I was complaining the other day how the school where I did my undergrad did not give ensemble credit for playing in the local symphony, which played at a much higher level and was more demanding than the university orchestra.
In response, I was told a story about a Juilliard kid who got into the New York Phil, and couldn't get ensemble credit for that!!!!
I felt better.
So, urban musician legend? Or true story? anybody know a young lad who got into the New York Phil in the last few years?
The story went that he finished his degree at Juilliard - he didn't even drop out after getting one of the most coveted jobs of the orchestral world!
How about that? Not entirely sure that I believe it, but a good story, nonetheless.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
How to get good while fiddling!
Practice different bowings in the mirror, do it slow, keep a beat and don't worry about getting confused with notes, you will know your pieces better! Try to keep a consistent contact point - bows like to wander around a bit between bridge and fingerboard, try to keep it in one place to develop consistency!
when you are doing the bowing "ornaments" for fiddling, like a really fast triplet, be really carefully to not tighten your hand or lock the elbow. let gravity help you as much as possible.
So bowings for patterns of four notes, try four ups then four downs, making them all take up an even amount of bow
Try something twisty like down up up down, down up up down (this will be really hard to keep track of at first, make sure you keep a beat)
do articulations, like martele!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaAHd4E2GY0
this is the most useful bow stroke for adding the ability to be expressive to the bow, everything grows from this - the staccato exercises are intended to prepare you for this.
learn how to "chop"
world's best fiddler (classically trained virtuoso who debuted with cleveland symphony (world class orchestra) at like age 12)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DN5Kc1KIE0
casey driessen doing cool blues stuff & chopping (he's playing a whole ton of perfect fifths, btw)
http://www.youtube.com/user/sandi1555?feature=mhee#p/a/f/0/ZLc-PT9H1nE
so yeah, mirror, bowing, oh yes - do you have a tuner that can drone a pitch? Say you are playing a piece in B major, if your tuner makes a B, play the whole thing slowly to the pitch of B. This really really helps with intonation, by telling your ears where everything fits (just do it like once, being really picky, and move on though, so you don't do it without concentration) five min of this every day will make a big difference.
as for getting sore, trying keeping your left elbow forward as much as possible - the idea is too make sure the shoulder blades are involved in supporting the arms!
Also, here's e a yoga move that activates the shoulder blades - with your arms straight down at your sides, turn your palms outwards (and elbows) this should bring your shoulder blades together. Now bring your arms up to playing position. it should open the chest and involve more back muscles.
Do this a couple times without violin, and then with the violin. try to be aware of your shoulder blades moving together, you should feel the squeeze in the space between them.
when you are doing the bowing "ornaments" for fiddling, like a really fast triplet, be really carefully to not tighten your hand or lock the elbow. let gravity help you as much as possible.
So bowings for patterns of four notes, try four ups then four downs, making them all take up an even amount of bow
Try something twisty like down up up down, down up up down (this will be really hard to keep track of at first, make sure you keep a beat)
do articulations, like martele!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaAHd4E2GY0
this is the most useful bow stroke for adding the ability to be expressive to the bow, everything grows from this - the staccato exercises are intended to prepare you for this.
learn how to "chop"
world's best fiddler (classically trained virtuoso who debuted with cleveland symphony (world class orchestra) at like age 12)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DN5Kc1KIE0
casey driessen doing cool blues stuff & chopping (he's playing a whole ton of perfect fifths, btw)
http://www.youtube.com/user/sandi1555?feature=mhee#p/a/f/0/ZLc-PT9H1nE
so yeah, mirror, bowing, oh yes - do you have a tuner that can drone a pitch? Say you are playing a piece in B major, if your tuner makes a B, play the whole thing slowly to the pitch of B. This really really helps with intonation, by telling your ears where everything fits (just do it like once, being really picky, and move on though, so you don't do it without concentration) five min of this every day will make a big difference.
as for getting sore, trying keeping your left elbow forward as much as possible - the idea is too make sure the shoulder blades are involved in supporting the arms!
Also, here's e a yoga move that activates the shoulder blades - with your arms straight down at your sides, turn your palms outwards (and elbows) this should bring your shoulder blades together. Now bring your arms up to playing position. it should open the chest and involve more back muscles.
Do this a couple times without violin, and then with the violin. try to be aware of your shoulder blades moving together, you should feel the squeeze in the space between them.
Monday, September 12, 2011
2008 busking stats
In 2008, I busked at a farmer's market, playing solo Bach (mostly). I have been carrying around the slips of paper that I used to keep track of my earnings, and frankly, I want to throw them out! So, I am recording the stats for posterity!
The stats are, date, day's total, summer total. For the most part, I played three hours a day, and did not usually play on weekends. I played at 9am, 12 or 1pm and 5 or 6pm
June 20 - I earned 250$ that week, and had 250$ cumulative.
June 23 - 62$; 312$
June 24 - 50$; 362$
June 25 80$; 522$
June 27 80$; 522$
June 30 55$; 577$
July 1st 122$; 699$
July 2nd 25$; 744$
July 3rd 80$; 824$
July 4th 42$; 866$
July 8th 99$; 965$
July 9th 55$; 1020$
July 10th 50$; 1070$
July 11th 56$; 1126$
July 14th 103$; 1229$
July 15th 78$; 1307$
July 16th 23$; 1330$
July 17th 82$; 1412$
July 21th 58$; 1470$
July 28th 91$; 1561$
July 29th 91$; 1652$
Aug 8th 70$
The stats are, date, day's total, summer total. For the most part, I played three hours a day, and did not usually play on weekends. I played at 9am, 12 or 1pm and 5 or 6pm
June 20 - I earned 250$ that week, and had 250$ cumulative.
June 23 - 62$; 312$
June 24 - 50$; 362$
June 25 80$; 522$
June 27 80$; 522$
June 30 55$; 577$
July 1st 122$; 699$
July 2nd 25$; 744$
July 3rd 80$; 824$
July 4th 42$; 866$
July 8th 99$; 965$
July 9th 55$; 1020$
July 10th 50$; 1070$
July 11th 56$; 1126$
July 14th 103$; 1229$
July 15th 78$; 1307$
July 16th 23$; 1330$
July 17th 82$; 1412$
July 21th 58$; 1470$
July 28th 91$; 1561$
July 29th 91$; 1652$
Aug 8th 70$
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
In a recent aural skills diagnostic test for one of my courses, my answer of "major minor 7th chord" was marked wrong, with the correction of "dominant 7th chord" written over top. Professor FAIL.
Oh, and apparently there's no such thing as movable Do.
That's fine, fixed Do is a joke by comparison! I have a question now, if you are using fixed Do for solfege, does one use numbers to indicate scale degrees? Just wondering? Or does it mean that students do not learn to hear function?
Fixed Do is fine if you haven't learned letters for note names, but if you have, it's totally redundant. Ah well, c'est la vie!
Oh, and apparently there's no such thing as movable Do.
That's fine, fixed Do is a joke by comparison! I have a question now, if you are using fixed Do for solfege, does one use numbers to indicate scale degrees? Just wondering? Or does it mean that students do not learn to hear function?
Fixed Do is fine if you haven't learned letters for note names, but if you have, it's totally redundant. Ah well, c'est la vie!
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