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A blog about performing music, teaching music and the business of music.
Here is Alexandra Grot performing some Bach live in Munich in 2008.
The flute takes the second most air of any wind instrument and she does a great job of breathing in places that doesn't interrupt the music. This is particularly hard in unaccompanied pieces and she does a great job of modeling it.
Enjoy!
"It's better to sound right than to be right."
—Rex Martin
This is one of the best soundbites that Rex Martin threw my way during my studies with him. It gets right to the point.
In a performance, there is no such thing as one person being in tune and the other being out of tune.
Rather, they are out of tune.
If someone isn't balancing a chord right and you can do something about it by playing louder or softer (regardless of what dynamic is on the page), you are the obligated to adjust. Same goes for pitch and everything else.
This doesn't mean everyone should go around constantly adjusting to everything. That would quickly resemble one giant dog chasing its tail and never quite catching it.
But the definition of being a team player in a music is always being ready to do what sounds right rather than what is right.
It doesn't matter how many degrees you have, what gig you've got, or how many countries you've performed in. This goes for everybody.
Thanks, Mr. Martin, for making that crystal clear to me so many years ago.
Need a little inspiration for better phrasing out of your playing or conducting? I've got you covered.
This is an incredible arrangement of "I Think of You" performed by trombone virtuoso Carol Jarvis.
If I'm being analytical, I love how effortless her playing looks. The ease with which she gets into and out of her high register is textbook.
But this clip is better enjoyed by leaving the analytical cap at home and just enjoying the gorgeous musical storytelling. Just beautiful stuff.
Enjoy!
Very cool article that touches on the benefits of improvisation:
"When musicians go to an improvisation, the brain switches, Limb said, and the lateral prefrontal lobes responsible for conscious self monitoring became less engaged. 'Musicians were turning off the self-censoring in the brain so they could generate novel ideas without restrictions,' he said."
Listen via
Confession: As a general rule I can't stand brass quintets with a bass trombone on the bottom instead of a tuba. I am obviously biased.
But...
When John Rojak is the one playing the bass trombone book, like he has with the American Brass Quintet for many years, I can't imagine it possibly being any better with a tuba in anyone's hands. And I mean that!
John is one of the best bass trombone players in the world. He is also as fine a human as you could ever hope to encounter.
He's one of my chamber music heroes, teaches at Juilliard, NYU and Hartt, has been playing in ABQ for a very long time, and is an active freelancer around New York City. Fascinating guy and it was a lot of fun to chat with him!
Website:
Links:
American Brass Quintet
Julliard
NYU
The Hartt School
You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass.
Here is a clip of the Eastman Wind Ensemble performing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor live at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. This hall is one of the best I've ever played in and I'm sure they were loving it.
Enjoy!
There really is no wrong way to hold a mouthpiece when buzzing, but there is a way to hold it that can eliminate a common mistake made by students.
Many students figure out pretty quickly that it is easier to "hit the notes" on a mouthpiece when you jam the mouthpiece into your face. This especially goes for higher notes.
Of course this is something that needs to be discouraged since it leads to both fatigue and a terrible sound. I have finally noticed a correlation between mouthpiece pressure and how it is being held (especially for the low brass instruments.)
When holding a mouthpiece with the entire hand, it is difficult not to apply pressure when buzzing.
But when holding a mouthpiece with only two or three fingers, it is difficult to apply pressure when buzzing.
By simply having students hold the larger mouthpieces with only three fingers at most you can avoid the issue of excess mouthpiece pressure without evening saying the words.
Harry Connick Jr. is one of my musical heroes. He is the consummate showman, a phenomenal composer and arranger, and one of the best piano players in the world. You throw in the fact that he can sing and act and he can make you depressed pretty quickly.
I just performed a fantastic arrangement of this chart by Bryan Kidd with the American Festival Pops Orchestra. I personally think more Christmas tunes should have a New Orleans street beat.
Enjoy!
We used to have a saying in Boston Brass that we would use all of the time when coaching groups: "Strong and wrong!"
The meaning of that is of course to always play like you mean it, even the mistakes. If you are worried about making a mistake and back off a little, even if you play the note or passage correctly, it is going to sound wrong anyways.
And who really cares if you make a mistake anyways?
(Well, other than your ego...)
David Cutler is a dear friend and a creative genius. I hope he doesn't read this because it will go to his head but he is one of those people who seems to always being thinking a couple of steps ahead on the creative front.
Here is his version of "Oh Christmas Tree" for prepared piano which he performed many times when he joined Boston Brass every year for the expanded Christmas lineup. I always looked forward to his solo performances during every gig. You never quite know what he is going to come up with.
Enjoy!