Hello, Internet! How are you today? Looking fine, I see. Is that a new haircut? No, wait... new frames. Yeah, that's it. Been working on any good Bach lately?
Okay, all introductions aside, I do have the ideas for two nerdy posts I'm probably going to do back-to-back, but first, I thought this might be relevant. It's something that's come up a lot for me recently, and something I'm also getting really adamant about, mostly because I'm angry with myself that it's something I even have to work on. This should be instinctive, but... alas.
I've been enjoying my lessons with Obi-Wan, though I've noticed a recurring theme. It's something that I haven't really thought of as an issue before, though I've heard it said in a few different ways in retrospect, but never in a way that's made it out-prioritize everything else I'm working on until now. Now, several people in the non-trumpet brass department back in Pallet Town have been on my case for several reasons in the past, and rightly so, I don't consider myself to be that fantastic a player. As I've said before, I don't think anyone should consider themselves that fantastic a player, since once you do, you risk allowing yourself to not improve, and justify it by saying you've reached your goal.
Random aside, because it seems appropriate in the moment. I came up with this plan to keep myself motivated throughout my career, and I encourage you to do the same. It's a very basic plan, and when you'll hear it, you'll think it trivial, but it's necessary. All you have to do is make sure that, once you achieve a goal, you set a more impossible one. For example, one of these days, I'm going to perform Brandenburg. That's my first goal. Once I do that, don't remain satisfied. I set a new goal: I'm going to perform Hungarian Schnapsodie. After that monster is under my belt, I'm not done. By that point, I'll be considerably more skilled than I am now, so I have to make my goal more impossible... how about this? If I manage to accomplish that (and before you scoff, I've heard it performed ON THE TRUMPET, so it's possible! Look up Malcolm McNab, I think he's on iTunes), then I just aim higher. This way, there is the sad reality that I will never accomplish all of my goals, because I'd have a never-ending stream of goals going. But, it means that I never stop working to just get better and better.
Anyways, back to business. I don't consider myself a fantastic player, but I'm trying really damn hard, and I'm getting more legit as time goes on. Anyways, people have been getting on me for ages about various flaws. The usual trumpet ones always pop up: your sound is too brassy, your sound is too shrill, your attacks are too harsh, you're too loud (heh, going to rebut that one in a second), your notes are too short, and so on, and so on. All you trumpets have heard this all before, I'm sure. So, when I went to Viridian City, I expected the comments to be mostly the same.
Then, Obi-Wan's very first comment in my lesson came as a shock. I find people here are very nice when they critique... sometimes I wish people would be meaner, I'm certainly used to them being that way! He told me my sound was too small, too contained, too lacking in colour, too... careful. Part of it was just an inhale thing, but even when we sorted that out, my sound would start big, then revert during moving lines. After some experimentation (as O-W so correctly said, we're all essentially learning the instrument on our own, and our teachers only hear us one hour a week, so they give advice, but the other 167 hours, we have to critique ourselves and teach ourselves), I figured it out... I had become so self-conscious of all these little things that I had inadvertently made an introvert out of myself. I had become afraid to go out there and play. I had become afraid of my own instrument.
Probably the two most useful pieces of information I have gained in the past month of lessons is this fact, and on just how useful air patterns away from the horn are (seriously, they fix like all the things). O-W was right in saying that, in a real 60-piece orchestra, I'd be dead tired in no time, I'd conditioned myself to play to myself, and not PLAY the TRUMPET for people. This has been the main focus of my practice for the past couple weeks, is just getting a relaxed, confident, colourful, free-flowing, full, broad, TRUMPET sound. So many other issues don't even need fixing when this happens, because they no longer become issues, you're playing the instrument the way it's meant to be played, and so everything works out.
Now don't get me wrong, the advice everyone has given me in the past is valuable, and I'm not going to disregard anything. I've just learned the most important lesson about the trumpet: don't let anything, and I mean ANYTHING, get in the way of filling the entire room, concert hall, even WORLD (conceptually, of course) with your huge, gorgeous trumpet sound. And it's not volume, you can still play pianissimo, but a THICK pianissimo. If you think of the quality and dynamic of your sound as the size and colour of an object (it really doesn't matter which is which, they're interchangeable), changing one shouldn't effect the other, so why let it? A nice, thick, ringing pianissimo and a nice, thick, ringing fortissimo differ in dynamic, and a little bit in colour (I don't want you to get the wrong idea when I say that), but need the same intensity, the same depth, and the same ringing quality. Really, the secret is simple: immediate, deliberate, continuous, advancing air. Never step back, never give up, never surrender. It's that easy.
So, that's my little rant of the day. As I said before, I have two nerdy posts to make (maaaaaybe three, given the events happening this and next week), and by that point it'll be after the masterclass and probably after the orchestra concert, so back to the trumpet. See you then!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
I have a bad habit of being interested in, like, the worst possible people
Hey guys, it's two weeks into the new year, and a whole lot of cool stuff has been going down. Since the internet has made it possible to write arrogantly long rants wreathed with vanity on ones own experiences, I figured I might as well chat about things for a bit, fill y'all in on the first little while of my time here in Termina.
(Termina rather than Viridian City because I've realized that almost everyone I see here looks like someone I've seen before, just edited somewhat... it's kind of freaky, really)
Obviously the biggest thing I've had to worry about was my ensemble placement audition, which was on the first Friday of my being back. I had to play the last movement of JS Bach's cello Suite #1, a short melody blatantly ripped from the violin line in the first movement of Mahler 5, and another wind ensemble-esque fanfare thing. And... I thought it went poorly, at first. I got a huge hit of nerves partway through the Bach excerpt, and had a really hard time breathing for the rest of the page, which isn't exactly the best thing on brass. I took a bit of extra time to try and catch my breath for the Mahler-esque one, but I still felt like my breathing was really shallow (I played the Mahlery one on C, for that added touch of detail, I think it went over well; can't say for sure as the audition was blind). Finally, by the concert band one, I had calmed down enough to play normally, and that one actually kind of rocked.
Thankfully, it worked out for me, and I ended up getting into the orchestra rather than the wind symphony, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I guess, if people would ask me what my advice would be for a stressful situation like that, it's "keep going, no matter what." I really think my nerves were audible, but at the same time, I didn't let anything stop me. Even when I was struggling for air, I kept the flow of the piece (I may have sped up a tad >.>) and tanked my way through. It's kind of the same in rep class / perf class / masterclass / whatever your school calls it: you're trying to emulate a performance, so DON'T STOP. Tank your way through, and if you do want to stop, have a good, justifiable reason for it.
Firebird was making fun of me because I discovered something I had made fun of her for once: the half-hour practice session. I used to do the marathon thing when it came to practicing, and I kind of hate my old habits of doing that. Doing 3-5 half-hour sessions in a day is CLEARLY the superior option, as I've been feeling fresh for each one, having an easier time concentrating, and getting tired less often, not to mention having a better batting average in ensemble rehearsals. Maurice frickin' André was an advocate of the half-hour session, for crying out loud... how have I not discovered this before? But, yeah... do it.
We had our first quintet rehearsal today, and it looks like we'll probably be doing two per week, one coached and one independently. It was good to read through some things, and I think we'll work out to be a pretty solid group, once we start doing some serious woodshedding.
It's a little unusual to me, but ensembles are really early at this school. Like, the latest I'm usually done is by 6pm, meaning I generally get back home by 7. This means, being the antisocial hermit that I am, and since I don't have an undergraduate amount of homework to do, I get bored a lot easier at night. Not that that's interesting to anyone, but as I said, laced with vanity or something.
And so yeah, that was my not-terribly-interesting post of the night. Not sure what's in store next time, might be another one of these, might be a silly one, might be something completely different. I do have an idea for a silly one, but it's a very rough plan. So, instead, I'll leave you with something that's just... also silly. Peace out!
(Termina rather than Viridian City because I've realized that almost everyone I see here looks like someone I've seen before, just edited somewhat... it's kind of freaky, really)
Obviously the biggest thing I've had to worry about was my ensemble placement audition, which was on the first Friday of my being back. I had to play the last movement of JS Bach's cello Suite #1, a short melody blatantly ripped from the violin line in the first movement of Mahler 5, and another wind ensemble-esque fanfare thing. And... I thought it went poorly, at first. I got a huge hit of nerves partway through the Bach excerpt, and had a really hard time breathing for the rest of the page, which isn't exactly the best thing on brass. I took a bit of extra time to try and catch my breath for the Mahler-esque one, but I still felt like my breathing was really shallow (I played the Mahlery one on C, for that added touch of detail, I think it went over well; can't say for sure as the audition was blind). Finally, by the concert band one, I had calmed down enough to play normally, and that one actually kind of rocked.
Thankfully, it worked out for me, and I ended up getting into the orchestra rather than the wind symphony, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I guess, if people would ask me what my advice would be for a stressful situation like that, it's "keep going, no matter what." I really think my nerves were audible, but at the same time, I didn't let anything stop me. Even when I was struggling for air, I kept the flow of the piece (I may have sped up a tad >.>) and tanked my way through. It's kind of the same in rep class / perf class / masterclass / whatever your school calls it: you're trying to emulate a performance, so DON'T STOP. Tank your way through, and if you do want to stop, have a good, justifiable reason for it.
Firebird was making fun of me because I discovered something I had made fun of her for once: the half-hour practice session. I used to do the marathon thing when it came to practicing, and I kind of hate my old habits of doing that. Doing 3-5 half-hour sessions in a day is CLEARLY the superior option, as I've been feeling fresh for each one, having an easier time concentrating, and getting tired less often, not to mention having a better batting average in ensemble rehearsals. Maurice frickin' André was an advocate of the half-hour session, for crying out loud... how have I not discovered this before? But, yeah... do it.
We had our first quintet rehearsal today, and it looks like we'll probably be doing two per week, one coached and one independently. It was good to read through some things, and I think we'll work out to be a pretty solid group, once we start doing some serious woodshedding.
It's a little unusual to me, but ensembles are really early at this school. Like, the latest I'm usually done is by 6pm, meaning I generally get back home by 7. This means, being the antisocial hermit that I am, and since I don't have an undergraduate amount of homework to do, I get bored a lot easier at night. Not that that's interesting to anyone, but as I said, laced with vanity or something.
And so yeah, that was my not-terribly-interesting post of the night. Not sure what's in store next time, might be another one of these, might be a silly one, might be something completely different. I do have an idea for a silly one, but it's a very rough plan. So, instead, I'll leave you with something that's just... also silly. Peace out!
Thursday, September 06, 2012
MAHL WARS: EPISODE II - RESURRECTION
(This is the second part of the Mahl Wars franchise. The first part is here. Also, I was too lazy to look up rehearsal numbers this time. Remember to follow along with your own recording at home! Mine's Chicago with Claudio Abbado)
Part I - Allegro Maestoso
The scene opens with the vast, deep emptiness of space. As the oboe enters, the scene pans to a fleet of Imperial Planet Renders. Darth Wagner makes his first appearance, accompanied by a demonic brass fanfare. As he announces to the ship his plan to capture the grave of Anti-Non Brucknobi, two Schöentroopers exchange confident glances on a lower deck. The camera pans in and reveals these two to be none other than Gustav Skywalker and Hugan Wolfo, disguised and infiltrating the Empire ships. They slip into the crowd as the fleet departs from Viennescant. There is a brief struggle around the 3-minute mark as Gustav steals security codes from an officer, and he and Wolfo make a daring close escape, fooling the guards on the next floor into thinking they're helping pursue the intruders (did you hear Gustav's theme from the first movie in the flute around 4 minutes?).
However, their escape is short-lived as Darth Wagner comes down to their floor (sehr langsam begginend). As the Deus Irae begins, Wagner reveals his plan to extract the essence of Master Brucknobi in order to fully wield the power of Titan for himself. He makes his departure cackling maniacally at the extremely John Williams-sounding chords. Skywalker and Wolfo start making their daring escape, sneaking through the Planet Render to get to the escape pods without being noticed by the Schöentroopers. They escape, but not unnoticed. When asked if the pod should be shot down, Wagner orders his troops to hold their fire, saying he has his own plans for Skywalker. As the movement ends, Wagner says to the helmsman, "Set a course for Viennescant."
Part II - Andante Moderato
The scene opens in the relaxed Resistance base on Viennescant (unlike their Lucasean counterpart, these rebels are largely inexperienced and tend to not worry about things too much). Gustav goes to a closed-door meeting, where he meets up with Princess Alma. As he explains Darth Wagner's plans to the council (which is obviously represented by the scherzo-esque sounds here), they have a hard time believing him, since they aren't privy on the ways of Muzyk, a "dying old religion." Princess Alma (obviously represented by the waltz) makes her case that they should listen to Gustav and protect the tomb from a possible Imperial assault. At the big brass entrance, a call-to-arms has been organized, and the Resistance members are put back into combat training to protect the planet from Imperial action. As Gustav thanks Alma for helping out, we get the first hints of their non-sibling attraction. Gustav leaves the meeting in a daze, and the pizzicato show how in-the-clouds his head is.
Part III - In Ruhig Fleißender Bewegung
Nighttime. Anti-Non Brucknobi's tomb. Enter the incredibly handsome bounty hunter, Bobaszt Franz. The Resistance guards start questioning him on his whereabouts, but his dazzle proves too much for their weak minds, and as he sweet-talks them, he manages to hit them both with stun blasts from his blasterforte. He escapes from the tomb with Brucknobi's urn, making an overly-heroic brassy clamour as he does. He retreats from the tomb to his ship across the city, charming the patrolling guards all the way down. No one, regardless of gender, orientation, or identity, can resist the overwhelming power that is Bobaszt Franz. Even Gustav, who bumps into him while walking still in that daze, doesn't notice through his Muzyk that something is amiss. With a big brassy cacophony, Franz can't help radioing to Resistance headquarters to brag about how he stole Brucknobi's remains, and the guards are too entranced to do anything about it.
Part IV - Urlicht. Sehr Feierlich, Aber Schlicht
Darth Wagner is meditating, and in a vision, sees Anti-Non Brucknobi. Wagner is no longer a robotic excuse for a human, but appears whole as before his fateful confrontation with the dragon Fafner. Wagner demands Brucknobi honour his promise of years ago and explain the full secrets of the Titan for him. Brucknobi explains that there is no secret, and that the Titan's power exists within everyone. He goes on to clarify that Gustav was not granted power by anyone, but has total mastery of Muzyk on his own accord. Enraged by his old master's words, Wagner vows not only to master Muzyk, but to become a Gesamptkunstmaster, having total control of every aspect of everything, an accomplishment that the Composer's Guild both banned and thought impossible. Anti-non bids that he has nothing more to say to a man he once called his friend, and departs.
Part V - Im Tempo Des Scherzos
An Imperial Planet Render approaches Viennescant space, but the Resistance is ready. Gustav, meditating before the inevitable struggle, sees Anti-Non in a vision, who tells him that he has the power to ward off Darth Wagner for now, as he is blinded by his own ambition. Wagner radios the Resistance command, saying he is holding the remains of the hero Brucknobi, and demands an easy surrender. Gustav is in the room, and makes a speech on how the body means nothing, and Brucknobi will always be with the Resistance through Muzyk. As the connection is cut, the council must decide whether it's worth it to make an offensive, as the Empire does not appear to be hostile, and it's decided that the safety of the planet's inhabitants must come first. Gustav decides to go on a solo covert mission to retrieve the urn from the Empire.
(Am Anfang Sehr Zurückgehalten) By using his Muzyk to confuse the Schöentroopers, Gustav manages to sneak aboard the main Planet Render. Sneaking through the corridors, he discovers the urn guarded only by a few troopers, and entrances them with his Muzyk, taking the urn and heading back to his ship. (Wieder Sehr Breit) He takes off successfully, and heads back into Resistance space, but not before leaving an identical (though empty) urn behind. (Maestoso. Sehr Zurückhaltend) Gustav is surprised to see that a firefight has broken out between the Planet Render and a Resistance Frigate Pathetique. However, the Frigate quickly causes the Imperial ship to fall back, not expecting the Resistance to have been anticipating combat.
(Wieder Zurückhaltend) Gustav is confronted by Bobaszt Franz on the surface, who tries to use his charm to get him to return the urn, which wasn't his to begin with. Gustav's Muzyk thankfully is with him this time, and he can see through Franz's faulty charm to the logic underneath, refusing to give back the urn, and after a brief struggle, manages to slice the blasterforte in half in Franz's hands with his violsabre.
(Sehr Langsam Und Gedehnt) The next day, Gustav is honoured by the Resistance and the Olde Castlee that was the ancient base of the Composer's Guild. Suddenly, the lights dim and a heavenly chorus can be heard singing all around. Anti-Non Brucknobi appears to those present, causing cries of "He's alive! He's returned!" Master Brucknobi says softly that he has not returned, but through his Muzyk, is making himself alive in the souls of the Resistance members, and that every act they take to making the galaxy better for the listeners out there is honouring his memory and work as a Composer. He charges the Resistance to continue to spread the power of Muzyk through the galaxy, and though his image vanishes, the chorus continues to sing. The scene pans up and out to space, as the chorus continues to sing, and the credits roll.
Part I - Allegro Maestoso
The scene opens with the vast, deep emptiness of space. As the oboe enters, the scene pans to a fleet of Imperial Planet Renders. Darth Wagner makes his first appearance, accompanied by a demonic brass fanfare. As he announces to the ship his plan to capture the grave of Anti-Non Brucknobi, two Schöentroopers exchange confident glances on a lower deck. The camera pans in and reveals these two to be none other than Gustav Skywalker and Hugan Wolfo, disguised and infiltrating the Empire ships. They slip into the crowd as the fleet departs from Viennescant. There is a brief struggle around the 3-minute mark as Gustav steals security codes from an officer, and he and Wolfo make a daring close escape, fooling the guards on the next floor into thinking they're helping pursue the intruders (did you hear Gustav's theme from the first movie in the flute around 4 minutes?).
However, their escape is short-lived as Darth Wagner comes down to their floor (sehr langsam begginend). As the Deus Irae begins, Wagner reveals his plan to extract the essence of Master Brucknobi in order to fully wield the power of Titan for himself. He makes his departure cackling maniacally at the extremely John Williams-sounding chords. Skywalker and Wolfo start making their daring escape, sneaking through the Planet Render to get to the escape pods without being noticed by the Schöentroopers. They escape, but not unnoticed. When asked if the pod should be shot down, Wagner orders his troops to hold their fire, saying he has his own plans for Skywalker. As the movement ends, Wagner says to the helmsman, "Set a course for Viennescant."
Part II - Andante Moderato
The scene opens in the relaxed Resistance base on Viennescant (unlike their Lucasean counterpart, these rebels are largely inexperienced and tend to not worry about things too much). Gustav goes to a closed-door meeting, where he meets up with Princess Alma. As he explains Darth Wagner's plans to the council (which is obviously represented by the scherzo-esque sounds here), they have a hard time believing him, since they aren't privy on the ways of Muzyk, a "dying old religion." Princess Alma (obviously represented by the waltz) makes her case that they should listen to Gustav and protect the tomb from a possible Imperial assault. At the big brass entrance, a call-to-arms has been organized, and the Resistance members are put back into combat training to protect the planet from Imperial action. As Gustav thanks Alma for helping out, we get the first hints of their non-sibling attraction. Gustav leaves the meeting in a daze, and the pizzicato show how in-the-clouds his head is.
Part III - In Ruhig Fleißender Bewegung
Nighttime. Anti-Non Brucknobi's tomb. Enter the incredibly handsome bounty hunter, Bobaszt Franz. The Resistance guards start questioning him on his whereabouts, but his dazzle proves too much for their weak minds, and as he sweet-talks them, he manages to hit them both with stun blasts from his blasterforte. He escapes from the tomb with Brucknobi's urn, making an overly-heroic brassy clamour as he does. He retreats from the tomb to his ship across the city, charming the patrolling guards all the way down. No one, regardless of gender, orientation, or identity, can resist the overwhelming power that is Bobaszt Franz. Even Gustav, who bumps into him while walking still in that daze, doesn't notice through his Muzyk that something is amiss. With a big brassy cacophony, Franz can't help radioing to Resistance headquarters to brag about how he stole Brucknobi's remains, and the guards are too entranced to do anything about it.
Part IV - Urlicht. Sehr Feierlich, Aber Schlicht
Darth Wagner is meditating, and in a vision, sees Anti-Non Brucknobi. Wagner is no longer a robotic excuse for a human, but appears whole as before his fateful confrontation with the dragon Fafner. Wagner demands Brucknobi honour his promise of years ago and explain the full secrets of the Titan for him. Brucknobi explains that there is no secret, and that the Titan's power exists within everyone. He goes on to clarify that Gustav was not granted power by anyone, but has total mastery of Muzyk on his own accord. Enraged by his old master's words, Wagner vows not only to master Muzyk, but to become a Gesamptkunstmaster, having total control of every aspect of everything, an accomplishment that the Composer's Guild both banned and thought impossible. Anti-non bids that he has nothing more to say to a man he once called his friend, and departs.
Part V - Im Tempo Des Scherzos
An Imperial Planet Render approaches Viennescant space, but the Resistance is ready. Gustav, meditating before the inevitable struggle, sees Anti-Non in a vision, who tells him that he has the power to ward off Darth Wagner for now, as he is blinded by his own ambition. Wagner radios the Resistance command, saying he is holding the remains of the hero Brucknobi, and demands an easy surrender. Gustav is in the room, and makes a speech on how the body means nothing, and Brucknobi will always be with the Resistance through Muzyk. As the connection is cut, the council must decide whether it's worth it to make an offensive, as the Empire does not appear to be hostile, and it's decided that the safety of the planet's inhabitants must come first. Gustav decides to go on a solo covert mission to retrieve the urn from the Empire.
(Am Anfang Sehr Zurückgehalten) By using his Muzyk to confuse the Schöentroopers, Gustav manages to sneak aboard the main Planet Render. Sneaking through the corridors, he discovers the urn guarded only by a few troopers, and entrances them with his Muzyk, taking the urn and heading back to his ship. (Wieder Sehr Breit) He takes off successfully, and heads back into Resistance space, but not before leaving an identical (though empty) urn behind. (Maestoso. Sehr Zurückhaltend) Gustav is surprised to see that a firefight has broken out between the Planet Render and a Resistance Frigate Pathetique. However, the Frigate quickly causes the Imperial ship to fall back, not expecting the Resistance to have been anticipating combat.
(Wieder Zurückhaltend) Gustav is confronted by Bobaszt Franz on the surface, who tries to use his charm to get him to return the urn, which wasn't his to begin with. Gustav's Muzyk thankfully is with him this time, and he can see through Franz's faulty charm to the logic underneath, refusing to give back the urn, and after a brief struggle, manages to slice the blasterforte in half in Franz's hands with his violsabre.
(Sehr Langsam Und Gedehnt) The next day, Gustav is honoured by the Resistance and the Olde Castlee that was the ancient base of the Composer's Guild. Suddenly, the lights dim and a heavenly chorus can be heard singing all around. Anti-Non Brucknobi appears to those present, causing cries of "He's alive! He's returned!" Master Brucknobi says softly that he has not returned, but through his Muzyk, is making himself alive in the souls of the Resistance members, and that every act they take to making the galaxy better for the listeners out there is honouring his memory and work as a Composer. He charges the Resistance to continue to spread the power of Muzyk through the galaxy, and though his image vanishes, the chorus continues to sing. The scene pans up and out to space, as the chorus continues to sing, and the credits roll.
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