Posted by Sean Chisham on July 14, 2001 at 09:08:32:
In Reply to: Re: Sound Production posted by Adam Peck on July 13, 2001 at 21:36:02:
Some good advice there! Your band director can try to convey in words what he is after, but until you actually hear how it should sound, it will elude you. Go to some professional concerts and hear how it should sound. Try to get lessons with someone whose playing you respect. Listen to quality recordings on quality sound equipment.
When trying to project, work more on the quality than the quantity. You can huff and puff and squeeze and push and blow and inhale all you want, but the guy on the stage with the better concepts will still be more easily heard when needed. More practice time will also help to build the efficiency needed to have more presence. Concentrate on what you might think of as exaggerated dynamics. Play the pianos as soft as possible and the ff's stronger than possible. Also pay attention to the mezzos and have gradations there also. One of the biggest differences between the pro's and the not so pro's is mastery of the mezzos. Your overall dynamic range should be much wider than you can imagine. In fact, it should be much much wider than you will ever be called for to use in your band. A true orchestral fortissimo would be so overbearing that it would overpower most of the rest of the band. It should, nevertheless become part of your pallette.
The point is that your musical skills need to become better and stronger than anything anyone could possibly ever ask of you in an ensemble situation. Right now you might be tapping into the 95th percentile of your abilities. You should instead be somewhere in the middle comfort zone. It should become easy.
sean