I will ask you to please remind your peers to get online and submit their entries. We're looking a little slimmer in responses this week.
So, for Week #4...
You are all well aware of what the important parts of the approach to a new piece of music. For this week's entry there are two parts.
First: Explain what you do (or should do!) when first handed a new piece of music.
Second: Tell me what you think a conductor might have to do when approaching a new piece of music.
(Bonus "points" if you connect these two items into one process.)
I hope your exams went well and I look forward to the countdown to San Francisco/Whistler! Today marks 75 days to SFO!
mr :)
Posts
When first handed a new piece of music, I think that you (the musician) should first focus on the technical aspects of the piece (e.g. notes, tempo, dynamics, etc.). Because you won’t be able to interpret a piece with your own ideas if you don’t even know what its most basic form sounds like. I think this relates to the conductor’s job because they are responsible for using their prior knowledge of music to guide musicians through a new piece. He/she does this by supplying the rhythm(s) specified by the composer of the piece, to the musicians, who in turn will gradually learn to play the notes in time with the conducting baton. The conductor can also suggest other pieces of music that the musicians are familiar with, that are played in the same style as the new piece.
ReplyDeletewhen i'm first handed a peice of music, i immediately look to the left and check the key, tempo, and the time signature. since i started learning music i made it a habit to check those things first. horrible things happen when you start playing in '4' and its in 6/8 or something. i think i need to work on scanning through the peice before we sightread for things like repeats and tricky sections. i always get surprised, then i get lost, and then i stop playing. now thats no fun, is it?
ReplyDeletei think that a conductor, and any musician should be aware of the tempo, key, time signature from the very beginning, but being a conductor, responsibilities are different too. my best guess would be to say that a conductor should be fully aware of who's starting from the beginning, who is coming in at what point and how, and look out for any drastic parts in the score.
most importantly, i think both the musician and conductor should approach a new peice of music with confidence and courage. it's hard to learn a new piece if you're scared to try new things, and step forward to face the challenge. this is something i need to work on as well.
1st: Look for potential fingering problems, hard rhythms, solos, anything special worth taking note of. Circle these and they should be the first thing to look at during home practice. These should be areas where extra focus is needed during rehearsal. Right off the bat, you know the problem areas. There's no use practicing at home when you don't focus on problems that haven't been circled.
ReplyDelete2nd: Note strengths and weaknesses of a group and apply them into a new piece. Know the piece enough to introduce it well to a group. If a conductor doesn't know the piece, the band he/she conducts will never know the piece. Note easy points in the piece and hard points in the piece and rehearse according to level.
And these two combine together because they're both learning process's for both a performer and conductor. Together, they need to learn where there are problems in a new piece and how to fix them.
i agree with marc on the second point. i totally overlooked that.
ReplyDelete---First---
ReplyDeleteWhen first handed a new piece of music, a person should look at the key signatures, tempo and the "playing style". In class when playing the new piece of music, the player should play with confidence and still play although it is wrong. This is something that about 95% of us do NOT do. We are always worrying about playing the right notes at the right places. During the first time that the new piece is played, the player should look at the conductor 10% of the time and 90% at the music. The 2nd time that the player plays, it's 20 to 80. The 3rd time is 40 to 60. The 4th time is 60 to 40. The 5th time is 80 to 20. The 6th time is 10 to 90. And so on...
This is one important key point that the player should consider since memorizing the new piece of music will lead to improvement faster.
---Second---
When the conductor approaches a new piece of music, the conductor could research the composer of the new music. This could bring about some important informations that is NOT in the full score. By researching, the conductor could make special notes on the full score about the "style" at which the ensemble should play at a specific section. When the piece is first rehearsed, the conductor should focus on keeping the tempo constant but not the exact "playing style" of the composer. So in other words, when faced with a new piece of music, the conductor should pick one characterstics (like the tempo, style, etc) and try to work with that.
When I'm first handed a new piece, I look at the composer to determine which era it belongs to or whether I recognize it. Then I begin to skim through the piece for particular "harder" parts and try them out a few times. After the sigh reading part, I would try to look up the background information on the piece and listen to different recordings then jot down the important parts.
ReplyDeleteThe same process applies to conductors as well such as looking out for the style, time signature changes, phrasings,and making sure that the instruments are well played out/balances in their head (sight reading in their head)
well I believe that everyone both the musicians and the conductor should both start out doing the same thing when first approaches a pieces of music, and they are the things that we have talked about in class
ReplyDeleteKey Signuature, Time, style, etc.
but i think the conductor needs to do a bit more because when the music is performe we follow the expression the conductor not the sheet of music therefore i think the conductor will also need to find out more about the music such as background, the reason for why it is written etc. to understand the music better
When a musician recieves a new piece of music, he/she must scan it, check out the key signature, the tempo, know the notes, and look for parts that you can and cannot play (like tricky time signature changes and repeats) for this will help you see what you can work on. You can also do this by playing the piece or sight reading it.
ReplyDeleteThe conductor's job when he/she recieves a new piece of music is to know it well enough to know what it sounds like so he/she can help the musicians out with the new piece. He/she needs to know the tempo, the time signature like the musician, the style of the music for more connection to the piece, but he/she also needs to know what parts a certain kind of instrument should be playing. This way the conductor will be able to assist the musician on learning the new piece better, and to help him/her play easier as time progresses.
When I am first handed a new sheet of music I quickly figure out the notes and the fingerings. Sadly I always freak out when getting a new sheet of music. But I am trying harder to improve!
ReplyDeleteBut when a musician is handed a sheet of music they should try to figure out the notes, fingerings, and tempo. And try to work on the parts they cannot do, or they are just not good at.
The role of the conductor is when they recieve a new piece of music, they should scan and make sure they can conduct the piece well enough, that they can help the musicians out-when necessary.
When I am given an unfamiliar piece of music, the first thing I do is look at the name of the composer to see if I am familiar with him or her. Then I look for the tempo, time signature, and style. If the composer was some one I would know then I would have an idea for what the tempo and style of playing would be.Next, I look for the part that looks like 30 notes shoved into 2 bars, or something relative to that. After looking at that, I go to the part where I begin playing and try to imagine what my part should sound like. Though what I should also be doing is trying to play accordingly as Jason said, as I too am one of the 95% that stop playing when I hit the note wrong. Also, I should try to search the piece of music on the net and listen to what my part should sound like, if I am completely lost within the piece.
ReplyDeleteI think when a conductor approaches a new piece of music is to see if the band is capable of playing it in the first place. There is no point in trying to play something that is way out of the band's area of skill/knowledge if the band is not at that area of skill/knowledge in the first place. If the piece is passed, next, the conductor should read over the music, and be fully aware of what the tempo is, what the dynamics are at when and where, what the key signature is, and who comes and goes when and where. However in that process, the conductor may also take note of areas that sound/look misleading.
Of course in both musician and conductor, it is their individual job to look over their parts and know what is going on when and where, similar that to a play or movie script. You have to know what you are going to do in certain scenes, for instance, your not going to shout in joy, when the scene is suppose to be a sad moment.
I think that when both a conductor and musician is presented with a new piece, they should look into the context in which the piece was made in order for them to both create a correct and acceptable interpretation of the piece. Both the conductor and musician should look over the piece of music and look for areas where potential problems may arise. For the musician, this is important as it helps them mentally prepare for that particular part of the piece when they approach that section. For the conductor, it's important as then he/she would then be able to spot the problem as it arises since he/she knows exactly where the problematic areas are. This cuts down on the "waste" of rehearsal time.
ReplyDeleteWhen presented with a new piece of music
ReplyDeleteA musician should read through the whole piece slowly -not playing- and find all the tricks and twists in the music. While playing a piece of music for the first time a musician should try to get a feel for the basic sound and message of the piece by trying to hit all the notes -not nessasarely perfect- and playing in -or close to-in tempo. This is important because if you have the basic tune of the piece it's easier to improve the notes themselves because you can see where they fit in.
As the conductor you should make everyone read through the piece then you should point out any spots that you know could cause some difficulty. Then make sure everyone knows what kind of piece this is and what style or dynamic they have to play. Also in the first rehersal a conductor should slow down the tempo so that everyone can get a feel for the piece. Then after that point out some parts where someone(or everyone) had difficulty and work on them once or twice. then finish by playing it once at tempo or almost there.
You as in your self - when you are first handed in a new piece, you should go over the material that is written on the piece. You should read it over and look at some of the parts, and reading the notes carefully so when your playing your instrument, you know how to play the notes really well. And that you should understnd the words that there are on the pice. Sometimes you would see little french/spanish words in some of the notes, you must know or at lease understand that word, so incase Mr. Reid would ask someone what would this or that say, you can be able to answer it right.
ReplyDeleteYou can aslo take the piece home and maybe practice it and go over some key point tin the piece, that away when you get back to school and the conductor tells you to take out the nw piece that was handed to you, you will know how to play the notes and everyting else well , and that it won't be as hard as it looks.
Conductor should do, when approaching a new piece as well is that...
they should do the same as a the player who's playing the piece, but look over it many times. They would be playing the piece, there just going to conduct and they have to know how each note works. When they're looking at the new pice they must absolutely know how the wave with gester goes with the stick in there hand, and bthey have to look at each note, because it tells you how the rythm of the song goes and and the sounds. Its important for the conductor to understand, but if they don't, then there going to get all confuse and make many mistakes when performing.
Whenever I get handed in a new piece, I usually look over at the notes first and then playb beacause it helps me to take time into knowing how the piece should sound like and the tempo too. What I also do is to look for any dynamics, just to get me into playing better.
ReplyDeleteWhat should the conductor do is pretty much the same like how fast/slow the tempo is, looking for the dynamics, and etc. But, sometimes the conductor may change around for a bit just to make the piece much better than the original.
When first given a new piece of music, make note of the time and key signiatures. Also, check for italian terms (or instructions in Grainger's pieces) as to know how to play the piece according to the composer's intentions. Check for fermati, repeats, and other unusual markings so you know it's coming. Make notes of solos or more difficult sections, and pay attention to dynamics. Above all else, when playing for the first time, keep up the tempo! Notes are not the most important thing, rhythm is.
ReplyDeleteA conductor would do the same thing as the musician, but on a larger scale. They would also look at the rhythms between parts to determine the melodies and harmonies. They would look for colour changes in the piece and would find ways to communicate it to the musicians through body language.
When first given a new piece, I check the key signature for any flats of sharps that will appear so I can ready for them by checking the fingerings if I have to. I also look for any repeats so that I won't get confused when im playing the next part while everyone else is playing the same section again.
ReplyDeleteThe conductor should look over the piece a few times and note any time signature changes or any unusual parts to the piece. He or she should also be able to understand and know what the composer is saying or leaning towards in a piece.
When I get a new piece of music the first thing I look at is the key signature to check are they any flats or sharps, then I look at any challenging parts in it. Then I do a overall look over it and dynamics and then the tempo.
ReplyDeleteI think when a conductor gets a new piece they do mostly the same thing, but they look more carefully and they look and see where they might have to cue a section, and where which parts of the band has the melody.
When a musician is presented with a new piece it is his/her job to prepare their own parts and practice more technical aspects of it such as key and time signature, articulations, rhythm, and style, and circle any problem areas where they need to work on or get help on.
ReplyDeleteWhen a conductor is presented with a new piece it is his/her job to go through and study the piece as much as possible, such as what the tempo and style is, which instruments come in where etc, any solos, key changes etc. It would also help if the conductor did some background research on the origin and the history of the piece and composer to learn about the particular style and share this information with the musicians.
Together, approaching a new piece both the conductor and the musicians learn the piece together, face and overcoming challenges together, and gradually the piece "grows" on them.
When a musician receives a new piece of music, it is their job to scan the part, making notes of key signatures, time signatures, dynamics, tempo, accidentals, repeat signs and the like. The musician should also circle parts of the piece where they think that they might forget to do something, such as switching clefs, and also the parts that need improvement that will be worked on at home. It is also both the musicians and conductors job to know who is playing when, and to get a feel for the music.
ReplyDeleteWhen a conductor approaches a new piece of music, they should look over the music like the musician, but also be aware of the various cues that they may need to do. They should also see if the piece of music is appropriate for the level of the band - is it too difficult, or too easy? The conductor should also note the style of music, and incorporate it into their conducting.
When a musician recieves a new piece, they should scan over the key signature, time signature, dynamics and any parts that they may find challenging.
ReplyDeleteWhen a conductor recieves a new piece, they should try to understand form what time the piece came from, and how to be able to explain that the musicians. They should also scan over the piece and make sure they are aware of any changes of time signature, key signature etc...
When given a new piece to work on, I usually start by playing a scale that has the same key signature, so I can get used to using notes. As well, I would skim through the song to look for any cue, solos, accidentals, key changes, repeats and tempo markings. Then I would play it to see how my part sound might like but focusing on more rhythm and not worrying too much about the notes. If there are any difficult fingerings or sometimes notes that are hard or seemingly impossible hit, I would ask others or look on the internet to find ways to play it. After playing and repeating sections that require more attention, I would make a few notes down.
ReplyDeleteWhen a conductor is starting a new piece, I think the conductor should look at the score for any key changes, repeats and tempo markings just like any other musician should. Perhaps, if the time signature is unfamiliar they should practice conducting. They would also listen to a few recordings of the piece and following it with their scores while make notes. Lastly before playing the piece, a conductor should look through to see for any mistake or misprints. Both conductor and musician when playing the piece for the first few times, should find out what kind of styles and emotions the composer expressed in his composition by being express to the best of their abilities through their instruments or using their body movements.
What I do (or should) is to look through the music, to identify all the technical stuff, key sig, time sig, etc. Then I would (or should) figure out the hard parts or where the melody is to see where to come out or not, or in other words figure out my role in the music. I think a conductor should do exactly what I do (or should do), but with all the instruments and complications, (cueing, conducting, chords/tuning, etc), the conductor should prepare before handing out the music. The conductor should start either start slow or at regular tempo depending on the song chosen.
ReplyDeleteWhen a playing musician is handed a piece of music they should look over the basic things (tempo, notes, dynamics, key signature) and then play as best as they can. One should listen to others in order to sort of learn how the piece is going to play out.
ReplyDeleteWhen a conductor is looking over a piece of music they should notice the basics as well as spots where they are going to need to guide the musicians through. So as you can see the musicians need to play through as best they can so the conductor guide them through and the conductor needs to guide the musicians through so that they can play better.
When approaching a new piece of music, I check:
ReplyDelete-key signature
-time signature
-notes I don't know the fingerings to
-the stuff that looks really dark (like, the clumps of notes that are like, triplet-thrity-second notes, or something
-italian terms that I don't know
-rhythms that I don't know
-repeat signs
-etc.
Of course, this isn't all on the first day. Most of this stuff I look over after I plow through it in my head first. After the first/second practice, I start to pay more attention to these:
-dynamics and articulations
-key signature/time signature CHANGE
-style
-etc.
The conductor has to do oh-so-much more. First, scanning the music through for:
-key signatures
-time signatures
-key and time signature CHANGES
-etc.
Which is basically what everybody should do when first handed a piece of music. But the conductor also has to look for:
-chords
-how parts fit in (i.e. echoing, hemiola, etc.)
-cues
-If you know the band well, the strengths and the weaknesses of the band that could affect the way the music is played
-level of difficulty for the band
-STYLE, STYLE, STYLE! (Italian terms, era of music, etc.)
-background info on the composer (links directly to style! Sousa, Grainger, Debussy, etc.)
So, as the conductor, not only does he/she have to do so much more, if, like Mr. Reid, is a band TEACHER, it would probably be wise to run through each part to know what fingerings/positions to play on what instrument.
Since both performers and conductors are musicians, they should both look at the music as a musician. It would also be wise to develop a certain bond and attachment to the piece, so you actually FEEL how it's supposed to sound, what it's supposed to express. Feel what the composer is trying to say through their music.
I think if I’m handed a new piece of music, I would quickly figure out the notes and look at the time signature. I will start to finger the notes on my instrument. I’ll scan the notes to see which type of notes appear.
ReplyDeleteI think if a conductor approaches a new piece of music, they would again look at the time signature. The conductor will scan the notes and figure out the right tempo and beat.
When handed a new piece of music, the very first thing that should be done is to look through the music and figure out the structure of the piece (repeats, coda, etc), find the odd thing (accidentals, key changes, cues, time changes, tricky passages, etc), and guess the style based off the composer (if known) and/or by looking at the music. As others said, both musician and conductor should approach it with confidence despite mistakes they may make. While playing, both parties should be very aware of the sounds around them and ready to absorb the new music. When outside of playing, they should research the piece, e.g. lookup the composer’s style, listen to a recording, learn the history, and understand the context of the music.
ReplyDeleteMusician
ReplyDeleteWhen a musician is first handed a piece of music, they should check for the key, and time signature, and the dynamics. As well, they should take notice for any changes in key signatures, at different places of the song. As well, they should check for notes that they are not familiar with, and get it figured out.
Constructor
When a constructor first lay their hands on a piece of new music, they should become familiar with the time signature, so that they would be able to conduct it, at the right timing. They should know when which sections should come in at. As well, a conductor should become familiar to the dynamics of the song.
When handed a new piece of music, the musician should look for key signature, rhythm, and playing style. Then, the notes should be looked at, along with dynamic markings, and any parts that are hard to play should be noted for further practice.
ReplyDeleteThe conductor should understand approximately how the song sounds when given a new piece of music. Anything important, such as solos, should be noted so that they happen at the right time.
When a musician gets a new piece of music, they should look for the key signature, changes to time signature, tempo, tricky parts, phrases and the style that the piece is in.
ReplyDeleteThe conductor should look for any important parts that need cues and should know the style and any changes to tempo. They should also know where the tricky parts are in a piece so they can address it.
musician
ReplyDelete-look for rythm
-look for style/background
-look for hard parts parts to study
-look for key/time signature
-look for unnormal signs like fematas, repeats, and GP
-look for dynamics
conductor
-learn the music as much as possible
-teach people newthings that not everyone would know
-look for parts you may need to cue
-look for how things all tie together
-more or less anything a musician would have to do
New music should be a "learning experience" for everyone that is participating. It is time to try new stuff, and be able to play together as a group. It should also be "fun".
sorry for the late post. Haven't been on the computer long enough to post.
ReplyDeleteWhen any of us get a new piece, we usually tend to look at the notes and look at the rhythm, followed with a lot of chatter about how this piece is going to be hard. Don't you agree?
Getting a new piece a musician should look for
rhythm patterns or they find the main melody.
We often struggle playing it for the first time but when we play we should watch the conductor, keeping time and sight-read at the same time.
It's all up to you to figure out the rest.
As for the conductor, He/She should also look for the main melody and watching to see if each section is keeping time. Conductors play an important role by showing the ensemble the correct timing. Working bit by bit with each section's melody is a helpful strategy in playing a new piece.
The key thing is eye contact and silent communication. Without it, playing any piece would be...... (you know what to put.)
I TYPED A HUGE THING AND PRESSED SEND BUT IT FAILED.
ReplyDeleteSO.
HERE:
What I do:
I follow the basic things when I get a new piece, such as checking the tempo, time, etc; etc;
I also have a habit, of taking a pencil and circling the key signature and all the accidentals. After that, I like, well, say for example that the piece has Ebs and Bbs, then I go circle all the Es and Bs, because usually my brain won't register until 3 bars later, that, "Hey! That was supposed to be a sharp!!"
Yes, I kind of fail.
I also, if I have time, and/or are REALLY bored on the internet, search up (using my bff, YouTube) a piece I'm having trouble with. (See: Chaos Theory's bass part.)
That way, I can watch/hear/see my part. (Which doesn't happen with the example, but yeah.)
Conductor:
Besides the main things, like, noting "Hey, this is at 102bmp" or whatever, they should also note like, "Hey, 20000 other players come in here, maybe I should cue that." (Hint, I like cues.)
This was way longer before, but I hate typing on Cheryl's laptop so much, and what I wrote before was like, double this in length.
):
- Dr.
When I get a new piece of music I look for the key signature and, notes or rhythms that may be difficult to play.
ReplyDeleteI think that the conductor should look for the tempo, time signature and when different parts come in.
When I get a new piece of music, I try and get the tempo's down. I usually start by skimming the music looking for any difficult areas that catches my sight. I think it's important to mark down the challenging parts so when you practice at home, you’re not just going over things you can already do but the more difficult parts. I think that once you know and understand how to play the music, you should then focus more on the articulations. When I get a new piece of music, I always try to note down what a conductor says about the music. For example I would take note on the time period or the style of music. But, in order to do this, the conductor must do their research for the piece. Like Mr. Reid was mentioning during Wednesday’s class, it’s very important to research pieces before playing them. Although I don’t think it’s the conductor’s job to look up the background information on new pieces. I think it’s also our responsibility to take charge and study our music so we have some understanding on how it’s supposed to be played.
ReplyDeleteWhen handded a new piece, the main objective is to learn the technical aspect. Interpretating it will come later and you dont know exactly what the conducter wants from you yet. You need to have the flexibility to transfer your previouse knowledge as a musician into the new piece you're given. As soon as you get the technique, then you can figure out your own interpritation and nail down how the conducter wants it to be played. This leads into what a conducter should do. In someways it's almost the same process they just need to be able to do it before confronting the band. The conducteur needs to learn the piece to their best ability. Then thay can figure out the way they want it to be interpritated. The conducteur needs to know and figure out the direction they want the piece to go into. Without that they are unable to lead the band during those first few rhersals. Finally, i think the last key step is working together. You have to have the connection becaus i think it can define the futur of the piece.
ReplyDelete-Emily McBa
When handed a new piece of music, the conductor and the performing musician should do a lot of the same things in preparation to play it.
ReplyDelete-Find out the name of the composer and arranger
-Determine what time period the music is from
-Determine the cultural background of the music
-Brief research of all of the above
After that, comes the more technical overviewing of the piece.
-Determine key signature, time, any dynamics
-Review all italian terms listed in the piece, if you are unfamiliar with any of them
-Determine if any of the former change throughout the piece, and mark that in so you're already aware of it.
I find that listening to the piece once or twice is also very beneficial before playing, and a couple times again after having sight-read it.
This is not to say that I do all of this, but if I had the time and patience, and perhaps in the future (now that I've thought about it), this is what I would do.
I may be wrong but I think the process for the conductor and the performer should be very similar when faced with a new piece of music, At first glance, as others have said, the conductor and performers alike take in the obvious technical aspects of the music (key signature, time signature, dynamics, etc.) While doing this, if possible, it is useful to imagine what the piece should sound like (or even better, listen to a recording if available). Then look at parts that may be difficult (tricky rhythms, cues, dynamics, etc.) and look up any terminology that you understand! This may be the time to research the composer and background of the song, or maybe you should do that earlier. I don't really know. Later, after mastering the technical aspects, it's time to focus on expression. Ideally, this should be considered during the whole process, but it's hard to add expression when you don't really know what you're doing. So that's the condensed form of making a new piece performance-ready...I'm sure I left out a billion things, many of which I don't even know that I'm supposed to do when I get a new piece...but I'm kind of new to band :)
ReplyDeletewhen handed a new piece, my main goal is to make sure i know the time signature and the key signature. i also take note of any changes to the tempo and accidentals along the way. after just receiving the piece I'm still unsure of most things about the piece so playing the piece perfectly is not my main objective. I'll look for the more difficult sections of the piece and try and work those out first. playing through the whole piece even though I'm still unsure about some parts is better for me so it's easier to weed out the parts that I'm not playing correctly rather than not playing at all and still being unsure if it is correct or not.
ReplyDeleteFor the conductor they should look for the same things as the musician when looking at a new piece . The conductor should take note of the important parts and find out which instrument is playing the melody or harmony , so they can give the musicians a better understanding as to how the piece should sound.
When handed a new peice of music the first thing I do is look for key signatures, time signatures and accidentals. Then write in any notes I'm not sure of. The conductor should do alot of the same stuff but should also go over the score and difficult parts people may have trouble with or time signatures that they don't usually play.
ReplyDeleteWhen first handed a new piece of music, normally I would look at what style the music is played in, the tempo, and the key signature.
ReplyDeleteThe conductors really have to focus on the style because that really decides a great song from a mediocre one.
When receiving a new piece of music you should look/read over the piece of music. During the first few times you practice/rehearse the piece, you should take note of the…
ReplyDelete- time signature/key signature
- notice whether it is a major/minor key, to figure out the accidentals in the piece
- tempo, read and understand the Italian terms
- figure out how to play hard rhythms, passages, and notes
- repeats signs, if there is a coda or del segno signs
- type of style it is played in (e.g. legato, march etc.)
- dynamics and articulations
- colour changes (e.g. changing key signature)
When filling in the shoes of a conductor, you would have much more responsibilities compared to a musician. Along with looking at the things you would if you were a musician, a conducter must also take note of…
- cues
- chords
- how the different parts fit in with each other (e.g. the thread, the melody, the harmony etc.)
The conductor must especially be aware of the style the music should be played as. For example if the band was playing RAF March Past, you would want the notes to be staccato and short since it is a march as the name indicated. You wouldn’t want to be dragging either; you would want a more forward motion. Though the band is playing the style, the conductor is to show the style by using a baton, their eyes and hand movements/gestures.
When I get new music that I don't know of, I usually check the tempo and rhythm that can make me familiar with the music. Then, I check the key signature that includes high notes or eighth notes in a row that I feel like I need to practice at home.
ReplyDeleteWhen the conductor gets the new music, he/she needs to make marks that which part, which instruments come in. Also, he/she needs to choose the tempo and keep that tempo through all parts.
Whenever i get a piece of new music. i have to mentally, wipe away everything that's going on in my head to start with a clean slate for the piece (so that I can absorb as much as I can about the new piece). Something that i think isnt the greatest thing for me to do is that i focus on getting the notes right. I sort of understand why i do that though. With all our familiar pieces, I rely alot on how it sounds, and from there, I can make it more expressive or whatever when I have the basics (which to me are the notes). Maybe I do this because I can be a little bit of a perfectionist at times.
ReplyDeleteWhat conductors should do is a little research about the piece; the history, the style. They shouldn't really start with a clean slate like the rest of us at first, but they should find a balance b/w drawing out skills from previous conducting and be able to observe and remember how the band reacts to the piece, so that they can help them in their getting to know the piece.
When I first get handed a new piece of music I check for one thing, S.T.A.R.S. which stand for Sharps or flats. Time signature. Accidentals. Rhythms. and Signs. The sharps and falts is in other names the key signature. The rhythms could be and anything from and completely new rhythm or notes that are new. Then signs are the dynamic, articulations signs aswell as repeats and endings signs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a conductor should do when he/she starts conducting a new pieces is look throught to see is there is any spesific parts he/she thinks will need extar work. Also meybe do a background check on the piece to have some info on it to share with the band.
what i think people should do once they get their music is what they want to do. If a musician was determined to do their very best i think they would look through our the piece of music.Like reading a book the musician should search for things that they don't understand about the piece.Once done with the unknown things we should look at the structure of the piece and how we ourselves as musicians think we should should play it. Then we get to the fundamentals, the things that every musician should look at for example key signature, dynamics, colour changes and accents. i think that once we've finished searching we should be pretty well off. O_o!!
ReplyDeleteI think the first thing to do when you're handed a piece of music is to give it a once over for key signature, key changes, tempo changes, time changes, difficlut passages, dynamics, etc. Things that will make it a lot easier to sight read (if you're in an ensemble setting) or when you play it at home. Listening to a recording is sometimes a good idea, although as soon as you hear something, how you play the piece will be influenced by the recording; compared to just reading it and finding out what it sounds like.
ReplyDeleteA conductor has perhaps a harder job when they first get a score. Looking it over, but also reading it in detail is important. Practicing conducting, perhaps playing through different parts on piano, singing, or another instrument are helpful. Listenging to a recordinig is important for a conductor.
Most importantly the conductor should decide what style, emotion, tone, etc. they want to be present in the piece. Communicating these to the musicians who have just recieved the piece is really important, and should not be put off until the piece has been rehearsed often; by then, what the musicians have practiced will be engrained and hard to shake off.