Confidence as a Byprodct of Preparedness

“Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.”

—Roger Staubach

Whether an athlete or a musician, confidence is a byproduct of knowing deep down that you've done absolutely everything you could to be prepared for whatever task is in front of you. 

Jens Lindemann Master Class Quotes from George Mason University (Part 3 of 3)

Here is the final installment of Jens Lindemann quotes from his master class at George Mason last semester for our brass ensemble.  It was a pleasure to have him.  He left the students inspired and in the practice room!

• "When I get to the bottom I think of adding volume of air, not volume of sound.  Keep things set and then apply air."
   
• "When I hear people say 'I'm not really a high note player.  I'm more of a second player and focus on this octave and a half.' I call bullshit."
   
• "We are taught to play low to high from day one.  That's a terrible idea."
   
• "High notes are faster vibrations.  They're not high."
   
• "The faster you think of everything on a horizontal plane including air-wise, the beter off you'll be.  Horizontally away from you, not up."
   
• "By the time you get to college you're not so much learning new things but unlearning old things."
   
• "The instrument is right here (his lips.) (The trumpet) is just an amplifier."
   
• "We're far too dependent when we're young on the tongue to start notes."
   
• "The way to practice using the mid-section of our bodies is breath attacks."
   
• "There's no mystery as to what we're doing here.  It's just plumbing."
   
• "The instrument is not profound.  The body is profound."
   
• "Playing an octave is no big deal.  Then you add a slur and every body freaks out.  That stupid line makes everybody freak out."
   
• "There's no such thing as a slur on a trumpet.  It simply means play from one note to the next without a tongue."
   
• "You can mask a slur by crescendoing slightly on the bottom note."
   
• "I'm a lot more relaxed about mouthpieces now than when I was coming up."
   
• "I'm not a believer in finding the biggest mouthpiece that you can get for your instrument.  And that includes the professionals who are hoisting that upon you.  They are wrong."
   
• "It's important for you to know that you can get things done on mid-sized equipment."

Sir Georg Solti and the London Philharmonic: Monday YouTube Fix

Here is a great performance of Beethoven 9 from the 1986 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall featuring the London Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Georg Solti.  The soloists are Jessye Norman, Sarah Walker, Reiner Goldberg and Hans Sotin.  The choir is a combination of The BBC Singers, the London Voices and the Chorus of Welsh National Opera.

Enjoy!

A live VHS recording of a BBC Prom concert from the Royal Albert Hall, London.1986. Seen lots of performances of this mighty work since then, but none of them equal, or surpass this one. I do not own the copyright for this material.

Jens Lindemann Master Class Quotes from George Mason University (Part 2 of 3)

Here is the second installment of quotes from the wonderful clinic that Jens Lindemann gave at George Mason last semester.  So much good stuff in here! Thank you, Jens!

• "There are a handful of musicians in our business that are untouchable.  Like Wynton Marsalis.  He's not a trumpet player.  He's an icon."
   
• "It begins with what I call the Musical Circle of Life.  Top of the circle is Day 1.  6 o'clock is brass purgatory: people who talk about mouthpieces and recordings.  The goal is to get back to the top of the circle.  But you can never get back to Day 1."
   
• "The responsibility is getting enlightened.  And that responsibility is on you, not on me."
   
• "You get me for one hour a week.  When you leave the room, do you think I think about you for one minute afterwards? I serisouly don't.  I have a wife, and a life, and a career.  But you don't think about me either."
   
• "You're the ones who have to be responsible for saying 'I've got to figure this out.'"
   
• "You've got to think outside the box.  You can't just go through a list of books and solos.  That's a meathead approach."
   
• "Playing a brass instrument is ultimately about getting your whole body involved.  To make it as free and easy as possible."
   
• "You know the best players where it just seems so natural? That's because it is."
   
• "Find a way to be in your chair and engaged."
   
• "First thing I would suggest is to strongly discourage sitting on the back of your chair.  When I sit on the front of the chair everything is unlocked.  I'm engaging my entire body."
   
• "Rule #1: View your whole body as a part of the instrument."
   
• "Practice rolling a ball under your foot while you play."
   
• "Keep your mind engaged."
   
• "Technology is one of the great advantages of today."
   
• "The only problem with a problem is potentially realizing it's not a problem."
   
• "You must be inquisitive."
   
• "When I set up an embouchure I try to keep things as set as possible."

Jens Lindemann Master Class Quotes from George Mason University (Part 1 of 3)

Trumpet virtuoso Jens Lindemann is one of the great players and pedagogues of any instrument in the world today.  He is truly gifted musician and educator and we were honored to have him come to George Mason to give a master class last semester.

Here are some quotes from his class with the brass ensemble.  There were so many good ones I had to split this up into three posts.

Enjoy!

• "The relationships you're forging now are the ones you will have in 15-20 years.  Remember, as you gain in status so do those who are now around you."
   
• "Tchaik 4 with the NY Phil and Zubin Mehta was like opening a cage and tossing raw meat into it."
   
• "This is where your research will help your performance.  If you know the composer is a cinematic composer, you will play it in a cinematic way."
   
• "There's not a trumpet player in the world that I don't have on speed dial.  I'm super famous."
   
• "The greatest of the great players are the ones that say they're going to take this to the next level no matter what it takes."
   
• "You don't have to be superstar players to make a great performance."
   
• "The big thing about chamber music is that you shouldn't play it like you're sitting in the back of the orchestra.  It's harder to play soloisticly in that scenario."
   
• "Traditionally you think about fitting in and keeping the machine going when you win a job."
   
• "They all looked at me and told me 'No no. Don't play it like Freddy played it.  Play it like you play it.'"
   
• "When you obviously have a moving line, like 8th notes in a ballad, move it along."
   
• "Rhythm is a musical term for cooperation."
   
• "The third note of a quarter note triplet is not important.  What's important is the first note and where it's going."
   
• "Are you going to let the trumpets steal your solo line or are you going to Marty-ize it?"
   
• "Not everything has to line up vertically in music.  I used to think it did."
   
• "I used to hear Gene (Watts) talk about 1960's Mozart.  About how the bass and drums didn't line up, about how it was out of tune.  'But it was so right.'"
   
• "The day you start sounding perfect, like a computer, is the day you completely lose what this is about: emotional rub."
   
• "It's not just how you play the downbeat.  It's having direction in the notes leading up to the downbeat."
   
• "There are a handful of musicians in our business that are untouchable.  Like Wynton Marsalis.  He's not a trumpet player.  He's an icon."

Stan Kenton: Monday YouTube Fix

Here is a full concert of the Stan Kenton Orchestra from February 6, 1972 in London.  What an ensemble! Here is the track listing:

00:00 Minor Booze
04:45 Chiapas
11:57 Artistry In Percussion
17:05 MacArthur Park
23:11 Malaga
31:18 Intermission Riff
35:18 Tiare
41:18 The Peanut Vendor
47:56 Artistry In Rhythm

And here is the remarkable lineup of musicians:

Stan Kenton, Mike Vax, Dennis Noday, Jay Saunders, Ray Brown, Joe Marcinkiewicz, Dick Shearer, Mike Jamieson, Fred Carter, Mike Wallace, Phil Herring, Quin Davis, Richard Torres, Kim Frizell, Willie Maiden, Chuck Carter, Ramon Lopez, John Worster, John Von Ohlen

It doesn't get much better than this when it comes to ensemble playing.  Truly remarkable stuff.

Enjoy!

Stan Kenton In Concert Recorded In London 6 February 1972 Complete Concert 00:00 Minor Booze 04:45 Chiapas 11:57 Artistry In Percussion 17:05 MacArthur Park 23:11 Malaga 31:18 Intermission Riff 35:18 Tiare 41:18 The Peanut Vendor 47:56 Artistry In Rhythm Stan Kenton, Mike Vax, Dennis Noday, Jay Saunders, Ray Brown, Joe Marcinkiewicz, Dick Shearer, Mike Jamieson, Fred Carter, Mike Wallace, Phil Herring, Quin Davis, Richard Torres, Kim Frizell, Willie Maiden, Chuck Carter, Ramon Lopez, John Worster, John Von Ohlen.

The Difference Between Good and Great

"The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail."

-Charles R. Swindoll 

Teaching. Conducting. Performing. Public speaking. This applies to everything we do.

Sam Pilafian on the Importance of Pushing Limits in the Practice Room

"If we over-train via the literature like method and etude books, we're going to know more than we need to know in order to be able to cover the parts that are put in front of us."

-Sam Pilafian

The above quote was taken from Sam's fantastic interview in A Band Director's Guide to Everything Tuba: A Collection of Interviews with the Experts.  It is a good reminder to us all that we have to encounter everything we'd ever need to do on stage (and then some!) in the practice room in order to be truly prepared.

The best bands perform full run throughs of pieces and entire programs when they are mentally and physically exhausted, yet hold themselves to the same high standards.  The people most prepared to win an audition have played the excerpts during their preparations in every possible order including the worst ones for their chops.

Anyone who makes performing look easy has a secret.  It is easy compared to what they made themselves do in the practice room.

Alarm Will Sound: Monday YouTube Fix

I was a little late to the party when it comes to Alarm Will Sound but couldn't stop listening to them when I finally discovered them.  They are an ensemble that is regularly pushing the boundaries of music and art in general through collaborations, arrangements, and new compositions.

With all the music that has been written and performed over the centuries, it is awfully refreshing and inspiring to hear a group like this which to my ears sounds like no other.  This is them performing Paul Dooley's "Point Blank (2010)" live at the Mizzou New Music Festival in July of 2010.

Enjoy!

Point Blank (2010) by Paul Dooley, premiere performance by Alarm Will Sound, Alan Pierson at the Mizzou New Music Festival, July 18, 2010. http://www.alarmwillsound.com Video production by Spectrum Studios, Columbia, Missouri http://gospectrumstudios.com/ Audio mixed and mastered by Paul du Gré http://albumcredits.com/Profile/72367 More information can be found at: http://www.pauldooley.net/works/pointblank

Charlie Parker on Sharing Your Experiences Musically

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.

-Charlie Parker

This is why I insist that my students "have a life" separate from their horns.  You can't play a song about getting your heart broken if you've never had a broken heart.  You can't convey being scared or giddy if you've never experienced those things yourself.

If what's coming out of your bell is not your experience, your thoughts, and your wisdom, chances are you won't be compensated too much for it.