor was admirable, he had some rather alarming instructions, such as "ignore what you've been taught about tone - I want it as LOUD as possible even if it sounds TERRIBLE" and another " I had one student who played so hard he drew blood from his fingers and got it all over the guitar - I want you to play that hard" ( quote). Who would have thought Vivaldi was so violent??? In contrast he wanted the Bach so quiet I couldn't hear myself play at all... I can say that a good 75% of the guitarists seemed to be about as lost as I was, so perhaps there is hope that I won't be the dunce (though I have to hope that the good guitarists will carry the rest of us or it will be horrible).
So it was fun, in a stressful kind of way (!) and I'm not ready to quit yet, even though he changed the pieces for next week's practice having decided based upon "which one is the most difficult" I figure if I spend an 8 hour day every day between now and next week practicing, I might be able to muddle through, at least before we get to the practice and all the new instructions .... only problem is what to do about my day job...
So far I can't say where this is going (except perhaps a major crash and burn) - however I can say that I am getting better at looking back and forth from the music to the guitar. When I first started working on these pieces I would always either miss the string crossings, or look at the guitar to find them then lose my place in the music. Now it only happens half the time!!!
more to come...
For last night I had the music in advance and I THOUGHT I could play it. that was without the distraction of people playing a different part next to me, stopping and starting at odd intervals, adding staccato, pizzicato, ponticello etc (I learned a couple new words if not the techniques) that weren't in the score, plus changing note lengths and stopping notes to suit the conductor, IN ADDITION TO instructions regarding loudness and other tonality issues. Although I have to say the patience enthusiasm, fortitude and general bonhomie of the conductor was admirable, he had some rather alarming instructions, such as "ignore what you've been taught about tone - I want it as LOUD as possible even if it sounds TERRIBLE" and another " I had one student who played so hard he drew blood from his fingers and got it all over the guitar - I want you to play that hard" ( quote). Who would have thought Vivaldi was so violent??? In contrast he wanted the Bach so quiet I couldn't hear myself play at all... I can say that a good 75% of the guitarists seemed to be about as lost as I was, so perhaps there is hope that I won't be the dunce (though I have to hope that the good guitarists will carry the rest of us or it will be horrible).
So it was fun, in a stressful kind of way (!) and I'm not ready to quit yet, even though he changed the pieces for next week's practice having decided based upon "which one is the most difficult" I figure if I spend an 8 hour day every day between now and next week practicing, I might be able to muddle through, at least before we get to the practice and all the new instructions .... only problem is what to do about my day job...
So far I can't say where this is going (except perhaps a major crash and burn) - however I can say that I am getting better at looking back and forth from the music to the guitar. When I first started working on these pieces I would always either miss the string crossings, or look at the guitar to find them then lose my place in the music. Now it only happens half the time!!!
more to come...
Jo whoever he is.
