Forgotten Favorites - Week Two of Unfinished Business

Welcome to the Main Thread for the second week of "Unfinished Business" practice challenge! 

  1. Choose an piece that you have started to practice but never fully committed to finishing. It could be a an iconic masterpiece, a technical challenge, a sweet little miniature or a piece that you played a long time ago and always wanted to refresh! You're encouraged to experiment with pieces from composers you're not accustomed to or push your boundaries with a technically demanding work. 馃幖
  2. Commit to regular practice and share your journey with the community. Aim to practice daily and upload at least two videos per week to showcase your progress. This will not only aid in keeping you dedicated and motivated but also enables you to share your musical journey with our tonebase family. 馃帴

How is the challenge going for you so far? Are you starting to feel some progress towards your goals? Are there certain passages which are feeling unattainable? Post about them this week and get some help from me and other users! 

17 replies

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    • nora78walz
    • 7 days ago
    • Reported - view

    I've always started at the beginning, which is why things are going quite well. So my plan is to work backwards. There are some figures, especially those guitar-like chords, that I'm always inaccurate with and that were really difficult for me. I've realized that it helps to loosen my finger and blow out fast air. I'll see if that helps. I'm open for any help on this.

    • Donald_Lurye
    • 7 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Just jumping in here.  I've been off for a week!  Gig rehearsals for a modern oratorio (bass) start in a week, and then coming up (A, Bb, C) I have the 2nd part for Symphonie Fantastique.  First step - rehab!  Any suggestions for coming back after a break?  To quote Paderewski, "If I don't practice for a day, I know it.  If I don't practice for two days, other musicians know it.  If I don't practice for three days, everyone knows it."

      • Head of Clarinet
      • Heather
      • 7 days ago
      • Reported - view

       You're not going to like it, but long tones long tones long tones.

      I'm attaching the most straightforward exercise here (you don't need a PDF really, it's just a chromatic scale but sometimes it helps to have something to look at). I'd start doing this with your metronome on 75 or so, and then see if you can work your way down to 60 or 55, one breath per group of 4. 

      Also some good tonguing practice really challenges the embouchure to get fit again, so in the same PDF there's the Langenus.

      Aren't you glad you asked? ;) 

      If you haven't already you could signup for the Clarion register two week intensive which starts on monday, I've got a LOT to get through for that so it'll be a serious boot camp for your chops! 

      • Head of Clarinet
      • Heather
      • 7 days ago
      • Reported - view

       okay now I really am making dinner - nice to see you on the Zoom chat today!

    • Donald_Lurye
    • 5 days ago
    • Reported - view

     thank you!  I'm "back" on bass and this weekend will tackle soprano, including the Langenus exercise.

      • Head of Clarinet
      • Heather
      • 5 days ago
      • Reported - view

       fantastic! it strikes me you could also do the clarion TWI on the bass, that might be perfect if you're struggling a bit with clarion register on that instrument, and I can offer some advice when I hear you!

    • Head of Clarinet
    • Heather
    • 5 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Happy Saturday everyone!

    I feel in some ways I had an easier week this week - partly because I've now recovered from teaching at this summer festival but also because my goal was to just learn the end of the concerto after the cadenza, and it's actually a very short section. But at the same time I've still been making sure to work on the cadenza a little bit each day, as it's still not quite where  want it to be.

    Next week I need to go to the start of the piece - there are nearly four pages of music so I might just try to do the first two next week and then the last page and a half the week following. I'm a little concerned about the next week since I have two concerts next week with different programmes, and including some travel (to Norway! Yay!) so I will really need to work to find the time... 

      • Head of Clarinet
      • Heather
      • 5 days ago
      • Reported - view

      How's it going this week  and ?

    • nancy
    • 3 days ago
    • Reported - view

    I'm not very happy with this but I'm glad I made the video. I have to audition on Friday so it looks like I need to slow it down, be less frantic, lighter, more expressive/use more dynamics. I've been listening to a lot of recordings and really like Martin Frost's. He uses a much lighter touch than many others and surprisingly doesn't go for speed.

      • nora78walz
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Hi Nancy, I really like this. You keep the rhythm and have a really nice tone. I also find this passage quite challenging.

      • nancy
      • 3 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Hi Nora鈥攖hanks for the encouragement. :)

      • Head of Clarinet
      • Heather
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Hi Nancy! Since your audition is coming up very soon here - I don't think it would ruin the piece to add a few more slur two, tongue two moments if you're struggling with coordination when you need to articulate the whole scale. 

       

      I think you bounce more when you're getting stressed - so take a deeeeeeep breath, you're going to be great on Friday! We are all cheering for you :) 

      • nancy
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Hi Heather! Thanks so much for the advice. I will definitely remember to try to relax and also figure out some easier articulations. It's coming along better. :) Two more days to practice...

    • Donald_Lurye
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

     you have a beautiful tone!

      • nancy
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Thanks for that. It will help me relax during the audition. You have a beautiful tone as well!

    • Howard_Lewis
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Donald, 

    How did your playing go un Symphony Fantastique ?

      • Donald_Lurye
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       just starting to practice!  First rehearsal is 8/26, concert in October.

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