[Trombone-l] Clams

[David W. Buckley]

Alain Trudel in a clinic was working with a young player who had a problem
with a litle bit. They perfected it slowly then he asked her to do it 100
times!!! She was aghast but eventually did it. it only took maybe 5 minutes
and by the time she was finished there was no way she would ever have a
problem with that bit again. We all know this of course but ignore it often
in our rush or our wishful thinking that we'll get it tomorrow.

I guess I better try practicing this way for the high C that the 1st
trombone enters on at ff in Beethoven 6 after sitting for close to 30
minutes. Way easier to do on my 88h than on the alto but unfortunately not
the right timbre for Beethoven. Need to have it nailed for the 1st rehearsal
next wednesday.

Dave Buckley.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Kemp" <trbnplyr at bellsouth.net>
To: "'Trb. List'" <trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 9:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Clams


> Tim,
> You've brought up a really intriguing point here. I see it all the
> time where even many of the professionals (that being defined by getting
> paid for playing) have allowed their standards to become too low. Basic
> things go by time after time, and they're simply not fixed. It's as if
they
> didn't practice, or perhaps they really don't know how to practice, which
I
> am coming to believe to be more common than what we're willing to admit.
>
> Just yesterday I had a conversation with a very young musician (12-13
years
> old, it was rather one sided, she basically listened) and I believed she
was
> amazed at how I could describe her musical dilemma, and didn't hear her
play
> one note. She hasn't a clue on how to practice, therefore when she does
put
> in time she encounters a high degree of frustration. Her eyes lit up when
I
> told her that if she would really learn how to practice, the amount of
time
> it took to learn something could literally be cut in half.
>
> I've even seen this in professional players. I may be wrong on this, but
> this may be related to an attitude that I see that many people think that
> once they get their degree, they believe they've learned everything there
is
> to know about that particular subject. I really believe that musicians in
> particular need to be involved in a non-musical activity that also
requires
> a high degree of skill to do well. I know this: after taking 6 lessons
from
> Phil Hunt in pool, I became a much better music teacher. His main point:
Are
> you repeatable? Can you play anything and get consistent results 10 times
in
> a row in terms of sound & pitch? Time and Rhythm? Articulation?
> Incidentally, you just might have to deal with each of these issues
> individually. You will probably have to slow things down to 1/2 or 1/3 of
> the intended speed, and gradually work past the indicated tempo so that
the
> indicated tempo is effortless.
>
> Paul Kemp
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: trombone-l-bounces at maillists.samford.edu
> [mailto:trombone-l-bounces at maillists.samford.edu] On Behalf Of Richardson,
> Timothy Mr. DAC USAG Franconia DPW
> Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 1:27 AM
> To: Robert Holland; Trb. List
> Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Clams
>
> Agree about making music, but I think accepting clams is simply setting
our
> standards too low.
>
> Except when we're pushing the envelope on some really technical stuff, we
> should have the discipline to put in the work necessary not to clam.
>
> Clams on the easy stuff are from not paying attention, and that is
> unprofessional when performing.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Holland [mailto:briar at rcn.com]
> Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 04:29
> To: Trb. List
> Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Clams
>
> Bill Dinwiddie wrote:
>
> > I think it's important to remember that even Mendez and  Andre made
> > mistakes. The energy of their performances, however, made their clams
> > almost inaudible.
>
> This is the first message on this thread that even makes a gesture toward
> making music, as opposed to playing notes. Critics fall into this trap all
> the time: counting notes. Musicians do it even more. I'll grant anybody a
> few missed notes if they play music. I'll yawn all night listening to
> technicians, however impressive it is to have no clams.
>
> Robert Holland, Publisher
> Briar Music Press
> briar at rcn.com
> www.briarmusic.com
>
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