Philharmonia: listen to the following rehearsal recording. For a homework grade, leave a comment describing:
1. an issue that you hear
2. A solution for that issue. Be specific....don't just write "practice" or "count."
Intonation is a big issue present in this passage. The best solution is individual practice. Each note should be played out as a whole note until the correct pitch is met.
Intonation is incredibly awful... everywhere. And you can't hear the second violins; it's like we were just swept off the side of the planet and disappeared somewhere. So, I think we should play out more. I don't think it's that we don't know our music, I think we are just really timid and are scared we'll mess up. And as for intonation, I think the new tuning method will definitely help, and by playing each note slowly and adjusting our fingers, we know whether our fingers are naturally high or low so we can make notes in our music to help us play it right the next time around. And, I mean, we've been doing some of that and I think we sound better than the first time we played the piece...
A big issue that I hear is the intonation for the second violins in measure 50. A solution could be to repeatedly play the measure slowly until we are in tune.
Well, our intonation is pretty obvious; mastering it individually then practicing with other members of our section to match the notes could be helpful. And the seconds just need to play out; that way we can actually hear each other and our mistakes and work to fix them.
Throughout the section there was poor intonation, dynamics, style, and overall togetherness. In measure 44, 49, 50, the cellos and basses need to agree on the E flats as well as the pitches from measure 51 to the end. When we are at home, we should practice lifting and dropping our fingers until we can make the correct pitches the first time. The dynamics are also supposed to fluctuate throughout, and we should make our sound more confident and flowing by adding weight in both hands. I think that after we prepare for in-school rehearsals at home, we can focus more on blending with the ensemble.
So throughout the entire section i could not hear the second violins at all. I think our section has the biggest issue with playing confidently. I would suggest playing louder, but most of the time just telling us to do this doesn't work. What would probably work better is if we were to develop some sort of exercise that would help build the second violins confidence and volume. - Palmer Boykin
Well, I could not hear he basses, which has to be the biggest problem for our section because in order to identify the problems, you have to be able to hear them. So yeah, every bass player needs to play twice as loud as the average Reed intensity. Also, I felt like the 1st violins and the violas (which is all I could actually hear) didn't sound very together, so we should all listen not only to our own sections but to the others. Oh and intonation is a big issue but everyone else has talked about that already.
Thye biggest issue that i see is that the basses aren't playing loud enough, nor are the 2nd violins. Play out you guys! And also, intonation is KEY! Everyone needs to individually pracitce the out of tune sections slowly, with the right pitches, bit by bit.
Just as everyone else said, Intonation is without a doubt the biggest issue. On top of that, I don't hear any second violins or basses. Intonation could be fixed by practicing each note individually until it's in tune. The quiet issue could be fixed just by just playing out instead of playing so softly.
Intonation and dynamics are definitely the biggest issues in this piece as well as most other pieces we play. We usually get the notes in tune by the end of the note, but the start of the note is always very timid and unsure sounding. There is a lot of searching going on to find the note as well. A way to fix this is to play the notes even slower and when possible, match it to your open strings. If you here an out of tune note, don't just keep going, fix it. Also it is really beneficial to practice one or two measures at a time so you are focusing on a specific problem and once you fix it go on to the next measures. Dynamics can be fixed by looking at the style markings and crescendos and decrescendos. -Alex Butenko
I know that the basses rest for a majority of this selection, but when we come in, we should bump our dynamics a little bit so that people can know that we're playing... As the others have pointed out, the intonation is rough. I think it would be beneficial for all of us to play a little sharp to counteract the overall flat tone we've got right now, and, like the basses, the seconds should pump up the volume a little bit.
As everyone has previously stated, our primary problem concerns the largely unique intonation of Elegy. It's not that it is hard, it's mostly that the accidentals create a very different and uncommon melody (at least for the violists). However, I believe that conveying emotion through our music is the most important factor to making Elegy sound enjoyable. We must feel the solemn attitude that the piece naturally creates and express our feelings back through our performance. If we can make our audience feel that emotion, then we have done our jobs as performers.
So, just as everyone has pointed out, our intonation is awful. But with individual practice, we can solve that problem. Also, in my opinion, I felt as though each section was fighting to be heard, instead of just the section with the melody. Instead of each part coming together smoothly, we sounded more like a hot mess. Dynamics were also an issue, however since we are working on that next week, I'm sure we can fix that problem quickly.
Obviously intonation is a major issue. Dynamics are also a very big problem and togetherness also. There is a lot of sliding into the note instead of hitting the note the first time. Intonation can be fixed by paying attention to your finger placement and the agreement on the note inside of each section. Dynamics can be fixed by actually paying attention to the markings on your piece and as for togetherness, counting correctly is the best solution there.
Intonation is a big issue present in this passage. The best solution is individual practice. Each note should be played out as a whole note until the correct pitch is met.
ReplyDeleteIntonation is incredibly awful... everywhere. And you can't hear the second violins; it's like we were just swept off the side of the planet and disappeared somewhere. So, I think we should play out more. I don't think it's that we don't know our music, I think we are just really timid and are scared we'll mess up. And as for intonation, I think the new tuning method will definitely help, and by playing each note slowly and adjusting our fingers, we know whether our fingers are naturally high or low so we can make notes in our music to help us play it right the next time around. And, I mean, we've been doing some of that and I think we sound better than the first time we played the piece...
ReplyDelete-Brandi Hawkins
A big issue that I hear is the intonation for the second violins in measure 50. A solution could be to repeatedly play the measure slowly until we are in tune.
ReplyDeleteWell, our intonation is pretty obvious; mastering it individually then practicing with other members of our section to match the notes could be helpful. And the seconds just need to play out; that way we can actually hear each other and our mistakes and work to fix them.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the section there was poor intonation, dynamics, style, and overall togetherness. In measure 44, 49, 50, the cellos and basses need to agree on the E flats as well as the pitches from measure 51 to the end. When we are at home, we should practice lifting and dropping our fingers until we can make the correct pitches the first time. The dynamics are also supposed to fluctuate throughout, and we should make our sound more confident and flowing by adding weight in both hands. I think that after we prepare for in-school rehearsals at home, we can focus more on blending with the ensemble.
ReplyDeleteSo throughout the entire section i could not hear the second violins at all. I think our section has the biggest issue with playing confidently. I would suggest playing louder, but most of the time just telling us to do this doesn't work. What would probably work better is if we were to develop some sort of exercise that would help build the second violins confidence and volume.
ReplyDelete- Palmer Boykin
Well, I could not hear he basses, which has to be the biggest problem for our section because in order to identify the problems, you have to be able to hear them. So yeah, every bass player needs to play twice as loud as the average Reed intensity. Also, I felt like the 1st violins and the violas (which is all I could actually hear) didn't sound very together, so we should all listen not only to our own sections but to the others. Oh and intonation is a big issue but everyone else has talked about that already.
ReplyDeleteThye biggest issue that i see is that the basses aren't playing loud enough, nor are the 2nd violins. Play out you guys! And also, intonation is KEY! Everyone needs to individually pracitce the out of tune sections slowly, with the right pitches, bit by bit.
ReplyDeleteJust as everyone else said, Intonation is without a doubt the biggest issue. On top of that, I don't hear any second violins or basses. Intonation could be fixed by practicing each note individually until it's in tune. The quiet issue could be fixed just by just playing out instead of playing so softly.
ReplyDelete:B
Intonation and dynamics are definitely the biggest issues in this piece as well as most other pieces we play. We usually get the notes in tune by the end of the note, but the start of the note is always very timid and unsure sounding. There is a lot of searching going on to find the note as well. A way to fix this is to play the notes even slower and when possible, match it to your open strings. If you here an out of tune note, don't just keep going, fix it. Also it is really beneficial to practice one or two measures at a time so you are focusing on a specific problem and once you fix it go on to the next measures. Dynamics can be fixed by looking at the style markings and crescendos and decrescendos.
ReplyDelete-Alex Butenko
I know that the basses rest for a majority of this selection, but when we come in, we should bump our dynamics a little bit so that people can know that we're playing... As the others have pointed out, the intonation is rough. I think it would be beneficial for all of us to play a little sharp to counteract the overall flat tone we've got right now, and, like the basses, the seconds should pump up the volume a little bit.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone has previously stated, our primary problem concerns the largely unique intonation of Elegy. It's not that it is hard, it's mostly that the accidentals create a very different and uncommon melody (at least for the violists). However, I believe that conveying emotion through our music is the most important factor to making Elegy sound enjoyable. We must feel the solemn attitude that the piece naturally creates and express our feelings back through our performance. If we can make our audience feel that emotion, then we have done our jobs as performers.
ReplyDeleteSo, just as everyone has pointed out, our intonation is awful. But with individual practice, we can solve that problem. Also, in my opinion, I felt as though each section was fighting to be heard, instead of just the section with the melody. Instead of each part coming together smoothly, we sounded more like a hot mess. Dynamics were also an issue, however since we are working on that next week, I'm sure we can fix that problem quickly.
ReplyDeleteObviously intonation is a major issue. Dynamics are also a very big problem and togetherness also. There is a lot of sliding into the note instead of hitting the note the first time. Intonation can be fixed by paying attention to your finger placement and the agreement on the note inside of each section. Dynamics can be fixed by actually paying attention to the markings on your piece and as for togetherness, counting correctly is the best solution there.
ReplyDelete