Posted by Dennis on June 24, 2003 at 13:56:20:
In Reply to: Preparing new works posted by Tony Z. on June 23, 2003 at 11:58:15:
I try my best not to play it for a while. I sing it, (often with help from my pecking skills on a nearby piano) finger through it, even buzz through as much as I can--for as much as 3-4 weeks whenever possible. From there I feel that I have a very good idea of how I want it to go musically. Then, it's relatively painless as I get to know what it feels like to have it go through the tuba and hear it. I rarely have to go back and re-think too much on the musical side, nor do I often have to take any of it too much under tempo. I didn't learn to do this until I was late in school, but I must admit it's the ony way I can really learn new stuff now--certainly saved me in several instances. Usually means I'm able to feel good about it in about 6-7 weeks of good effort and regular time with it.
dwa