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School project, quick questions

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  JaredG 
#1 ·
Hey,
I'm working on a paper for school and was wondering if some of you could answer a few questions. I already posted a similar thread in the "General Forum", but it is a more classical based thesis.

The paper is a "problem-solution" paper. The problem: Keeping a large "standard" repertoire under your fingers, while learning new music.
The solution: Creating a warm up routine that combines the hardest solo and orchestral excerpts, and making it into a concise(15-20min) daily routine.

The whole idea is keeping the hardest passages under our fingers, so when players need to go back and relearn standard repertoire-glasanov, etc- it will take less time to relearn them.

Questions.
1.Does the Solution seem feasible?
2. Do you have problems keeping Repertoire under your fingers, and if so, Why?
3.What are some other issues you encounter being a professional musician?

Thanks,
Jared
 
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#4 ·
To respond to your question directly here is what I do to "keep up" with the repertoire:

To me, it's not about keeping up with past repertoire as it is learning it right the first time. If I learn a piece by practicing it slowly enough that my fingers memorize what to do, and continue to practice slowly even during times when I am performing the piece consistently, I find that I internalize the work better.

Plus, most standard saxophone works are so difficult that to play them accurately and musically requires a level of memorization to the extent that you never really "forget" the difficult passages. Sure there may be some work to do to get them performance ready, but they are never really lost.

I prefer to structure my practice routine around making myself more agile and more familiar with the saxophone. I play exercises that are harder than the music I am playing. I practice overtones a lot so that normal sound production is even easier. I make it so that at anytime I could pick up my saxophone and sound good if I need to. I also sight read a lot, or go back and read through unfamiliar material again in order to keep my mind working.

I hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
I prefer to structure my practice routine around making myself more agile and more familiar with the saxophone. I play exercises that are harder than the music I am playing.
Although I am no professional saxophonist, I've found that by remaining proficent on all scales, arpeggios, thirds, and other intervals (minor thirds, tritones, etc.) you will be a better sight reader and you will not have to "relearn" pattern-based passages that others may struggle with. For example, I started Scaramouche about a year ago, the toughest section at measure 186 was quite easy because I could play an a major scale and arpeggio very quickly. In the same way, the two measures of the Ibert concerto, six measures after rehearsal letter C would not play for one of my talented friends. Knowing minor thirds let me look at the music and play it right away.

Unfortunately, my strategly will not work for many more abstract saxophone works. I'm learning the Dubois concerto right now, and struggling with it a lot because there are few, if any, runs in one key.

To specifically answer your questions:
1. Your solution is very feasible, and by practicing sketchy sections for a small amount of time every day, you will soon master them. Just remember to always use a metronome and to slow the fast passages down to half or even quarter time from time to time, If it isn't clean slow, then it won't be clean fast.
2. I am still in high school, so I haven't built up much of a repertorie to worry about yet. The only problems I've had are with practicing blazingly fast sections over and over again. If I get something is too deep in my muscle memory, it gets sloppy; when this happens, I play the section at a much slower tempo and spend ten or so minutes bringing it back up to tempo, it helps immensley.
3. I'm far from being a professional musician, you probably know more than I do.:)
 
#6 ·
I pretty much entirely agree with Jordan. Learn it right the first time and getting it back down under your fingers should be a piece of cake. It'd take me a day or two of practicing pieces like Klonos or the Albright in order to have them at an acceptable performance-level. This happens to me even moreso with my quartet and pulling off pieces like the Wuorinen Quartet.

Always practice smart and slow. If not, you're better off playing video games!
 
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