Transcript Effective Ensemble Performance

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Technique can be defined as the ability to
play the notes cleanly and accurately.
The notes must be “under your
fingers” before proper attention can
be given to the other aspects of
musical performance.
You can improve your technique by:
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Practicing fast moving passages slowly and
accurately.
Practicing scales, arpeggios, thirds, and other
technical exercises.
Breaking down difficult passages into smaller
practice components (i.e. one beat or
measure at a time).
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This refers to the ability to play your
instrument “in tune”.
All other aspects of performance
(tone, expression, balance, technique) are
obscured when that performance is out of
tune.
Playing in tune requires
 Good posture.
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A firm embouchure.
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Good breath support.
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The best instrument/mouthpiece that you can
afford.
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Wind instruments cannot be built perfectly in
tune without some type of favoring or
humoring of certain notes by the players.
Use a tuner to find out which notes are out of
tune on your instrument.
Know the various techniques of how to
accomplish this favoring of notes.
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“The most important factor in achieving good
intonation is Careful Listening.”
You need to recognize that the notes are out
of tune before you can adjust /favor them.
Listen to your neighbors as you play and try
to eliminate the “beats” in the sound.
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A type of musical interpretation where you
express yourself through the music.
A phrase is also known as a “sentence of
music”. Phrases are usually 4 or 8 measures
long.
Find the peak note of the phrase as well as
the proper place(s) to breathe within the
phrase.
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“Phrasing is an art, not a science.”
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There is no foolproof method for phrasing.
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Experiment with different phrasing ideas and
use the one that works the best.
“I thought you would drive to Chicago.”
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The characteristic sound that is produced on
your instrument.
Tone be described with adjectives such as
rich, full, bright, warm, dark, thin, reedy,
robust.
This aspect of playing is best learned by
imitation of fine players. Try to build a
mental concept of the tone that you are trying
to produce.
You can also improve this aspect of playing by:
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Practicing long, sustained tones.
Using proper breath support and a firm
embouchure.
Using the best equipment (instrument,
mouthpiece, reeds) that you can afford.
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This refers to the way that you play the notes.
There are an infinite number of musical
styles, but the most essential ones are:
1. Legato- smooth and connected
2. Marcato- heavy and detached
3. Staccato - light and detached
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Dynamics are the various levels of loudness
and softness in musical performance.
Dynamic contrast is needed to avoid dull and
uninteresting performances.
Strive to include all six dynamic levels in your
playing.
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All dynamic levels need to be played
WITH CONTROL.
Forte and fortissimo should not sound rough
and distorted.
Piano and Pianissimo should not sound weak
and feeble.
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This is referred to as the proper mixture of
melody, harmony, and accompaniment parts.
The melodic line must always be predominant
and the other parts subordinate.
Another form of balance is ensemble balance
where the band/orchestra sound is built from
the bottom up, making the lower instruments
the loudest and the higher instruments the
softest. (“The McBeth Triangle”)
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This refers to making your instrument “speak
distinctly”.
Articulation bears the same relationship to
music as enunciation does to speech.
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Good articulation requires proper use of the
tongue and the breath. If either is missing,
the result will be unclear articulation.
A variety of tongue actions are acceptable for
articulating notes such as doe, doo, dah, day,
dee, toe, too, tah, tay, tee. In certain cases,
the loo syllable can also be used.
Never use the “th” sound in your articulations.