one thing on my mind

Today I'm working up a heavy Classical program for next week: Beethoven first symphony, Mozart Symphony 40, Larsson trombone concerto (very classical in writing), and a lot of single movements from things like Marriage of Figaro, Mozart first symphony, a Leopold Mozart work, ..... you get the idea.  A heap of notes and strokes to obsess about.

So I find myself coming back to this one lesson I had with Jeff Turner where I felt like EVERYTHING was a problem.  I began the lesson by telling him I felt that way, which wasn't much guidance or a very specific question.  Before I even played he asked me to think about a few basic things:
1. is the string coming down to the fingerboard?
2. is the hair flat to the string?
3. is the bow travelling straight?

Those simple questions cleared up 90% of the issues I was having.  I had just allowed some sloppy technique to creep in, and without realizing it was there, was trying to figure out some higher level math equation about why my sound was inconsistent and rather, um, .... less-than-stellar.

So today I was thinking about those basics, and how, when you're preparing a ton of music, you sometimes need to pick one battle to fight.  Not all of them at once.  So today is: clean attacks.  I find in Classical era music, we need bright, crisp attacks that start from the string.  Not always easy to execute, given the very fast tempo of Mozart 40's last movement.  I'm scrolling through the simple questions Jeff gave me, then just keeping "clean attacks" as a koan for the whole practice. When thinking about attacks, it's partly the set of your right hand - firm but not death-grip.  I generally advise "strawberry picking fingers" for how loose to hold the bow, but in the case of quick tempo and crisp starts (that will then become spiccato), a firmer set in necessary.

When we play our annual run of Nutcracker here, it's a long week of double performances every day, and I use an idea like this to keep my mind in the game and keep myself playing well.  I might make one show all about string crossings, another about width in my shoulders, etc.

happy practicing!
Gaelen

A new project!

Today marks the start of the most tangible part of a new project I've undertaken: to videotape (ok, there's no tape anymore, but videorecord sounds too geeky) all of the Simandl 30 Etudes.  During the month of January.  And to add commentary and close-up demonstrations of the technical ideas presented in these etudes.  Basically, a mini-lesson on each one.  I'm hoping to put them up, as I finish editing them, to YouTube and ultimately to a website to help support and motivate bass players who may not be getting weekly instruction.  I am lucky to work with a few adult "amateurs" who are amazing bass players.  They inspired me to think about how I could support folks like them in the weeks in between our lessons.  It just isn't possible for most of them to come weekly, what with careers in full swing, families growing, grandkids arriving, on and on.  But most of them DO make time for daily practice, despite all that.  And all of them are computer savvy.

I've been preparing myself to make these video recordings (there, I said it) for about 2 weeks now, and it's funny how super-critical I've become about my playing during that time.  At this point in my own practice, these particular etudes aren't that challenging, and I like to cruise through this book a few times a year to touch base with the technical ideas presented.  But they are usually easy for me to iron out so I don't linger with this book.   However, I do teach this book a lot.  I mean, A LOT!  It's great for people who have the neck positions learned and are ready to start putting all of that knowledge to use, above and beyond short solo playing.  The register stays below thumb position, so it really focuses your ears and technique on the orchestral range.

So what's the big deal?  I guess just that knowing I would be putting these out there for everyone to see/hear/comment on has pushed a lot of buttons about whether the playing will be "good enough" (for me? for you? for the other bass players who stumble in for a peek?).  Once I start to settle back from that, though, it also just pushes me (in a good way) to really aim for my best sound, accuracy of pitch, cleanness of bow strokes  -- you know, the fundamentals we are always working on.  And it amazes me how detailed you can get about whether the last take you recorded was really "good enough".  There's always one more thing that could be a little cleaner.

If you haven't worked on these before, I highly recommend them!  I did find a place that has them available as a free download, but.... Carl Fischer publishes them, and they're not expensive, and... they're also publishing my book of bowing etudes coming out next month.  So please support them and spend a few bucks on your own copy!  http://www.amazon.com/Etudes-String-Bass-Franz-Simandl/dp/0825829313

Happy practicing!

Gaelen