Musical Energy and Playing with other Humans
This summer I had a few gigs, in itself nothing extraordinary. But I've been doing so much orchestral playing, that I forgot how much I dig playing in smaller groups. If there is a great spark between the musicians, it will set up a vibe for the event that everyone will love.
This summer I had a few gigs, in itself nothing extraordinary. But I've been doing so much orchestral playing, that I kind of forgot how much I dig playing in smaller groups.
It's not chamber music as such, don't get me wrong, that has its place, but when you're there at a wedding or a community function your job is to entertain people, creating a great atmosphere, not being intrusive, but also not necessarily being listened to - it's not really a performance in that sense, but if there is a great spark between the musicians, it will set up a vibe for the event that everyone will love. (Honestly I've done quartet gigs that there has been zero spark, and not only has the music not been great, but the guests hardly even noticed when we finished up)
This summer's gigs were great though. It started off catching up with my old friend Louise from the Beaumont Belles, she's recently come back from exploring Europe (and playing the odd harp along the way). So we hadn't really played together much for a long while, and it may have just been a few classic carols for a Christmas fete, but it was fun, and the visitors loved it, partly the harp has such a dominating presence, but also we both know what the other can do, how our sounds can weave together and when to let the other cut loose and run with it. That's the beauty of a duo really it's so easy to communicate and let the music flow with how you're feeling.
Hot on the heels of that came some pre-concert entertainment for audience members while they enjoyed drinks on the veranda. Myself and some friends, namely my brother Dave on guitar and his mate Earl on a variety of percussion. Again playing familiar Christmas songs, changing up the styles, for example, my personal highlight, a ska version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer...pretty silly but really fun - and credit must go to those two, I was really along for the ride, we weren't taking it super seriously, but they really know what they're doing, enjoying themselves and making a great sound and the atmosphere of the event being as it was familial and relaxed, the audience LOVED it, it set them up for a really good show.
Finally, in the new year, I was asked to fill in at a wedding with other members of The Black Quartet. I've played with a couple of them before but not since the Aotea Youth Orchestra days. It was great catching up with them again. These folks are fabulous musicians, so much energy and connection between them, so coming in like that, for the most part, it was pretty easy to gel in - there were, if I'm honest a couple of numbers where it became apparent I wasn't entirely match fit on my sight reading (....where does that freakin' repeat go back to?!?), but aside from that it all went pretty well.
And it would have been even better had there not been 30kn winds playing havoc with the pages and at one critical moment (as the happy couple walked off down the aisle) knocked my entire folder clean off the stand! Happily my improvisational skills have improved since the old Aotea days. But it's been that long since I've played an outdoor wedding - I didn't even think about pegs, should know better really.
I think at the end of the day, playing gigs like these, with different people, in different places, gives us a bit more freedom to express ourselves. You have to connect with the other players at quite a fundamental level, read the crowd to an extent and deal with unexpected environmental forces. Playing in a larger group in an orchestra or a show is great too, I love the energy, the bigger the better, but it is more prescriptive, we need to follow the conductor, manifest his (or her) interpretation of the work, the performance is a lot more formalised.
Whereas when you are playing in a small group, particularly with people you know well and play with often, you have the liberty to express yourself more freely. Take your emotions of the moment and send out a tear jerking version of O Holy Night, for example, or equally feed off the others energy with a croony version of Embraceable You. The whole experience is a lot more collaborative, and the energy can be a lot more direct, between the players, through the music and out to the guests - a bit more grass roots I guess. And if you are having a good time, so will the guests, even if they are not particularly paying attention.
Performance can take on so many forms it's hard to decide which I like to play best - on reflection, if the collective energy is there it doesn't matter what it is.
2018 - A Year to Remember?
Another year has come to an end, 2019 has dawned. I always find this a good time to reflect, looking on what went well and what could be iimproved. This past year, there have been many ups and downs, but highlight of the year, was playing the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto with the Philharmonic Society Orchestra.
Another year has come to an end, 2019 has dawned. I always find this a good time to reflect, the warmer weather is here, we are stuffed full of treats from Christmas and probably indulging in a few wines in the back yard.
As I recall this past year, there have been many ups and downs, my teaching practice took off, there were many interesting performances, and, having set substantial goals for myself, I was very motivated to practice.
A highlight early on in the year, was playing in the theatrical piece "Think of a Garden", met some fabulous people, played some interesting music and was honoured to be involved in such a dramatic production.
To get some of the lowlights out of the way. I was a little what one might call 'a victim of my own success'. I was called upon at the last minute to take over cello lessons at 2 new schools, that alongside an increase in private students and a period of intense rehearsals, I was totally exhausted, resulting in a (very minor) car accident, it was the shock more than anything. At the time I was averaging around 220km per week in my Honda Logo, such a great little workhorse. It got a much needed wake up call, that we cannot do everything and we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves, especially when our schedule is full to bursting.
Another thing of equal parts plus and minus, was that surges of new private students meant that I actually had to make a waiting list and even turn some people away. I did consider extending my hours, but decided it would be counterproductive - I didn't want to risk any more accidents!
I guess THE highlight of the year, was playing the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto with the Philharmonic Society Orchestra in August. I'm the type of person that needs concrete goals to work towards, and for a performance musician, that means... performance. I can learn a particular piece, or work on technique, but if I don't have the culpability of actually performing soething in front of an audience, I find it difficult to stay motivated.
Believe it or not, this is the first time that I have learnt a work of this magnitude in its entirety and to performance level. There is an awful lot of work involved. Which I put in over a long period of time. My timetable as it is, this seemed the most reliable plan of attack, not to mention a work like this needs an element of maturity, much like a good Bordeaux, to be truly at its best.
In preparation, I found it best to look at it from many angles, the concerto, while not in movements as such, has several distinct sections, which can be worked on as bite size chunks. Rhythm, tone, style and speed were all elements that needed attention. There was a lot of work done with the metronome, which paid off in the end as far as the orchestra were concerned, however some may have considered it a bit too square.
In the process I sought out to have some lessons. Sometimes you just need someone else to point things out. Andrew Joyce, principal cellist in the NZSO, was so inspiring, his enthusiasm and passion emanates in all directions. He was very helpful in giving some ideas for the quick passages, preparing the left hand better and deciding on some phrasing right from the outset, often this is something I add in later on, especially for technically tricky bits. I also had the pleasure of working with Edith Salzmann, cello professor at the University of Auckland. She too was very encouraging, pointing out how there comes a point where we should shift the focus from the left hand to the bow, the fingers can do their thing essentially on autopilot, and sound production will be optimal. She also advised me on the importance of 'leading' the orchestra.
As the concert date drew nearer there were many times of doubt and nerves, but finding the will to keep chipping away, I knew somehow it would all come together.
The performance itself was the most emotionally and physically draining thing I think I've ever done. By no means perfect (at the previous rehearsal, I'd peaked too soon), but good enough. The audience loved it, I was literally trembling at the end, played a short encore of Bach Sarabande from Suite II, then as recent tradition dictates (round the cellists I know) I joined the back of the orchestra for the second half - a symbolic effort only, as my brain had crashed entirely.
In the days following a serious come-down ensued.
So now looking ahead...
As far as performance goals, I do have something in mind and will certainly be sharing that with you as it unfolds.
My main goal for 2019 is to keep on top of my timetable, being rigourous with planning and organisation, so that I minimise risk of things falling through the cracks, also benefitting my students, and being careful not to take on too much. And, just as importantly, keeping fit and healthy, more regular exercise (also for my poor somewhat neglected dog), and eating healthy which also requires forethought and preparation especially on those rehearsal heavy weeks.
As always if you enjoyed this post please click the like button at the bottom and subscribe to my feed. If you'd like to share your goals for the coming year or you have any questions, just add them in the comments section below, I love to know what your big plans are for 2019. Let's make this another great year to remember.
The Best Song(s) ever Written
Even the most innovative of artists has influencers, those that have gone before that have been an inspiration. As musicians, when we interpret a piece of music, we must draw on our own experiences to find our inspiration.
I find it really interesting to know what music people choose to listen to and I wanted to share some of my music choices, turns out it's a very eclectic range.
Most of our sensory perception is relative to what we know, take wine tasting for example, you are unlikely to find the pomegranate notes in your Zinfandel if you have never experienced an actual pomegranate.
The same goes for art, the emotional reaction we have to a painting or a piece of music is not necessarily the same as that of the artist when they were creating it. Going one step further, even the most innovative of artists has influencers, those that have gone before that have been an inspiration.
As a musician, when we play a piece of music, of course we try to understand the story the composer was trying to tell. But interpreting this as ourselves we must draw on our own experiences and find our own inspiration.
I find it really interesting to know what music people choose to listen to, if any. I think it tells a lot about a person. For me, there is an eclectic range of things I like to listen to, depending on my mood. Then other things, I might not put the record on, but I love to play.
I wanted to share some of my music choices, it's harder than it sounds, there is so much great music out there, and such a vast array of styles...how to choose? Well it made me think of Nick Hornby's book 'High Fidelity' (a good read by the way) The main character and his buddy in the record store pass the time making 'Top 5' lists. so I thought I'd give it a crack. Starting with the top 5 genres. Here goes...
Top Five country/folk songs:
- Simple Twist of Fate - Bob Dylan
- Cowboy Take me away - The Dixie Chicks
- Oh my Sweet Carolina - Ryan Adams
- The Night they Drove old Dixie Down - The Band
- A Man Needs a Maid - Neil Young
Top 5 Classical works:
- Cello Concerto in E minor Op. 85 - Edward Elgar
- Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber
- Piano concerto in A minor Op.16 - Edvard Grieg
- Symphony No. 7 in C# minor Op. 131 - Prokoffiev
- Symphony No. 5 in E minor Op. 64 - Tchaikovsky
Top Five Rock songs
- November Rain - Guns 'n Roses
- Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
- Angie - Rolling Stones
- Venus in Furs - The Velvet Underground
- Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
Top 5 Blues:
- Bell Bottom Blues - Derek and the Dominos
- Still got the Blues - Gary Moore
- Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff / Blind Boys of Alabama
- Cosmic Blues - Janis Joplin
- Change is Gonna Come - Otis Redding
Top 5 Alt-Rock/Pop Tracks
- Tom Traubert's Blues - Tom Waits
- Paranoid Android - Radiohead
- Lonesome Tears - Beck
- Into my Arms - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
- Hope There's Someone - Anthony and the Johnsons
Top 5 Albums (to be listened to complete, beginning to end)
- Drella - Lou Reed and John Cale
- The Last Waltz - The Band
- Berlin - Lou Reed
- The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders of Mars - David Bowie
- Infidels - Bob Dylan
So it was considerably more difficult than I thought to narrow it down that much, You might find some of the categories a bit dubious but so often I find it hard to put them in a box. Plus there were so many great songs and artists, folks like Phil Spectre, Amy Winehouse , Ben Harper, Aretha Franklin, Björk, The Cars, that didn't quite make the cut. But that's I guess the beauty of the top 5, you really have to think about the song and what it has that merits it being there. Many of these made it because of a personal connection or memory or they have these epic instrumental arrangements.
Maybe you are familiar with some of these, maybe you've never listened to any of them. Either way it would be great for you to share your Top 5 'Somethings' in the comments below. I'd love to find out what inspires us in different ways as musicians, plus I always enjoy discovering new music I've never listened to before.
The Power of Music
I had the great fortune these last school holidays of assisting in taking a local youth orchestra on a tour to France. The trip surpassed many of my expectations and I found the reaction of both the young musicians and our audiences inspiring.
Music traverses cultural and linguistic barriers. It was fantastic seeing these kids really getting involved and how much they just love music...
I had the great fortune these last school holidays of assisting in taking a local youth orchestra on a tour to France.
My role was 3 fold really,
1. As a responsible adult
2. To help and boost up the small and relatively inexperienced cello section
and most importantly 3. Having lived there for some years, as a translator/interpretor.
The trip surpassed many of my expectations and I found the reaction of both the young musicians and our audiences inspiring.
The combined Orchestras play to a great audience in the Place de Celestins in Lyon, France. Photo courtesy of AYS
This is the power of music, it traverses cultural and linguistic barriers. It was fantastic to see the kids really getting involved and how much they just love music, any spare moment or opportunity to play or to try out a new acoustic:
- Improvising 4 part a capella harmonies in the glass roof top dome and ballet rehearsal space of the Lyon Opera House.
- Busking in the Place des Heros in Arras, surrounded by small kids in awe of what they were doing.
This little guy was just fascinated by the cello section when we played in Arras. So I gave him a quick lesson. Photo courtesy of AYS
One of these young buskers said he didn't care about the money, he just wanted to play. But seeing those kids so excited to drop a few coins in the case, it seemed as if it were of more value to them as a whole experience, showing appreciation and understanding maybe, learning the value of the performance.
(The pros and cons of that value being monetary
is beside the point of this story)
On the other side of it, we visited large towns & small villages, and everywhere we went the welcome was outstanding.
In some ways this is part of the European way, I recall with the OSL, many shared meals, drinks and nibbles while playing and touring with the orchestra.
But also to receive this orchestra of young New Zealanders was a real community event, to come and see a visiting orchestra play.
The two 'Chefs' Paul Harrop and Jean-Pierre Prajoux sharing the podium for our final number in Lyon. Photo courtesy of AYS
Amongst all the hatred, fear and strife occurring in the country, even whilst we were there, luckily at the other end of the country, the terrible tragedy in Nice on the 14th of July. Not to sound twee, but our concerts brought a moment of calm, a moment of joy and happiness to what were frankly, very good sized audiences. And at many we passed a moments silence in thought of Nice.
Even when playing in competition to the final of the Euro Championship between France and Portugal, with thousands of people trying to cram into the FanZone just two blocks away, our combined Aotea Youth Orchestra and Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon (a mere 100 musicians) managed to more or less fill the Place des Celestins. I would have said maybe 200 or so, young and old, some who came especially but many passers by stopping to enjoy some music on a very warm summer evening, despite the untimely car horns growing ever more incessant the closer it came to kickoff.
The NZ troops were instrumental in liberating Le Quesnoy. Their gratitude shows in the street names.
All this to say that our music could bring people together, both within a community and between nations. A cultural exchange that benefits both sides, whether it be sharing stories and ideas with our wonderful homestays, playing alongside the OSL under the baton of the fantastic Jean-Pierre Prajoux, enjoying the music of the Le Quesnoy Concert Band, entertaining audiences and paying tribute to our fallen NZ soldiers who served in the small towns in the North of France during WWI.
It was always a pleasure for me to speak to and interpret for members of the public as well as some dignitaries following our concerts. Their apprecation for our music was very humbling, to know we had come so far to play for them, they had enjoyed our music and were impressed by the sensitivity, enthusiasm and musicianship of all these young people.
Calm before the storm, our final performance played to a packed audience in this fabulous room in the Versailles Town Hall.
It made me think that so often music can become an elitist institution, what is 'proper' or 'good' music and anything else is not worth playing, what are 'we' going to get out of it musically - and I am as guilty of this as anyone (don't even get me started on the X-Factor and its genre). But in fact music is for the people, as an artist you must be able to express yourself, and you don't always want to sell out to the commercial masses, but there is a time and a place for both. And as a musician we can feed off the energy of an audience that loves what we are doing, even if it is playing Lord of the Dance for the 50th time, the audience love it, and I loved that they loved it, that was all that mattered.
Entertaining visitors to the Chateau Villandry in it's central courtyard, near Tours.
Music truly is a universal language, music connects people, to each other, to emotions and memories. We must remember this and not be precious or pretentious and keep it all to ourselves, but instead use it like a superpower for good.
Keep Calm and Carry on ....
Keeping motivated is important for all musicians. Practicing, performing and playing in general can all present us with challenges to a degree that we start to have doubts. If you isolate the problem then there are ways to overcome it....
Keeping motivated is difficult at times, but it is important especially as a musician. Practicing, performing, creating are all self driven. We need to keep motivated to make the most of what we are doing.
I often have many projects on the go at once, writing, teaching, practising, working on new performance opportunities, even maintaining this blog. I have come to the conclusion that there are 3 main things that can stand in the way of getting things done the way we want and these affect our motivation.
Firstly, time, and this is a big one. We all have busy lives, demands of work, study, and everything else, we need to prioritise.We need to make time for our music, work out how much can be dedicated to it, and without a specific goal in mind, I'm mainly talking about practice. Practice is essential to improving as a player, and we must dedicate 'enough' time to it. The principle of quality over quantity applies for certain. When you're just getting started, little and often is best. You will achieve more practising 10 minutes a day than sitting down for an hour once a week. Further down the line when time is short, select a small section to work on really well rather than just playing through a lot of work.
Secondly, confidence. I think everyone has moments where they lose confidence in their ability. It's easy to give in to this and give up, thinking it's too hard, or I'm never going to get this. The better option is to fight it, use the self-doubt to work harder, and get what ever you're trying to learn better. We have to take baby steps, for most of us, learning music is hard, it's going to take some time, don't try and play things beyond your ability and expect instant results, you will just become discouraged. Not so long ago, I was given a brutal critique shortly prior to a big audition, I was given the choice to pull out or to give it a shot anyway. I chose the latter and practised twice as much. I was unsuccessful that time but I knew I had done my best and what I needed to do going forward. And I was reminded that in preparing for any performance we need to get to 120% so that when nerves kick in we can still play at least near to 100%. And remember too, when it feels like you're not getting anywhere, look back at where you have come from, what and how you were playing, then you will see how much you've achieved.
Thirdly, inspiration, music is an art, and we need to be inspired. Whether it be writing some new music, interpreting a piece or even setting some goals, these all succeed better with some good inspiration. For me, my writing gets blocked I can't hear what I want to write, my playing becomes bland and lifeless, and frankly, I stop setting goals altogether. But even in a general sense, when motivation is flagging, get inspired. Listen, find some new music that you love, or turn to the old favorites. Always look to the experts, go to concerts of really great musicians, go to gigs and experience what other people are doing. Discover new styles, and new ways of doing things, it might give you ideas for a new project or change the way you play something. It's important to find what you're into, explore all art forms, go to an art exhibition, sit in on a poetry slam, listen to classical music (Mozart to Prokofiev), jazz (Ellington to Reinhardt), Latin music (Tango), pop (eg, Beck) and the list goes on... There will be sounds and ideas among all of these that will spark the flame and you will eventually find your own inspiration.
Remember to keep working at it, make music part of the daily routine. Even when you there's heaps gong on and I really don't feel like practice, I've got to do a bit, the most important time to practice is when we don't want to. Relish the compliments, take on the criticism. Find what inspires you and allow your enthusiasm to help you reach your goals.