Post by creamburmese on May 8, 2015 16:07:42 GMT
Yesterday was the guitar orchestra concert where we performed in front of about 100 people ... so as I slowly recover from the stress (and the post-concert libations) I thought I'd do a review...
What was it? A collection of 18 classical guitarists of various backgrounds and skills. Some people had been playing many years and were quite accomplished, others like me with only a couple of years ( I was probably the second least experienced). We were mostly older (gosh I hate to use that word) though there were a couple of younger adults. Many I suspect were like me, able to devote the time because we finally have time after kids etc. For this performance we practiced weekly for 16 weeks (with a month break in the middle) with an experienced guitar orchestra conductor, Scott Borg. He is himself an accomplished guitarist (has played solo at Carnegie Hall) but now concentrates on ensemble and individual teaching. He's an Ozzie and quite a character, and I have to say his unfailing enthusiasm (he is PASSIONATE about guitar orchestras), energy and positivity was a big reason most of us stuck with it. We started out with 25 people signed up, and a quarter dropped out very early on. There was a fee of $100 to support the conductor.
Our repertoire (decided by Scott) was a list of 10 classical pieces - mostly well known classical tunes - eg Bach's air on a G string, Nessun Dorma, several tuneworthy opera songs (Caro Nome, Libiamo, Dido's Lament) and a crazy version of Cumparsita. Most of the pieces were divided into 4 parts with 4 or 5 guitars in each part, so messing up wasn't fatal if someone else wasn't, if you see what I mean. We also did the 3-part New England Sextets by the English composer Frank Wallace. These were written for guitar in 6 parts, and were a bunch of fun to play because the action moved around between the different guitar parts, with one part picking up where another left off. I'm not sure what the audience thought of them (odd time signatures (5/4), themes rather than tunes, and although parts were very beautiful, some of it was just downright loud!). Those for me were both the most fun to play and the most challenging _ I was carrying one of the parts with the mostly inaudible addition of the least experienced person - yikes! Fortunately I didn't screw it up, though I did definitely get lost in a couple of the other pieces...
The music itself for my part wasn't difficult if considered as a solo piece. I was playing guitar 4 or 5 which is usually a very basic accompaniment. Scott has his own ideas, so his arrangements don't necessarily follow convention - e.g. we had the melody in Nessun Dorma and I had some short solo bits in the Wallace. There were several challenges for me - I don't sight read notation very well, and because I often only had the harmony to a tune, sometimes with rests for several bars, it was necessary to read the music while playing. This of course makes it very difficult to stare at your fretting hand!!! I got better at taking quick glances when there were awkward string crossings or position shifts, but I can see I have a lot of work to do with "knowing" where my left hand is without looking because I still lost my place a couple of times. Also all the "color" that was added to the score added a whole extra layer of complexity - moving between playing staccato or legato or pizzicato (that was a new one for me) playing at the bridge, up at the 14th fret, louder, softer, stopping the notes, or not, speeding up, slowing down. Not to mention keeping in time with everyone else and coming in at the right time. "Counting" surreptiously was a must!
What did I get out of it? I actually joined the orchestra to help with a severe performance anxiety problem - it's taken me a year and a half with the same guitar teacher before I can play stuff (badly) for him without starting to shake, and I thought the orchestra would be a way of getting some experience playing in front of an audience in a "safe" environment (ie sitting at the back where no-one can tell if you screw up because there are others playing the same part). Turns out I was at the front, and carrying a part pretty much solo in the Wallace pieces. When we first started rehearsals I was messing up a fair bit due to nerves. Eventually we repeated it enough that I was able to play it, and once I'd succeeded a couple of times in rehearsal I worried less and did better. For me it's all about the confidence. So I think it did help in that respect, at least as far as the orchestra goes. I also got a whole lot better at reading music and position playing, and learned some techniques that were new to me. An unexpected bonus was all the new friends I've made - and I do enjoy playing with others - I'm looking forward to next semester already!
On the negative side I really didn't learn any new pieces for myself this semester, and if there was one thing that might stop me from signing up again, it would be the time commitment - for me it was a lot of work, though I guess it would probably get easier if you come at it with more skills! I am looking forward to spending more time with my steel string this summer though
What was it? A collection of 18 classical guitarists of various backgrounds and skills. Some people had been playing many years and were quite accomplished, others like me with only a couple of years ( I was probably the second least experienced). We were mostly older (gosh I hate to use that word) though there were a couple of younger adults. Many I suspect were like me, able to devote the time because we finally have time after kids etc. For this performance we practiced weekly for 16 weeks (with a month break in the middle) with an experienced guitar orchestra conductor, Scott Borg. He is himself an accomplished guitarist (has played solo at Carnegie Hall) but now concentrates on ensemble and individual teaching. He's an Ozzie and quite a character, and I have to say his unfailing enthusiasm (he is PASSIONATE about guitar orchestras), energy and positivity was a big reason most of us stuck with it. We started out with 25 people signed up, and a quarter dropped out very early on. There was a fee of $100 to support the conductor.
Our repertoire (decided by Scott) was a list of 10 classical pieces - mostly well known classical tunes - eg Bach's air on a G string, Nessun Dorma, several tuneworthy opera songs (Caro Nome, Libiamo, Dido's Lament) and a crazy version of Cumparsita. Most of the pieces were divided into 4 parts with 4 or 5 guitars in each part, so messing up wasn't fatal if someone else wasn't, if you see what I mean. We also did the 3-part New England Sextets by the English composer Frank Wallace. These were written for guitar in 6 parts, and were a bunch of fun to play because the action moved around between the different guitar parts, with one part picking up where another left off. I'm not sure what the audience thought of them (odd time signatures (5/4), themes rather than tunes, and although parts were very beautiful, some of it was just downright loud!). Those for me were both the most fun to play and the most challenging _ I was carrying one of the parts with the mostly inaudible addition of the least experienced person - yikes! Fortunately I didn't screw it up, though I did definitely get lost in a couple of the other pieces...
The music itself for my part wasn't difficult if considered as a solo piece. I was playing guitar 4 or 5 which is usually a very basic accompaniment. Scott has his own ideas, so his arrangements don't necessarily follow convention - e.g. we had the melody in Nessun Dorma and I had some short solo bits in the Wallace. There were several challenges for me - I don't sight read notation very well, and because I often only had the harmony to a tune, sometimes with rests for several bars, it was necessary to read the music while playing. This of course makes it very difficult to stare at your fretting hand!!! I got better at taking quick glances when there were awkward string crossings or position shifts, but I can see I have a lot of work to do with "knowing" where my left hand is without looking because I still lost my place a couple of times. Also all the "color" that was added to the score added a whole extra layer of complexity - moving between playing staccato or legato or pizzicato (that was a new one for me) playing at the bridge, up at the 14th fret, louder, softer, stopping the notes, or not, speeding up, slowing down. Not to mention keeping in time with everyone else and coming in at the right time. "Counting" surreptiously was a must!
What did I get out of it? I actually joined the orchestra to help with a severe performance anxiety problem - it's taken me a year and a half with the same guitar teacher before I can play stuff (badly) for him without starting to shake, and I thought the orchestra would be a way of getting some experience playing in front of an audience in a "safe" environment (ie sitting at the back where no-one can tell if you screw up because there are others playing the same part). Turns out I was at the front, and carrying a part pretty much solo in the Wallace pieces. When we first started rehearsals I was messing up a fair bit due to nerves. Eventually we repeated it enough that I was able to play it, and once I'd succeeded a couple of times in rehearsal I worried less and did better. For me it's all about the confidence. So I think it did help in that respect, at least as far as the orchestra goes. I also got a whole lot better at reading music and position playing, and learned some techniques that were new to me. An unexpected bonus was all the new friends I've made - and I do enjoy playing with others - I'm looking forward to next semester already!
On the negative side I really didn't learn any new pieces for myself this semester, and if there was one thing that might stop me from signing up again, it would be the time commitment - for me it was a lot of work, though I guess it would probably get easier if you come at it with more skills! I am looking forward to spending more time with my steel string this summer though
Jo whoever he is.
