So, I don't know if anyone actually reads this. But just in case - my other half has written a song about making the most of your life. We're hoping people will like it enough to download it from Soundcloud, and then donate the price they think it is worth to charity. I've posted details under the video.
You can find it on You Tube if you google "Johnkneem Treasure"
If you like it then please download, donate and pass it on. Thank you x
Hello! I guess you found the "show more" tab -- it's a bit small! If you like this video then please help me raise money to beat cancer. There are 3 things that you can do to help: DOWNLOAD, DONATE, and PASS IT ON.
1. DOWNLOAD the song for free from Soundcloud, no catch, it really is free and only takes a few seconds! Here's the link:
https://soundcloud.com/johnkneemoffic...
2. DONATE to one of the following charities.
Text the appropriate TEBO code, followed by the sum you wish to donate (either £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10), to the number 70070 (note O in TEBO is letter O not zero) OR follow the Justgiving link.
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation: TEBO55 or visithttp://www.justgiving.com/johnkneemRo...
Yorkshire Cancer Centre: TEBO66 or visithttp://www.justgiving.com/johnkneemYo...
Poole Hospital Charity: TEBO77 or visithttp://www.justgiving.com/johnkneemPoole
MacMillan Cancer Support: TEBO88 or visithttp://www.justgiving.com/johnkneemMa...
Cancer Research UK: TEBO99 or visithttp://www.justgiving.com/johnkneemCa...
Example: text TEBO55 £2 to 70070 if you wish to donate £2 to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
All money will go direct to the charity and the tax-man has to give his bit too, so please donate and help me KICK CANCER UP THE ARSE! You can find out more about text giving here:http://www.justgiving.com/en/justtext...
3. PASS IT ON -- please share this video with all your friends/ family/work/facebook/twitter/the world!
Thank you so much, and thanks to everyone who has helped get this song and video to you.
John
For those interested here is some blurb about the charities and why I picked them:
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. The only charity in the UK wholly dedicated to the defeat of lung cancer.
http://www.roycastle.org/
Yorkshire Cancer Centre. For keeping me alive and well enough to make this song. I hope all the wonderful new people I have met since moving to Yorkshire will help me raise money for this cause.
http://www.yorkshirecancercentre.org.uk/
Poole Hospital Charity. For the good people who kept me alive in 2009 when I first became ill. Hopefully the students who trained with me in Bournemouth who are now flying shiny Airbuses and Boeings will be able to afford a few quid!
http://www.poole.nhs.uk/fundraising/
MacMillan Cancer Support. For everyone who has been helped by all their good work.
http://www.macmillan.org.uk
Cancer Research UK. For everyone who wants to fight one of the sad near-inevitabilities of life, namely that you or someone you know may well be affected by cancer.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org
For other songs search youtube or visit:
https://www.facebook.com/johnkneemmusic
© & ℗ John Murray 2013
Saturday 6 July 2013
Monday 13 May 2013
Consolation of music
It has been a while since I've written. There is a lot that I could talk about - the British Double Reed Convention where I saw the wonderful Pauline Ooetenrijk give the most expressive oboe performance I've ever seen, my new Cor Anglais which I am slowly getting to grips with, my first wind quintet rehearsal or the orchestra concert, including a couple of prominenet oboe bits, I am playing in on Saturday. In truth, none of these seem to matter very much at the moment. Two weeks ago my other half was diagnosed with recurrent cancer. He started chemo last week.
Needless to say oboe practice, striving for goals, targets and all that goes with it has completely fallen off the list of priorities. But finding an escape and time out from an incredibly stressful situation through playing music has shot right up it. I've not done a huge amount of practice over the last two weeks. I have had days when I couldn't play at all, other days when I've just sat and played through pieces I know.
We don't know how things will go or how long it will take. Orchestra rehearsals will finish for the Summer next week, my oboe teacher is quite flexible so I will see how things go for the rest of this term and will need to reassess in September depending on how things have progressed. It may seem a trivial thing to be concerned about this time - but news like this makes you reassess every part of your life, everything you spend time on and forces you to rethink whether you should be doing it. Oboe is such a big part of my life that I need to think through what I need to either give up or continue to best be able to support my partner through this.
I will continue to play. My partner says the most important thing is to keep doing the things that you love while you can - otherwise the cancer has won. He makes me play when I don't really feel like it! I usually feel better for it. In retrospect, part of the reason for working so hard at all this when things are going well is so I can have the consolation of music, and especially of playing music, when life is hard. Music gives expresssion when there are no words. I suspect this blog will fall by the way side or at least become rather sporadic. But I hate it when blogs just end with no explanation so here is mine.
Thanks for reading x
Needless to say oboe practice, striving for goals, targets and all that goes with it has completely fallen off the list of priorities. But finding an escape and time out from an incredibly stressful situation through playing music has shot right up it. I've not done a huge amount of practice over the last two weeks. I have had days when I couldn't play at all, other days when I've just sat and played through pieces I know.
We don't know how things will go or how long it will take. Orchestra rehearsals will finish for the Summer next week, my oboe teacher is quite flexible so I will see how things go for the rest of this term and will need to reassess in September depending on how things have progressed. It may seem a trivial thing to be concerned about this time - but news like this makes you reassess every part of your life, everything you spend time on and forces you to rethink whether you should be doing it. Oboe is such a big part of my life that I need to think through what I need to either give up or continue to best be able to support my partner through this.
I will continue to play. My partner says the most important thing is to keep doing the things that you love while you can - otherwise the cancer has won. He makes me play when I don't really feel like it! I usually feel better for it. In retrospect, part of the reason for working so hard at all this when things are going well is so I can have the consolation of music, and especially of playing music, when life is hard. Music gives expresssion when there are no words. I suspect this blog will fall by the way side or at least become rather sporadic. But I hate it when blogs just end with no explanation so here is mine.
Thanks for reading x
Friday 19 April 2013
Good light and a sharp knife
Way back last August I booked myself on a reed making day course that I'd seen advertised. It finally took place last Saturday! I have to admit I haven't really done very much reed making recently. I did a little tying on earlier in the year but that is about it. The course was great though and has given me a much needed push.
There were only 6 of us in the group so chance for plenty of questions. We went through the whole process - from tube cane to finished reed. Obviously not much time for refining of the reed at the end but it was really helpful to have some focussed time thinking about reeds and also interesting to see a different way of doing things.
Possibly the two most useful things for me were:
1. A detailed demonstration on how to sharpen my knife - I kind of knew how but it was useful to know that I was on the right track. I was always slightly worried I was ruining my knife rather than sharpening it!
2. A clear approach to how to scrape a blank consistently - my teacher uses a profiler so hadn't given me too much guidance here. I had picked up one approach from my reed making DVD but it was good to have an alternative view.
I picked up some other tips about general scraping technique too.
In terms of going forward I've realised I need to just practice my scraping skills more. I have some blanks made with quite cheap cane which aren't going to make good reeds - they are far too open at the top -so I am using them to specifically practice making a neat U at the bottom and also scraping a good tip without slicing off the corners. I thought this was something I could maybe manage in my lunch break at work, sadly it turns out that I couldn't really see what I was doing. I did much better at my window at home.
There is a saying that the three most important things for making reeds are:
1, a sharp knife
2. a sharp knife
3. a sharp knife.
Personally I would also add - good light. Or maybe that's just a sign of getting old...
There were only 6 of us in the group so chance for plenty of questions. We went through the whole process - from tube cane to finished reed. Obviously not much time for refining of the reed at the end but it was really helpful to have some focussed time thinking about reeds and also interesting to see a different way of doing things.
Possibly the two most useful things for me were:
1. A detailed demonstration on how to sharpen my knife - I kind of knew how but it was useful to know that I was on the right track. I was always slightly worried I was ruining my knife rather than sharpening it!
2. A clear approach to how to scrape a blank consistently - my teacher uses a profiler so hadn't given me too much guidance here. I had picked up one approach from my reed making DVD but it was good to have an alternative view.
I picked up some other tips about general scraping technique too.
In terms of going forward I've realised I need to just practice my scraping skills more. I have some blanks made with quite cheap cane which aren't going to make good reeds - they are far too open at the top -so I am using them to specifically practice making a neat U at the bottom and also scraping a good tip without slicing off the corners. I thought this was something I could maybe manage in my lunch break at work, sadly it turns out that I couldn't really see what I was doing. I did much better at my window at home.
There is a saying that the three most important things for making reeds are:
1, a sharp knife
2. a sharp knife
3. a sharp knife.
Personally I would also add - good light. Or maybe that's just a sign of getting old...
Tuesday 9 April 2013
Exciting Cor Anglais news
My exciting news for this week is that I have a Cor Anglais on approval! It is a second hand Howarth S5 which was previously owned by a professional oboist who once played with the Halle Orchestra. It is a beautiful instrument!
Last week my oboe was having a full service so all my practice was done on the Cor which really forced me to spend time playing with it - a good thing.
There have been some difficulties: I have found it more tiring playing it than my oboe - partly because of the weight and partly due to the increased amount of air required through it. I think that would get better with practice. I also think the thumb rest is in the wrong place for my hands as I find it quite uncomfortable to play unless I support the weight of the instrument elsewhere. My handy music stand shelf has come in quite useful as I have been resting the bell on that while I play. I think this is fixable though - the position of the thumb rest can be moved and I can also look at different types of support. I need to work with my teacher to work out the best fingering for some of the high notes as I am struggling with anything over Eb.
On the plus side - it sounds absolutely beautiful and I love playing it.
Last week I focussed on playing through things (and working on my lesson pieces), now I have my oboe back for normal practice I have decided to be a little more specific in my Cor playing. I am focussing on long notes with a tuner, slow scales with a tuner and playing through the slow Ferling studies.
I am taking it to my lesson on Monday before making a final decision but I think there is a strong chance that I will be buying this - pictures will follow when (if?) it is mine. :-)
Last week my oboe was having a full service so all my practice was done on the Cor which really forced me to spend time playing with it - a good thing.
There have been some difficulties: I have found it more tiring playing it than my oboe - partly because of the weight and partly due to the increased amount of air required through it. I think that would get better with practice. I also think the thumb rest is in the wrong place for my hands as I find it quite uncomfortable to play unless I support the weight of the instrument elsewhere. My handy music stand shelf has come in quite useful as I have been resting the bell on that while I play. I think this is fixable though - the position of the thumb rest can be moved and I can also look at different types of support. I need to work with my teacher to work out the best fingering for some of the high notes as I am struggling with anything over Eb.
On the plus side - it sounds absolutely beautiful and I love playing it.
Last week I focussed on playing through things (and working on my lesson pieces), now I have my oboe back for normal practice I have decided to be a little more specific in my Cor playing. I am focussing on long notes with a tuner, slow scales with a tuner and playing through the slow Ferling studies.
I am taking it to my lesson on Monday before making a final decision but I think there is a strong chance that I will be buying this - pictures will follow when (if?) it is mine. :-)
Tuesday 2 April 2013
Winter (Spring?) Term Review
Where has this term gone? The weeks have flown by. It has been a busy term. I have worked hard on some challenging repertoire and my playing has moved forward.
Pieces for this term:
Arnold - Sonatina (all 3 movements)
Vivaldi - Sonata in C minor (all 4 movements)
Bougeouis - Fantasy Pieces for oboe (first 5, now working on number 6)
Berkeley - 3 moods (currently working on number 1)
Bellini - Concerto in Eb (have only just started this)
Most of these pieces have been challenging from both a "number of notes" and a stamina perspective. I've put a large chunk of my practice towards exercising my fingers and building exercises based around the tricky bars in these pieces. This was especially true of the final Arnold movement (very fast scales), the final movement of the Vivaldi and the Berkeley piece. I've had to change my practice routine as a result and have pretty much dropped all of the "technical exercises" I was doing. I now do some scales to warm up and move straight into my studies and pices. I wouldn't have time to get through everything otherwise.
The Arnold piece is now resting - I won't say finished as it does require more work, but I think I've taken it as far as I am capable of doing for now. I will come back to it later. The Vivaldi will soon be put to one side too. I spent weeks battling with the final movement of this, without feeling like I was getting there but it then seemed to come together eventually. I am loving the Berkeley which is challenging in both notes and interpretation. The Bellini feels like a bit of light relief and is lovely.
Studies - I have finished working through the 48 Ferling studies. My teacher has taken me through these quickly so that I get the notes under my fingers She has pointed out that these are studies to keep going back to all the time. I need to work out the best way to do this.
My new study book is the Loyon 32 Etudes and I have the first one to do over Easter. It is fiendish - perpetual semi quavers triplets. There are too many notes and accidentals per bar, I have to work through it slowly and systematically to make sure I am playing the right notes. I am slowly getting there. It is also in quite small print, so today I gave in and made an enlarged copy, It helped more than I thought it would. It will be interesting to see how I can play the Arnold once I've worked through all of these!
Summer term starts again a week on Monday!
Pieces for this term:
Arnold - Sonatina (all 3 movements)
Vivaldi - Sonata in C minor (all 4 movements)
Bougeouis - Fantasy Pieces for oboe (first 5, now working on number 6)
Berkeley - 3 moods (currently working on number 1)
Bellini - Concerto in Eb (have only just started this)
Most of these pieces have been challenging from both a "number of notes" and a stamina perspective. I've put a large chunk of my practice towards exercising my fingers and building exercises based around the tricky bars in these pieces. This was especially true of the final Arnold movement (very fast scales), the final movement of the Vivaldi and the Berkeley piece. I've had to change my practice routine as a result and have pretty much dropped all of the "technical exercises" I was doing. I now do some scales to warm up and move straight into my studies and pices. I wouldn't have time to get through everything otherwise.
The Arnold piece is now resting - I won't say finished as it does require more work, but I think I've taken it as far as I am capable of doing for now. I will come back to it later. The Vivaldi will soon be put to one side too. I spent weeks battling with the final movement of this, without feeling like I was getting there but it then seemed to come together eventually. I am loving the Berkeley which is challenging in both notes and interpretation. The Bellini feels like a bit of light relief and is lovely.
Studies - I have finished working through the 48 Ferling studies. My teacher has taken me through these quickly so that I get the notes under my fingers She has pointed out that these are studies to keep going back to all the time. I need to work out the best way to do this.
My new study book is the Loyon 32 Etudes and I have the first one to do over Easter. It is fiendish - perpetual semi quavers triplets. There are too many notes and accidentals per bar, I have to work through it slowly and systematically to make sure I am playing the right notes. I am slowly getting there. It is also in quite small print, so today I gave in and made an enlarged copy, It helped more than I thought it would. It will be interesting to see how I can play the Arnold once I've worked through all of these!
Summer term starts again a week on Monday!
Monday 18 March 2013
Spring Concert 2013
On Saturday my orchestra performed its Spring Concert. I think it went reasonably well. We were playing in a lovely local church. It is quite small but very beautiful (and incidentally our local ABRSM music exam centre). I think the orchestra took up as much room as the audience but we had a reasonable number of attendees - there were very few empty seats.
Our programme was:
Rossini - The Thieving Magpie. This went better than I expected and I was very glad to get it out of the way first. Stamina and speed wise this was the most challenging piece of the evening for me. I am quite glad not to have to play this again.
Warlock - Capriol Suite. I quite liked this in the end, even with all the strange discords in it. It was fun to play.
Bizet - L'Arlessienne Suite. Possibly the most well known of the pieces we were playing. It always reminds me of my school orchestra, but it is not actually as easy as that may suggest. I think we got through it in tact though. Though the afternoon rehearsal was, in truth, much better than the performance.
INTERVAL
Schumann - Symphony no 1. I grew to actually quite like this - especially the first movement. We seemed to have settled down a little more in the second half and, I think, played much better. This was definitely the best we had ever played this piece. So it was a triumphant way to finish the programme. A couple of people said they thought it was the most difficult symphony we had ever played. I am not sure whether that is true or not. It is hard for me to judge when my playing and orchestral skills are improving. I found everything we played much more difficult a couple of years ago. But there were some tricky moments in this one - especially around tempo and time signature changes - some of these we got right for the first and only time on the night!
It was an enjoyable evening, my reed worked, I managed to get through the programme without my lip going and overall I was pleased with how I played.
But most of all I am REALLY looking forward to some new music at tomorrow's rehearsal!
Our programme was:
Rossini - The Thieving Magpie. This went better than I expected and I was very glad to get it out of the way first. Stamina and speed wise this was the most challenging piece of the evening for me. I am quite glad not to have to play this again.
Warlock - Capriol Suite. I quite liked this in the end, even with all the strange discords in it. It was fun to play.
Bizet - L'Arlessienne Suite. Possibly the most well known of the pieces we were playing. It always reminds me of my school orchestra, but it is not actually as easy as that may suggest. I think we got through it in tact though. Though the afternoon rehearsal was, in truth, much better than the performance.
INTERVAL
Schumann - Symphony no 1. I grew to actually quite like this - especially the first movement. We seemed to have settled down a little more in the second half and, I think, played much better. This was definitely the best we had ever played this piece. So it was a triumphant way to finish the programme. A couple of people said they thought it was the most difficult symphony we had ever played. I am not sure whether that is true or not. It is hard for me to judge when my playing and orchestral skills are improving. I found everything we played much more difficult a couple of years ago. But there were some tricky moments in this one - especially around tempo and time signature changes - some of these we got right for the first and only time on the night!
It was an enjoyable evening, my reed worked, I managed to get through the programme without my lip going and overall I was pleased with how I played.
But most of all I am REALLY looking forward to some new music at tomorrow's rehearsal!
Monday 11 March 2013
Catching up
It has been a while since I've been able to write anything - the rest of life intervened for a while. Oboe practice was also erratic for a couple of weeks but is but I feel like I'm bakc on track this week.
A few things that catch up on:
Royal Academy Museum
Howarth
Yesterday I went on a play day organised by the Manchester Camerata. There were around 60 amateur musicians there and, conducted by a member of the Camerata (I think, though he didn't actually say who he was!), we worked through Mendelssohn's Sympony No 3 - the scottish. It was a good day. We had an initial run through as a group. a sectional (wind and brass together), a second whole orchestra rehearsal before doing a final run through of the piece as if it was a performance. It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon but the website did claim that we would have "expert coaching from Camerata Musicians" which I don't think they really delivered. Aside from the conductor, no other members of the group seemed to be present - even our wind sectional was not lead by a wind player. It was very much like the day rehearsals with the local orchestra that I sometimes play with - a chance to play with very good amateurs with a professional conductor. Overall I enjoyed it but I don't think I would go on one again (unless they were playing something I was desperate to have a go at!).
Play day
A few things that catch up on:
Royal Academy Of Music museum.
I had a weekend in London and popped into this tiny little (free) museum - handily located just a few minutes walk from Howarth. It doens't take long to get round but is incredibly interesting and has a lovely music shop on the ground floor. They also currently have an oboe exhibition on showing how oboe keywork has progressed from baroque to current day - finishing off with the new keywork developed by Christopher Regdate. "Exhibition" is probably too grand a word (did I mention it was tiny) but incredibly interesting and well worth a look if you are in the area. It's on till the 28th March. I thoroughly recommend it.Royal Academy Museum
Howarth visit
Well obviously I had to pop in there too. I bought a book of studies recommended by teacher (they look very hard!), a micrometer (NEW TOY!!!) and some cane which was on offer. I also had my reed knives professionally sharpened at the Japenese Knife Store nearbyas recommented at the Big Double Reed Day.Howarth
Cameo Orchestra Playday
Yesterday I went on a play day organised by the Manchester Camerata. There were around 60 amateur musicians there and, conducted by a member of the Camerata (I think, though he didn't actually say who he was!), we worked through Mendelssohn's Sympony No 3 - the scottish. It was a good day. We had an initial run through as a group. a sectional (wind and brass together), a second whole orchestra rehearsal before doing a final run through of the piece as if it was a performance. It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon but the website did claim that we would have "expert coaching from Camerata Musicians" which I don't think they really delivered. Aside from the conductor, no other members of the group seemed to be present - even our wind sectional was not lead by a wind player. It was very much like the day rehearsals with the local orchestra that I sometimes play with - a chance to play with very good amateurs with a professional conductor. Overall I enjoyed it but I don't think I would go on one again (unless they were playing something I was desperate to have a go at!).
Play day
Lessons/ orchestra etc
I'll say more about what I'm doing in lessons later in the week. Orchestra concert is next Saturday - I will be glad to get rid of this programme it feels like we've been playing it forever. There maybe some exciting Cor Anglais news in the next couple of weeks. I've also been invited to join a Wind Quintet. So some interesting oboe times to come!Sunday 17 February 2013
Out with the old...
I've been upgrading my practice area. Up to a few weeks ago I was using the same music stand that my parents bought for me when I first started playing the flute. Here is a photo of it when it was new!
It has served me well for over 30 years but I thought it was probably time to upgrade!
So I've treated myself to this.
I should probably have taken a before picture. In it you would have seen lots of music books strewn over the floor as my old stand would generally fall over when more than 1 book was put on it! I also had a tendency to forget where I had put down my metronome, water, tuner, reeds, pencil. They would be scattered on various surfaces around the room and then need to be tidied away when I needed to do other things. They now have their own shelf to live on. The stand itself is much sturdier with a deeper ledge which can hold all my music at once!
I also bought myself a new digital metronome. My previous, wind up, one was also bought by my parents only a mere 25 years ago. It had been well used but setting it had become a matter of guesswork as the numbers had rubbed off, it needed rewinding every 2 minutes and did not always keep very good time.
Having a good practice area is so important and I love having mine organised now.
It has served me well for over 30 years but I thought it was probably time to upgrade!
So I've treated myself to this.
I should probably have taken a before picture. In it you would have seen lots of music books strewn over the floor as my old stand would generally fall over when more than 1 book was put on it! I also had a tendency to forget where I had put down my metronome, water, tuner, reeds, pencil. They would be scattered on various surfaces around the room and then need to be tidied away when I needed to do other things. They now have their own shelf to live on. The stand itself is much sturdier with a deeper ledge which can hold all my music at once!
I also bought myself a new digital metronome. My previous, wind up, one was also bought by my parents only a mere 25 years ago. It had been well used but setting it had become a matter of guesswork as the numbers had rubbed off, it needed rewinding every 2 minutes and did not always keep very good time.
Having a good practice area is so important and I love having mine organised now.
Monday 4 February 2013
feeling under the weather
Practice has not been good this week
I have been full of cold. Playing oboe with a cold is not fun, it is uncomfortable and excessively tiring. I managed about 40 minutes on Thursday, none on Friday and 10 minutes yesterday.
On Saturday I went to a playday. I went to this event last year and blogged about it here . This year's event was at Leeds College of Music and I had persuaded a number of friends from orchestra to come. Some of them had also persuaded other friends and family to come. I wasn't really well enough to go but I had promised lifts to 3 people and felt obliged. So I went. It was probably a mistake.
The people I took had a fantastic time and really enjoyed it. I was very relieved that the oboe parts seemed much more straightforward than previous years and was glad I wasn't the only oboist there. It was hard work and I was very glad to get home! I'm sure if I had been well that I would have enjoyed it but in retrospect I should have spent the day in bed and let my friends take the train.
I am meant to have a lesson tonight and am still wondering whether I should cancel it. If I hadn't cancelled one a couple of weeks ago due to the snow I probably would but I don't really want to miss another one. I do feel a bit better so I will probably manage 30 minutes - and I have probably practised just enough to make it worth while. I will see how I feel after lunch.
Hopefully this week will be better!
I have been full of cold. Playing oboe with a cold is not fun, it is uncomfortable and excessively tiring. I managed about 40 minutes on Thursday, none on Friday and 10 minutes yesterday.
On Saturday I went to a playday. I went to this event last year and blogged about it here . This year's event was at Leeds College of Music and I had persuaded a number of friends from orchestra to come. Some of them had also persuaded other friends and family to come. I wasn't really well enough to go but I had promised lifts to 3 people and felt obliged. So I went. It was probably a mistake.
The people I took had a fantastic time and really enjoyed it. I was very relieved that the oboe parts seemed much more straightforward than previous years and was glad I wasn't the only oboist there. It was hard work and I was very glad to get home! I'm sure if I had been well that I would have enjoyed it but in retrospect I should have spent the day in bed and let my friends take the train.
I am meant to have a lesson tonight and am still wondering whether I should cancel it. If I hadn't cancelled one a couple of weeks ago due to the snow I probably would but I don't really want to miss another one. I do feel a bit better so I will probably manage 30 minutes - and I have probably practised just enough to make it worth while. I will see how I feel after lunch.
Hopefully this week will be better!
Thursday 24 January 2013
Russian music on a snowy night
A little belated report on the Shostakovich 4 concert.
The weather was not good. Snow came down late Friday afternoon leading to the usual chaos (snow? in Winter? Who would have thought it!). So it was a reduced orchestra that met that evening at the Town Hall. We had a good rehearsal though, worked through some of the tricky bits and it was great to hear the added harp, percussion and celeste.
On Saturday afternoon there was a better turn out and we had pretty much everybody there for a full run through of the piece. It felt more secure than the previous Sunday and it was great having all the parts present.
The concert itself was on Saturday evening. Sadly due to the weather the audience was much smaller than was expected but we still had about 150 people there so not too disastrous. I sat with Oboe 4 in the balcony for the first half and watched the UK premier of a Russian piece. It had some interesting percussion sounds and included whistling by the strings, key slaps from woodwind and blowing through the instrument (without sounding a note) by the brass. Not really sure it is something that I would choose to listen to but it was very evocative and atmospheric. The first half also included Britten's Sea Interludes which were much more my cup of tea and absolutely wonderful.
The Shostakovich was in the second half. I slightly messed up one of my more exposed entries which was very frustrating, but I also managed to get one of them absolutely spot on - which I'd never managed in rehearsal. Overall I think it was the best that I'd played my part and the most confident I'd been in counting the bars I wasn't playing and knowing exactly where to come in. The run through in the afternoon had definitely helped. It is quite a mammoth piece and there was some stunning playing from the orchestra as a whole - especially the principal wind players who had some fiendish solos. The percussion really lifted the whole piece and there were sections which were really quite sublime and spell binding. I loved the percussive, almost jazzy, end to movement 2. The brass chords with timps at the climax of movement 3 were also quite spine tingly!
I think this was the most challenging orchestral piece I've ever had to play, but I enjoy challenges and I feel privelegd to have the opportunity to tackle this one.
The weather was not good. Snow came down late Friday afternoon leading to the usual chaos (snow? in Winter? Who would have thought it!). So it was a reduced orchestra that met that evening at the Town Hall. We had a good rehearsal though, worked through some of the tricky bits and it was great to hear the added harp, percussion and celeste.
On Saturday afternoon there was a better turn out and we had pretty much everybody there for a full run through of the piece. It felt more secure than the previous Sunday and it was great having all the parts present.
The concert itself was on Saturday evening. Sadly due to the weather the audience was much smaller than was expected but we still had about 150 people there so not too disastrous. I sat with Oboe 4 in the balcony for the first half and watched the UK premier of a Russian piece. It had some interesting percussion sounds and included whistling by the strings, key slaps from woodwind and blowing through the instrument (without sounding a note) by the brass. Not really sure it is something that I would choose to listen to but it was very evocative and atmospheric. The first half also included Britten's Sea Interludes which were much more my cup of tea and absolutely wonderful.
The Shostakovich was in the second half. I slightly messed up one of my more exposed entries which was very frustrating, but I also managed to get one of them absolutely spot on - which I'd never managed in rehearsal. Overall I think it was the best that I'd played my part and the most confident I'd been in counting the bars I wasn't playing and knowing exactly where to come in. The run through in the afternoon had definitely helped. It is quite a mammoth piece and there was some stunning playing from the orchestra as a whole - especially the principal wind players who had some fiendish solos. The percussion really lifted the whole piece and there were sections which were really quite sublime and spell binding. I loved the percussive, almost jazzy, end to movement 2. The brass chords with timps at the climax of movement 3 were also quite spine tingly!
I think this was the most challenging orchestral piece I've ever had to play, but I enjoy challenges and I feel privelegd to have the opportunity to tackle this one.
Monday 14 January 2013
What a difference a day makes....
I spent a good proportion of yesterday in rehearsal for Shostokovich Symphony 4 in preparation for a concert next Saturday. This local orchestra seem to be gaining a reputation for crazy programming and tend to go for pieces that most amateur orchestras shy away from, for example, The Rite of Spring and Mahler 3 which I played in last year.
I went to my first rehearsal on this before Christmas and came out a bit shell shocked. It was the first time I'd seen the music, the normal conductor wasn't there and they seemed to focus on all the most difficult bits. I was struggling with both counting the bars rests and playing the notes. It all sounded like noise rather than music. Fortunately over the holidays I had chance to listen to the piece and could do some practice on the notes.
Yesterday's rehearsal was significantly better. The sectional rehearsal in the morning helped me see how my part fitted with the other oboes and reassured me that there were large parts of it that I can play - fortunately. The main conductor took the wind sectional and we were lead by a recent post graduate who looked about 12 but is probably in his late twenties. He was very knowledgable, very clear, very detailed and most importantly very encouraging. His enthusiasm for the music was very contagious and it was helpful to hear what different parts of the music represented - the alarm calls, the Russian factories, the references to film music and fair ground pastiche. It was an incredibly useful and helpful rehearsal.
The afternoon was the whole orchestra together and after a look at some corners we made our first attempt at playing the whole thing through without stopping. We managed it - which is encouraging - and some of it even sounded quite good. I found it really useful to see my parts in context and to develop an overview of what I need to work on.
From my perspective:
Most of the time I am playing at the same time as the other oboists which is a nice safe place to be.
There are 2 or 3 bars when I am on my own and need to hold the note when the other oboes have finished. It is good to have identified those parts and be prepared for them. None of them are difficult but I need to hold my nerve and not panic when the others drop out!
There is a lot of counting to do - whole pages of rests with one or two short entries in the middle. But I've marked in some sign posts now so I don't need to count them all. So I am fairly confident about not coming in at the wrong time.
There are some sections that I am really struggling to play but most of those are in very loud tutti sections so will be lost within the noise. I will look at those but I am not overly concerned about them.
There are some more exposed woodwind bits which I need to make sure I can play well. My practice this week will make sure they are absolutely right.
Before the rehearsal I was quite worried that I wouldn't be able to do this at all, but it now feels manageable. It's amazing what can be achieved in just one day of focussed work. But I'm still not sure whether I like it or not though!
We have another rehearsal on Friday with a final run through on Saturday afternoon before the concert on Saturday night.
I went to my first rehearsal on this before Christmas and came out a bit shell shocked. It was the first time I'd seen the music, the normal conductor wasn't there and they seemed to focus on all the most difficult bits. I was struggling with both counting the bars rests and playing the notes. It all sounded like noise rather than music. Fortunately over the holidays I had chance to listen to the piece and could do some practice on the notes.
Yesterday's rehearsal was significantly better. The sectional rehearsal in the morning helped me see how my part fitted with the other oboes and reassured me that there were large parts of it that I can play - fortunately. The main conductor took the wind sectional and we were lead by a recent post graduate who looked about 12 but is probably in his late twenties. He was very knowledgable, very clear, very detailed and most importantly very encouraging. His enthusiasm for the music was very contagious and it was helpful to hear what different parts of the music represented - the alarm calls, the Russian factories, the references to film music and fair ground pastiche. It was an incredibly useful and helpful rehearsal.
The afternoon was the whole orchestra together and after a look at some corners we made our first attempt at playing the whole thing through without stopping. We managed it - which is encouraging - and some of it even sounded quite good. I found it really useful to see my parts in context and to develop an overview of what I need to work on.
From my perspective:
Most of the time I am playing at the same time as the other oboists which is a nice safe place to be.
There are 2 or 3 bars when I am on my own and need to hold the note when the other oboes have finished. It is good to have identified those parts and be prepared for them. None of them are difficult but I need to hold my nerve and not panic when the others drop out!
There is a lot of counting to do - whole pages of rests with one or two short entries in the middle. But I've marked in some sign posts now so I don't need to count them all. So I am fairly confident about not coming in at the wrong time.
There are some sections that I am really struggling to play but most of those are in very loud tutti sections so will be lost within the noise. I will look at those but I am not overly concerned about them.
There are some more exposed woodwind bits which I need to make sure I can play well. My practice this week will make sure they are absolutely right.
Before the rehearsal I was quite worried that I wouldn't be able to do this at all, but it now feels manageable. It's amazing what can be achieved in just one day of focussed work. But I'm still not sure whether I like it or not though!
We have another rehearsal on Friday with a final run through on Saturday afternoon before the concert on Saturday night.
Tuesday 8 January 2013
New things to think about
The holidays are over, practising has settled back into a routine and I had my first lesson of 2013 last night. I have some new pieces to look at and some new things to think about imrpoving.
This week I have a new Ferling study to look at - no 42. The keys get worse as the book progresses and this one has lots of flats to get my head around. I am also starting the Derek Bourgeouis Fantasy Pieces. I don't know if these are technically studies or just unaccompanied pieces but I don't suppose it really matters. I haven't had chance to try the first one out yet but the performance notes indicate that a very smooth legato is required and carefully graded dynamics so I think it could be quite tricky.
We spent most of last night's lesson on the Arnold Sonatina. I need to make the first movement more quirky and spirited. Make sure that I don't slow down through the cantabile sections - or at least make sure that I pick the speed up again when required. We also looked at the beginning of the second movment which will challenge my tone and stamina. This is a great piece for working on vibrato and thinking about how to vary the speed of vibrato to add interest and colour.
I still need to work on the Vivaldi though we didn't look at that last night.
Key points to think about over the next few weeks -
- keeping the quality of the tone consistent throughout register. This was picked up in my previous Ferling slow study where my top A's tended to be more pronounced than the notes around them and disrupted the line of the phrase.
- I need to breath more quietly and also make sure I don't nod my head forward when I breath in. I wasn't aware that I was doing this so need to do more work in front of the mirror (or maybe get round to filming myself again) to train myself out of this.
Orchestra practice starts up again tonight and I have an all day Shostokovich 4 rehearsal on Sunday so it is shaping up to be a busy week!
This week I have a new Ferling study to look at - no 42. The keys get worse as the book progresses and this one has lots of flats to get my head around. I am also starting the Derek Bourgeouis Fantasy Pieces. I don't know if these are technically studies or just unaccompanied pieces but I don't suppose it really matters. I haven't had chance to try the first one out yet but the performance notes indicate that a very smooth legato is required and carefully graded dynamics so I think it could be quite tricky.
We spent most of last night's lesson on the Arnold Sonatina. I need to make the first movement more quirky and spirited. Make sure that I don't slow down through the cantabile sections - or at least make sure that I pick the speed up again when required. We also looked at the beginning of the second movment which will challenge my tone and stamina. This is a great piece for working on vibrato and thinking about how to vary the speed of vibrato to add interest and colour.
I still need to work on the Vivaldi though we didn't look at that last night.
Key points to think about over the next few weeks -
- keeping the quality of the tone consistent throughout register. This was picked up in my previous Ferling slow study where my top A's tended to be more pronounced than the notes around them and disrupted the line of the phrase.
- I need to breath more quietly and also make sure I don't nod my head forward when I breath in. I wasn't aware that I was doing this so need to do more work in front of the mirror (or maybe get round to filming myself again) to train myself out of this.
Orchestra practice starts up again tonight and I have an all day Shostokovich 4 rehearsal on Sunday so it is shaping up to be a busy week!
Thursday 3 January 2013
Another year over, a new one just begun..
The holidays are over and the New Year is a good time to reflect on where I am with the oboe. Over the break I have enjoyed reading through this year’s blog posts to remind myself of what I’ve done, what I’ve learned and it has given me some ideas of what to focus on in 2013.
Repertoire Covered
I’ve looked at a number of pieces in my lessons this year: Richardson’s French Suite, a number of Telemann Fantasias, Harty 3 miniatures, Binge The watermill, Reizenstein 3 Concert pieces, Mozart Oboe Quartet, Hindemith Sonata I've also started on Vivaldi Oboe Sonata and Arnold Sonatina. I have a huge amount of music ready to go for 2013. I would love to find a pianist to play with this year so that I can play through some of these pieces with the accompaniament.
Ensemble playing:
3 concerts with my normal orchestra which has included some wonderful music – especially The Unfinished Symphony and the Russian program we did in March. I was also drafted into play Mahler 3 and Rite of Spring with another orchestra which was a fantastic experience. I met up with other orchestra members to do some chamber music and went on a couple of one off play day events – one with the RLPO and another an Woodwind Event organized by ELCC. This year there are 4 orchestra concerts in the diary and I am again joining the other orchestra – this time to play Shostakovich 4 in January. I have already booked to go to the ELCC Woodwind Day in February and am doing a Chamber Music Weekend in June. Hopefully other opportunities will arise throughout the year.
Other events
I also played at an Adult Learner’s event and a Garden Party with mixed success. I went on the Big Double Reed Day in London which was fantastic and the RNCM Woodwind weekend which wasn’t so good. Hopefully this year I’ll go on the Big Double Reed Day again and would like to play at another Adult Learner’s Event but maybe a different one.
Reed making
I took my first steps in reedmaking and even managed to do some practice sessions on my own reeds. I would like to spend more time doing this in 2013 so I can begin to make some good reeds. I have a reed making day already booked for April and I would like to have progressed a little further by the time I go to that.
Fundamental Technique
Of course importantly- has my playing actually improved? I think I have taken a few steps forward.
Vibrato was a big focus for this year and I think I am making progress. It is hard to judge but it feels like my vibrato is emerging more naturally. Sometimes it disappears, sometimes it sounds too mechanical but from time to time it is just there and becomes a natural part of the sound. I need to work on bringing this out more and also controlling it better to allow variation of speed to stop it being so relentless.
Tone and tuning have also improved. I’ve spent a lot of time recently playing alongside my tuner and I think it is getting better – most importantly my ear is is improving so I am less tolerant of playing out of tune. I feel like my embouchure has also developed further to help support my tone. I am much more aware of when I am losing my embouchure and need to adjust. I can feel more clearly how I need to support using the corners of my mouth rather than biting on the reed. I need more work on this though and also would like to be able to be able to colour the tone in different ways to add more interest.
Articulation – I have done a lot of work on speeding up my articulation, making it cleaner and lighter. I can tell this has improved when I play pieces I learned last year. I still need to work on not disturbing my embouchure so much when I tongue notes.
Dynamic range – growing but still needs work!
Finger facility/ scales – I think this has quite markedly improved. This is one of the easier things to measure and I know that I can play my scales significantly faster than I could when I was preparing for my G8. I have also pretty much learned my major scales in 3rds and my extended major scales. They need more repetition to be completely secure but they are pretty much there. So for this year I need to introduce extended harmonic minor scales and minor scales in 3rds.
Breathing/ breath control – I think this has improved quite a bit this year. I seem to have become better at taking quick breaths within the flow of the music. Still work to do but it feels like something that will come more naturally now.
Stamina – this is something I feel I need to work on, the pieces I am working on are more demanding and are longer so that has highlighted the need for work on this. I need to work on playing longer chunks at a time in practice sessions to build this up.
Phrasing/ musicality –this has been a big focus in my lessons, thinking about shaping phrases and how they fit within the overall piece. There are two aspects from this, understanding what I am meant to be doing and then having the skill to actually shape the phrase in that way. I know that I understand more but my skill is lagging behind. I think I have improved here but there is a long way to go.
Cor Anglais
This was also the year I had my first go on a Cor Anglais. I fell in love with it immediately! I am hoping that 2013 is the year that I’m finally able to buy myself one.
So overall I think I can sum that up as progress on all fronts but still a long way to go.
I have no idea who, if anyone, reads this. But Happy New Year, may 2013 be a happy, productive and peaceful year for you all!
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