Factors in the Preparation of a Recital or Performance
by
GENERAL
DESCRIPTIONS
I.
Inspiration/Will to Practice
The will to practice, if great enough, can overcome deficiencies in any other
factor in the preparation of a recital or performance.
II.
Fundamentals
Good command of the
fundamentals gives mastery and confidence to the performer. Confidence is one of
the elements of good mental health needed for an outstanding performance.
III.
Performance Experience
Anything
familiar is more comfortable than the unfamiliar. Since reproducing the
‘pressure’ of performing in the precise performance environment is
impossible, it is necessary to take advantage of every performance opportunity
that presents itself.
IV.
Recording/Listening
Critical
listening is absolutely essential. To listen objectively and critically on a
regular basis can serve three purposes: to help determine which areas need
refining, to indicate improvement, and to encourage further practice.
V.
Listening to Masters
It
is necessary to have the proper concept of an excellent performance. Spoken
language is limited in its descriptive capabilities. Hearing a performance of
the highest quality can often describe the desired result better than words
alone.
No
matter how difficult a passage may be, it is distracting if it sounds difficult.
Many of the most memorable performances are by individuals or groups that
perform with apparent ease the literature or passages that are known to be
difficult.
VI.
Mental/Physical Health
Mental
health in the form of confidence can be fostered through successful practices
and performances. The mental skills described in The
Inner Game of Music by Barry Green can be a tremendous help to anyone in any
performance field.
Whether
the performance in question is for an audience or for a scholastic exam, the
absence of physical stress increases the quality of the performance. Rest is
very important in the preparation and execution of a quality performance.
Remember
that the familiar is better than the unfamiliar.
Through recording and
critical listening, familiarity
is given at least to the awareness of strong and weak areas.
PERSONAL
APPLICATIONS
These are some specific things that were used in preparation for my own
performance on November 15, 1993. My senior trumpet recital consisted of the following: Concerto
in Re by G.Tartini, Prayer of
St.Gregory by
I. Inspiration/Will to Practice
I
set high expectations for myself. High expectations encourage me to practice to
be the best player I can be. High standards may be the most important facet of
the entire preparation process.
One of the reasons I wanted to
have a fine performance is that I received the Mae Whipple scholarship. I knew
the fine company of music majors that I became a part of upon the presentation
of that scholarship. My philosophy was that if I had a good recital, the
scholarship would be as much an honor for future recipients as it was for me.
I
was very proud to be in the company of someone I had looked up to as a freshman
in 1986 — my section leader Doug Lockard, a former scholarship recipient.
I
fell in love with the Tartini the first time I heard Doug play it in the spring
of 1987. I had grown up hearing Mr. Kramer play Carnival of Venice and always dreamed of performing it. When I was
working on my math degree, Mr. Kramer asked me when I was going to do what I
really wanted to do. I felt that with the sentimental selections of the Tartini
and Arban, both signature pieces of Mr Kramer, I was finally doing what I
always wanted to do. Mr. Kramer also helped me correct a distorted embouchure,
and for that I will be forever grateful.
I was also motivated to
practice because I had invited literally hundreds of people to my recital and
wanted to put on a “good show” to many people that don’t frequent the fine
arts building. One person that accepted the invitation was my high school band
director Neal Sutton. Neal lived over five hours away and was going to fly in
for the performance, so I certainly didn’t want to ruin the trip for him by
not preparing.
Finally, I was encouraged to
practice because I had an excellent performance model in Dr. James Buckner.
Dr.
Buckner was my trumpet instructor that had two wonderfully critical ears and
two-hundred analogies for each of my dozens of trumpeting shortcomings. The
motivation to practice became greater every day, because the prescriptions Dr.
Buckner gave me produced immediate results. Improvement and success are
wonderful motivators.
II. Fundamentals
Dr. Buckner said many times,
“It’s just like lifting weights.” If you consider the job that the muscles
in your face have to do, that statement is perfect. The Arban flexibility
exercises (p. 42-43) are like push-ups or bench presses—absolutely essential
to every “work-out.” The Arban interval studies (p. 125-131), tonguing
studies (p. 155-190), and slurs (p. 39-41) are fundamentals that cover almost
any situation you can encounter. Doesn’t it make sense that any passage is
made up of small or large intervals, either tongued or slurred?
Dr. Buckner also showed me how to slow down fast passages and how to properly use the metronome for overlearning. The rehearsal of passages that are to be tongued quickly may be one of the most significant learning experiences in my private lesson history. When you practice the quickly tongued passages slowly, the notes are long and connected. The notes will ultimately be perceived as short due to the tempo. I can now look at fast sixteenth note passages and think about playing them as long as possible, but tongued very clearly. This concept helps to reinforce the constant flow of air that is required for clarity of the fast passage. This may seem like perfect logic, but it was a concept that I didn’t fully understand until Dr. Buckner conveyed it to me through his descriptions and excellent playing demonstrations. Dr. Buckner mentioned in my lessons that a teacher of his [Clifford Lillya and Vincent Cichowicz] had told him to ignore the ‘dots’ over a series of sixteenths. This is the same concept of fast tonguing just described. Dots or staccato indicators sometimes cause players to use the ‘tut’ syllable rather than the ‘tah’ syllable. When ‘tut’ is used, not only does the line not sound characteristic, the tongue is having to work twice as hard and the passage will sound difficult and frustrating. (Of course, the ‘tut’ syllable in certain musical contexts may be exactly what is desired.)
III. Performance
Experience
I was lucky enough to have performed in many situations such as big
bands, jazz combos, marching bands, concert bands, orchestras, weddings, church
services, and variety shows. These experiences over the years contribute to the
quality of every performance. I had taken a sabbatical of sorts from the
performing ensembles I was involved in during the semester of my recital. There
was a particular “hunger” to perform by the time November 15 came around.
IV. Recording/Listening
The process of recording and listening to yourself or the ensemble you
are associated with is so valuable that it must be included as one of the
factors in preparing for a performance. My recital was on a Monday night, so I
decided to record myself each Monday night for each of the four weeks prior to
the performance. I was able to objectively hear and listen to many of the things
that Dr. Buckner was describing to me. Hearing yourself will reinforce greatly
what a private instructor or adjudicator may describe.
V. Listening to Masters
There are many fine recordings of the pieces I performed at the recital.
Some of these recordings actually helped in the selection process. The recording
of Maurice Andre playing the Arutunian Concerto helped me understand the work, and I have embraced that
piece ever since.
I think that hearing and meeting Doc Severinson also encouraged me to
have a fine recital. I believe that Doc is a fantastic performer and seeing him
greatly contributed to my concept of stage presence. I admit that another
individual with extraordinary performing skills is Michael Jackson. Michael will
always have his critics, but someone would have to be blind not to realize that
he can take control of any stage. I watched Michael in a three-hour concert the
morning of my recital in hopes that as a performer, I might absorb some degree
of confidence and control.
VI.
Mental/Physical Health
After only a couple of chapters of The
Inner Game of Music, I noticed a difference in my concentration and playing.
I was able to grasp the concepts offered in the book, and Dr. Buckner would
often employ ‘Inner Game’ techniques in my lessons without me realizing it.
I was especially dedicated the four weeks prior to the performance.
I
made myself go to bed at 10PM every night for that month. When you consider that
I lived in a fraternity house that semester, you begin to realize that I believe
strongly in being fully rested will contribute greatly to a performance.
CLOSING:
I
want to add that by no means was my recital flawless. I had several ‘flukes’
that cropped up that I had never missed before, and I believe you have to expect
flukes and let them roll off you when they occur. I listen to the tape of my
performance and wish I could do it again to try to correct the things I missed.
There are things that I can perform with much greater ease than I could then,
and I will always be in search of that perfect performance that few ever
achieve.
I would like to thank the teachers that have contributed to my musical
experience including James Coffman, Neal Sutton, Mr. Evanson, Mr. Kramer, Mr.
Rollins, Mr. Dimond, Dr. Branstine, Dr. McAfee, Dr. Hesse, Dr. Etienne, Mr.
Chase, Dr. Sommer, and the Ryes. The faculty at Henderson is without question
the best anywhere.
Thanks especially to Dr. James Buckner for pointing me to good equipment
to play on and giving me a good shove down that very long road of constant
self-improvement that musicians travel.
Hopefully it can be seen from my personal experiences that the
preparation of a recital or performance can be represented by the diagram
showing a number of contributing factors. It is my hope that others can simply
relate to the figure, its descriptions, or my personal applications of it.
I
realize that some readers may find no new revelation from this article, but in
that instance I hope it can serve as additional reinforcement of good concepts
so that someone may be further convinced or inspired to perform a outstanding
recital.
