Most of the time, when we get a new piece that I don't know and haven't heard before I go home and look up a recording of it so I have a vague idea of what the piece is supposed to soung like in concert.
In our brass ensemble, we got two movements of a piece called "A Londoner in New York" by Jim Parker. We got it ages ago and I couldn't find a recording of it to start with and we weren't that good at it either 'cause its really hard. None of us thought we would ever perform it. Then our conductor promised that we'd perform it at the next concert. I didn't think that was so bad...
A part of me died. This is only the second half of the second movement we're playing...but part of me still died. We have to perform this piece very soon...we're never gonna make it sound like that. I'm so gonna miscount and come in in the total wrong place and mess it all up. Arggghhh!
Has this ever happened to you? Right before a concert you find something that makes you realise just how hard what you're trying to do is...and just how badly you're going to fail.
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:05 pm
Yes, it happens all the time, but we always pull through with a concert that surprises our band director and thrills the audience.
MinorHeaven
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Talor the Fox 002
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 12:51 am
Well... It never happened to me in concert but it did happen to me when I was trying out for select band. I was given four pieces to play for three judges (thank God it was a blind audition). So I practiced three of the four songs and on the day that the audition was, I started to practice that last song. At the end, I failed and got into honor band. I think honor band is great. :]
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:26 am
Here's a tip...
Don't compare yourself to professional bands.
Try searching for a student group that played it (and not districts or anything...no better that county...)
We're going to play a medley of video game music next year (halo themesong, civilization IV theme (?), and the end music from kingdom hearts I (aka Hikari (orchestral version))). The halo piece is easy, and the civilization piece is hard-ish, but has a really cool baritone/euphonium solo (aka I get to solo!), but the KH is harder...
We can't play it in marching band because, in the words of our beloved band director, "there's too much black ink all over the place". In other words, the flutes and pics would die.
But it is awesome. We listened to the original recording by the Japanese National Orchestra (or whatever the heck it was called...), and a bunch of people balked. But he then had us listen to a recording of one of the songs we played at the Spring Concert versus the professional version and almost everyone shut up about it; we sounded really good, and pretty close to the quality of the professional orchestra!!!
Just don't sweat it. Download the free version of Finale Notepad. You can input difficult parts into it and play it back to hear what it should sound like. It's what I do when I can't figure out how to play a section...
You'll be fine...
GuardianDragonsSpirit
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x-mas
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:09 am
GuardianDragonsSpirit
Here's a tip...
Don't compare yourself to professional bands.
Try searching for a student group that played it (and not districts or anything...no better that county...)
We're going to play a medley of video game music next year (halo themesong, civilization IV theme (?), and the end music from kingdom hearts I (aka Hikari (orchestral version))). The halo piece is easy, and the civilization piece is hard-ish, but has a really cool baritone/euphonium solo (aka I get to solo!), but the KH is harder...
We can't play it in marching band because, in the words of our beloved band director, "there's too much black ink all over the place". In other words, the flutes and pics would die.
But it is awesome. We listened to the original recording by the Japanese National Orchestra (or whatever the heck it was called...), and a bunch of people balked. But he then had us listen to a recording of one of the songs we played at the Spring Concert versus the professional version and almost everyone shut up about it; we sounded really good, and pretty close to the quality of the professional orchestra!!!
Just don't sweat it. Download the free version of Finale Notepad. You can input difficult parts into it and play it back to hear what it should sound like. It's what I do when I can't figure out how to play a section...
You'll be fine...
Oh I don't comapre us to professional groups. That recording is of the Hochschule Für Musik Detmold...translated...the high school of music Detmold. We're an English school of music...should be around the same level. And we're playing that exact arrangement too...'cause I can follow my part...its being played by the guy on the end. lol
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:42 pm
x-mas
GuardianDragonsSpirit
Here's a tip...
Don't compare yourself to professional bands.
Try searching for a student group that played it (and not districts or anything...no better that county...)
We're going to play a medley of video game music next year (halo themesong, civilization IV theme (?), and the end music from kingdom hearts I (aka Hikari (orchestral version))). The halo piece is easy, and the civilization piece is hard-ish, but has a really cool baritone/euphonium solo (aka I get to solo!), but the KH is harder...
We can't play it in marching band because, in the words of our beloved band director, "there's too much black ink all over the place". In other words, the flutes and pics would die.
But it is awesome. We listened to the original recording by the Japanese National Orchestra (or whatever the heck it was called...), and a bunch of people balked. But he then had us listen to a recording of one of the songs we played at the Spring Concert versus the professional version and almost everyone shut up about it; we sounded really good, and pretty close to the quality of the professional orchestra!!!
Just don't sweat it. Download the free version of Finale Notepad. You can input difficult parts into it and play it back to hear what it should sound like. It's what I do when I can't figure out how to play a section...
You'll be fine...
Oh I don't comapre us to professional groups. That recording is of the Hochschule Für Musik Detmold...translated...the high school of music Detmold. We're an English school of music...should be around the same level. And we're playing that exact arrangement too...'cause I can follow my part...its being played by the guy on the end. lol
As Guardian Dragon spitit said, don't compare yourself to professional bands. We played this hard piece, Air and Caprice, and its unorthdox for a middle school kid,6th grade, to play. I mean, I could look up Air and Caprice on YT, and there will possibly be a professional band. Air and Caprice. It sounds good, but our band did good! smile
That Girl is Fierce
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Kanaki JIji
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:54 pm
Yeah I know what you mean...there was one song we played at our last concert that we were making good progress on...then it was a week before the concert and the flutes (myself included admittedly) couldn't play the eigth note runs at the same speed, no matter how many times we played it over. I'm kinda scared what the recording's going to sound like...
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:49 am
Kanaki JIji
Yeah I know what you mean...there was one song we played at our last concert that we were making good progress on...then it was a week before the concert and the flutes (myself included admittedly) couldn't play the eigth note runs at the same speed, no matter how many times we played it over. I'm kinda scared what the recording's going to sound like...
Don't be afraid. I watched my concert, people made mistakes. A woodwind played their note before everybody else in Air and Caprice, the Oboes played very loud when we played Concert Bb scale,some woodwind played very slow/fast. If your band had a tape recorder/video camera; it will sound kinda odd, I heard the recording on my mom's camera (Concert Bb). Band is like a sport: Everybody makes mistakes, and they get better.
That Girl is Fierce
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Alchemic Kraehe
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:19 pm
yes...this happens to me all the time...............................................................................because my band conductor is really mean when we mess up. and blames the percussion cryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcrying
[color=violet]
my friend's in choir, she goes through the same thing, in a concert she freezes up 'cause she forgot the words cryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcryingcrying
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:58 pm
x-mas
Most of the time, when we get a new piece that I don't know and haven't heard before I go home and look up a recording of it so I have a vague idea of what the piece is supposed to soung like in concert.
In our brass ensemble, we got two movements of a piece called "A Londoner in New York" by Jim Parker. We got it ages ago and I couldn't find a recording of it to start with and we weren't that good at it either 'cause its really hard. None of us thought we would ever perform it. Then our conductor promised that we'd perform it at the next concert. I didn't think that was so bad...
A part of me died. This is only the second half of the second movement we're playing...but part of me still died. We have to perform this piece very soon...we're never gonna make it sound like that. I'm so gonna miscount and come in in the total wrong place and mess it all up. Arggghhh!
Has this ever happened to you? Right before a concert you find something that makes you realise just how hard what you're trying to do is...and just how badly you're going to fail.
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