Next!

Occasionally I disappear from the blogosphere without giving every detail of my life. That's because it isn't always prudent. For those in the know, CT was a no-go.

Ack, I've got one of my 8 million upcoming DC trips this weekend. Of course, between now and then, I've got 2 concerts and a meeting regarding the upcoming chamber music series. I swear to Homer, I'll get around to blogging the chamber thing sooner or later. Maybe later.

So for the short post, I should be practicing...So I will.

Holy Crap...There's Music in There

I'm so used to cramming music into my brain in order to -just- make a deadline, it's odd for me to take time and really learn a piece of music. In fact, I've been trying to remember the last time I was able to sit and learn...really digest...a piece of music. It's been years. I've spent a great deal of time learning notes and rhythms...Very little time becoming a better musician and applying that towards a piece of music.

When I got to NEC, I was told that I needed to learn how to process music very quickly. At that point, I was performing well, but I learned music VERY slowly. Note by note, tone by tone. I'll be damned if I still can't play the music I learned that way, though. That music is still part of my repertoire. Much of what I've learned since then still sits on the edge in my brain, waiting for me to reacquaint myself with it before I trot it out on stage.

Don't get me wrong: I needed to learn how to inhale music quickly and regurgitate it accurately. In fact, I became pretty good at it. I've made sort of a cottage industry in the past few years out of stepping in as a sub at the last minute and playing down concerts. It's fun, but it's not always fulfilling.

I realized all of this when I approached, on the advice of a very sweet and wise friend, a new (to me) piece of music...Not for any audition or concert, but for me. I've added it to my daily practice stack as part of my "required work" before I get to my business practice. I've been going over each note with a fine-toothed comb, really making sure I play the clarinet well while I play those notes and intervals. What do you know? All of the work I had to do later sounded better because of it.

I'm so tired of just warming up, playing scales, and shedding whatever is next. I'm pretty sure that this steady pattern of being lead by the nose is what leads to our business' positively funerial job satisfaction ratings. Picking a beautiful piece of music and just learning it seems to have reduced my stress level and helped my overall playing. Of course, this is only over the course of a few days. We'll see how long it lasts.

It seems like I may owe my friend a few beers.

What an Excellent Day for an Exorcism

A comment has been made to my last post that my reeds get a great deal of blog time. There's a reason for this. Mental illness.

Reeds are a constant source of frustration and joy for single and double reed players. Blair Tindall, a fellow North Carolina School of the Arts High School alum, discusses this in her book Mozart in the Jungle. (I'd recommend reading this book, both for the kiss-and-tell dirty reasons as well as the honest look at the realities of our business.)

Poor reeds can all but sink our ability to perform with any quality. Great reeds can sometimes make me feel like I can play anything. A sad fact is that the reeds aren't usually the problem for me. If I'm having reed problems, it's indicative of a larger issue having to do with my breathing or embouchure. When I can't get a new box of reeds to answer my pleas, I know that **I'm** in trouble, not the reeds. Of course, once I've worked out the creeping issues with high breath, biting embouchure, or the like, I've got to break in an entirely new set of reeds. Why? Because my funky problems managed to screw up the last batch. Reeds tend to want to vibrate one way. Once they learn that way, it's difficult to convince them to go along with any changes you institute.

Of course, these reeds don't vibrate that way forever. They slowly change for the worse, and we follow them. My air gets all caught up in the contortions necessary for making an over the hill reed sound like a gem. Of course, that means that my approach to breathing will cause the next new reed to get a funky play-in. The viscious cycle continues.

Can you tell that mental illness is really the problem here? Looking back at my post, I find it barely legible and not at all logical. That's the problem...We're held hostage by this cane. You wouldn't believe how gullible we are to advertisements and reports of new cane that responds better for longer. We're constantly looking for a way to make life easier.

All of this would be at least twice as bad if I were an oboist or bassoonist.

Just to add a needless complication: What about the fact that a reed I need to project a solo in Orchestra is almost certainly too clangy and ugly for an intimate chamber music performance? Yup...That's where multiple personalities come in handy.

Cornucopia o' Crap

Here's a list of the composers whose pieces I've got to regurgitate in the next 3 weeks: Mozart, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, Kodaly, Stravinsky, Dahl, Hindemith, Wagner, Grafulla, Verdi, Weber, and Grainger. Apparently some Carter is in the mail to add to the list. These gentlemen (where are the ladies?) are the reason that my bloggifying has been in a state of delayimification. I'm sure that I'm missing a couple of pieces here, but I think that those get to wait for the 4th week.
On the other hand, I've just opened a new box o' reeds. We'll see if these have better attitudes than the last coven of harpies. So far, they've been a bit wary in my morning's exercises. Remember, folks, attitude is much of the battle. That goes for reeds too. If they don't have good attitudes, they may end up getting chewed by the neighbor's dog. (This goes for students as well...The neighbor's dog isn't very discriminating.)

Oh crap, I almost forgot another composer. Going to do Terry Riley's In C over at the Zeitgeist Gallery on March 3. I've played this a couple of times through the past few years with different organizations. It's such a neat piece and can be really quite fantastic if the group is very attentive to detail and rhythm. So may people just spit it out and it can easily sound that way.

Alright, a quick check o' the Olympics and then back to the practice room.

Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt

Yup...A birthday. As a result, I'm thinking about applying for AARP. What's the minimum actual age? I sure feel old...My entire body aches...Of course, that could have something to do with the skiing I did on Wednesday. It was my first time (pop). I ended up quite adept at falling.

I've adjusted the comments to allow anyone to leave them. I didn't realized that I was limiting the abilities of non-bloggers to leave their missives.

What I'm reading: Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians by Stewart Gordon. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but it's very interesting. So far he's talking alot about taking care of your health and doing some long range/short range planning as far as learning repertoire. This book looks to be quite interesting. I'll leave a note here if it turns out to rock.

Lot's of traveling in the next few weeks: CT, DC, NY, DC, DC. Yup, that's a lot of Washington. Several trips back and forth. I'm just wondering if they should build a road directly there from my front door. No red lights, stop signs...nothing.

Now I've got to go begin my daily practice and check out the Olympics.

A Foot and a Half of Cocaine Fell Overnight

So, what does a crapload of snow mean for me? Practice time. I feel like I've been visited by the Practice Fairy this week. Who'd have thought that I could actually take the time to cement some of this repertoire in my system before actually having to perform it. Today, in between trying to shovel my car out of several feet of snow drifts and snarfing whatever is in my fridge, I actually managed to get a head start on my next round of repertoire.

For god's sake, I might actually experience what it's like to be comfortable as far as learning repertoire for the next little bit. If I'm a real genius, I'll manage to stay one step ahead for years as a result of this visit from the Practice Fairy. I'll always be one concert ahead in terms of practicing. Wahoo...Either that, or I'll take this as the perfect excuse to go waste some time on some ski slope in Jersey and blow whatever advantage I've been given. I don't even ski. I'm sure that I know how to fall, so that'll probably be what I do instead.

Now if I could just convince my reeds that they needn't revolt every other day. Revolt every day or not at all, damnit. Just be predictable. I'm pretty sure that I can predict their response when I break out the blowtorch.

Ahem, Hey You...Yes You, the One Who's Reading This

Alright folks...yes, I said folks. I know that you're there. Just saying hello. Those of you who know me should feel free to leave a comment or two. Of course, if they're snarky, leave at least three. If you don't know me at all, leave one any way.

Reeds...Spawn of Satan...Same difference. I seem to be burning through reeds faster than Wilt the Stilt through cheerleaders. When I stare frustrated at the reeds in front of me, knowing full well that the reeds aren't really the problem, I remember Jamie Hafner's advice. "Maybe you should quit and take up something easier, like brain surgery." Don't think that he was referring to me. Actually, he was speaking to a band full of teenagers that included me. Honestly, he was one of those teachers you remember forever for the love he had for the subject. He's now living in Brevard, NC. I hope that he's stirring up trouble for someone.

I'm still in this strange repertoire place. No final word yet on the new piece: Carter's Esprit Rude/Doux in a trio with Marimba instead of just the flute/clarinet duo? I don't know it, but I'm looking forward to working with the marimbist (wha?) and flutist if that's the word. They're good players and all, but they were fun on the last Callithumpian Southern Strategy Tour (has NOTHING to do with the GOP Southern Strategy). The rehearsal process would be musically rewarding and just plain fun.

For some reason, I actually have practice time over the next two days. Yum...I've been lucky to have this small lull in the storm so I can become a decent musician and clarinetist again.

They Make a Gel to Get Rid of Those Scales

There's something refreshing about putting down a whole stack of repertoire, turning around, and picking up an entirely different stack of repertoire. It's cleansing for the mind. Of course, it means that I get a whole different set of headaches with the new repertoire.

Mmmm. I get to relearn the Firebird Variation. Now, the complete Firebird isn't really easy, but the learning the Variation is just asking for a brain tumor. There's something about the impossibly fast tempo (76 to the dotted quarter) that screams mosquito, not bird. Breaking out the metro-gnome and slowly building up speed and stability is actually quite satisfying. It's gratifying to see steady progress on something. The real difficulty comes when I've got it up to speed. Then how do I proceed? Am I playing the dynamics? Should I be creating elisions with other instruments at some points? My puny mind can't even dare to think about intonation at this point.

We've heard good reactions from our warm music last week at the Theodore Parker Church. I'm happy to know that the audience enjoyed themselves. There's talk about being a bit more active at the church in terms of more frequent performances. I think that would be lovely, but then again, I'm always up for performing chamber music.

Oh yes...I've been getting my salt licks...Er...Scales in. I've been spending HOURS playing scales each of the last couple of days. I'm hoping that I can carve enough time to continue this for a little while. I always hate the feeling that I'm just spitting out repertoire rather than growing as a musician.

Post-Mortem

Okay, so it's been a while since my last posting. I see that the traffic is starting a small uptick, so I guess that I'd better keep priming the pump.

Busy...That's the word of last week.

Last weekend's Planets were definitely Holst. Yup, no argument there. Certainly is Holst...Oh yeah, I got handed a copy of the Star Wars Cantina music on the day of the gig for a little solo playing. Nice, huh? (This time I'm not being sarcastic...This music gave me an excuse to play it dirty...Scoops, occasional sloppy articulation, a bottle of soju. Well, all but the last bit.)

Pozzi's Concerto! Nope, I didn't forget about it. Well, a musical supporter whom I've known for a number of years here in Boston attended and said "It was strange." Of course, she didn't look like she just ate bad shellfish, so I'm going to call it a win. She and her companion keep coming to these concerts even though they know they'll likely be "different." I think that we may have a secret convert or two to the cause.

Oh yeah, the performance went fairly well. The ensembel performed very well given the very little rehearsal time. In fact, a few of them performed remarkably considering the VERY short notice they had. We had some problems with personnel apparently, so I owe those last minute white knights quite a bit of gratitude.

I wonder if I can prevail upon Ms. Escot to write some chamber music for us Callithumpian hoodlums? Concertos are nice, but chamber music is where it's...at. (Gotta love grammar.)

The Debussy Pr. Rhapsodie was fairly good. It's a difficult piece and the tempo markings aren't always easy to translate. There are several differing opinions as to what he means we he says "a tempo" as he doesn't always refer back to the very first tempo of the piece when he writes that. That means that you have to dig through everything that came before and see which one it is. It's easy if the materials is regurgitated from before, but that's frequently not the case.

Oh yes...The preconcert shindig was fantastic. What a spread...There were deviled eggs...And an adorable little dog.

What's next? SCALES. I need scales like horses need salt licks. I've got to undo the damage of running around like a maniac the last two weeks. Maybe relearn the clarinet. Mmm..Oooh..Arpeggios too. That's the good stuff.

Until the next time, talk amongst yourselves: The chick-pea, neither a chick nor a pea. Discuss.