Parallel of Breath and Articulation to Bowings

The weight and speed of the bow have a direct correlation to the attack and speed of the air in wind instruments. Talking to wind players about string technique, thus, is useful in expanding their conception of musicality. In a converse sense, illuminating analogies about wind playing may be made to help string players appropriately conceptualize and imagine the sound to be created.

Most string players lack even a basic awareness of wind players’ technique; thus, inviting them to think about the consonants that a wind player might choose, or the speed of the air they employ, can be immediately useful. The very act of creating the analogy in a player’s mind can cause them to alter their sound noticeably, even if the change is not fully conscious.

Clarity of Ensemble Execution

Younger players trained in a band setting tend to be better at—and more aware of—ensemble execution than string players of equivalent experience. Because the envelope of a band sound often involves clear attacks, band members become better habituated to precision than do string players, for whom truly accurate rhythm can be a challenge.

Fundamental to a band’s way of being is the practice of breathing together. While string players need to breathe in a human sense (i.e., because they need to be alive to play), they do not tend to think of breathing as a systematically useful thing in relation to an ensemble. Teaching a string section to breath together can yield clear results, but requires constant reinforcement.

In a further extension of this concept, string players can be taught to choreograph their bows at the same time to ensure togetherness of attack.  Given the complexities of string technique, even players who are aware of what is technically necessary may often forget to execute the required actions, and may need to be reminded frequently by the conductor and rehearsed to increase habit strength.

An important fundamental to be emphasized in music that requires precise attacks is that all string players must begin with their bows on the string. In highly rhythmic music, string players should be instructed to set the bow on the string at the same time before playing their note; the conductor or principal string players may, for instance, choose a rest before the note to be played. Such a practice increases the likelihood that the attack will be together.  It also helps string players internalize rhythm into their bodies, which, as previously mentioned, can be challenging as a result of the complex set of movements required to play a string instrument.

Blend

While achieving a wide dynamic range can be difficult, wind players in large band sections nevertheless tend to learn more easily to listen and play inside the section, forcing more attention to blend/balance. Wind players with band experience are likely to have more natural and intuitive listening skills and blending abilities. This skill can come in useful in an orchestral wind setting, as the orchestral wind section can be difficult to blend without careful attention.

Clear examples are often found in conventional Viennese classical scoring (pairs of woodwinds, trumpets, and horns). Dating from a time and culture in which rehearsals were scarce and music was not written with an eye towards posterity, orchestration can often be under-thought, with many uncomfortable doublings (whether at the octave or in prime unison) and unfriendly voicings. Such voicings may include odd-seeming distribution of notes in a chord in such a way that it makes it unobvious how to play in tune or with good balance; a common example is the practice of excessively doubling the third or the fifth of a major triad.

Conductors have an important role in guiding orchestral winds here. The players must learn to recognize the distinction between a solo versus ensemble passage and change roles rapidly (one moment an exposed solo, the next a blended wind section).

Intonation and Balance

Although a problem common to bands and orchestras on all levels (from earliest beginner to high-level professional) is the constant struggle with intonation, there are aspects of what bands do that orchestral string players can learn from.

String players are often taught to use vibrato constantly to enhance the overall beauty and uniformity of the section’s sound. Many string players are so accustomed to doing so that they vibrate only semi-consciously, without any particular thought or control. Such a habit can be a hindrance when fixing intonation, since vibrato is, by definition, a controlled and intentional way of playing out of tune.

Many band instruments habitually use little or no vibrato (clarinets, for example, and most of the brass instruments); and other woodwinds get used to using a vibrato that blends well with these instruments. This allows wind players (especially brass players) to fix intonation problems quickly since the related problems and solutions are fairly easy to hear.

If string players are, similarly, habituated to use no vibrato when attempting to address intonation, the results are likely to be much more successful, and musicians’ ears to be better trained. String players must be invited to “open their ears” and listen carefully, and, if they are unsure of their tendencies, to play softly to fit into the pitch center of the section.  

Listening Down

Furthermore, wind players, especially brass, are more used to “listening down” to bass instruments than are strings.  Since the bass instruments often play the root of the chord, such habitual listening makes brass players much more likely to play in tune and to adjust their intonation quickly when problems arise.  They tend to develop a better natural sense of balance, especially when playing static, block chords.

String players, on the other hand, as a result of pedagogy and a traditional emphasis on solo repertoire, learn to focus intently on the individual quality; when this happens unconsciously in an orchestral context, the result is that they may not listen carefully for how their pitch fits into the overall balance of a chord.  Though this is essentially a balance issue, the perception will often come across as an intonation problem.

Violinists and violists who are not used to listening down also often tend to play sharp, as they consciously or unconsciously believe that it increases the tension in the sound. In fact, in many cases, it compounds intonation problems that might already exist. For example, they may play the third of a major triad sharp, when (according to just intonation, a way of approaching tuning based on the natural harmonic series) it should actually be played slightly flat of where it might normally lie on a fixed-pitch instrument.

Helping the upper strings develop harmonic context by constantly guiding their listening to the cello and bass sections—asking them to play in tune with the lower voices—is a good way to start to address this problem

In Conclusion

In a world of ever-increasing specialization both of musicians’ careers and performing ensembles, it can be easy to forget that greater musicianship tends to be achieved by listening to others, not merely by focusing on oneself.

Stepping outside of one’s disciplinary comfort zone, challenging unconscious assumptions, and becoming aware of ingrained habits can enhance critical listening for teachers and students alike, as well as encourage collegial discussions, and broaden ideas/rehearsal techniques.

The result can only strengthen ALL music-making efforts in BOTH the band and orchestra and beyond!

The post Embracing Similarities #2: What Orchestras Can Learn From Bands appeared first on MakeMusic.

Regardless of ensemble age or stage of skill development, critical listening ability is fundamental to all music-making. Musicians must listen to other players in their section; musicians must listen across sections to know how their part fits in; the conductor must listen to the ensemble (in multiple senses) to appropriately guide it; and conductors must listen across disciplines, genres, and styles to what their colleagues are doing. It is easy to become immersed in only the sound of our specific ensemble and only the culture of our area, yet there is much we can learn from each other.

What follows are some observations from the perspectives of both a wind and an orchestra conductor. In both of our experiences, we have learned to be better teachers by critically listening to other types of ensembles and by discussing the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of both the band and orchestra.

In this first of two posts, we will focus on a wind conductor’s view and look at things that bands can learn from orchestras.

Transparency of Sound

A string section is capable of producing a far more transparent sound through which featured winds can easily project. In the band world, supporting voices are often large in number (perhaps a full clarinet, saxophone, flute, or brass section). The larger the number of wind players on supporting material, the harder it is to bring forward the intended leading line. Large numbers of strings do not create as dense a sound as large numbers of winds.

The first step to a transparent band is to imagine a sound that one can hear through rather than the typical thick, heavy sound that is produced easily. Some possible means of working towards this transparency include altering dynamics, blend, and/or balance of sound to improve the overall clarity and balance of the band. These elements of a score cannot be fully communicated through notation.

A clear internal image of a transparent end result will require altered dynamics, careful decisions to balance and blend sections of the ensemble, and awareness of the hierarchy of layers in a score. Realizing that sometimes supporting content in a score should be more felt than heard can make an enormous difference.

Often times supporting lines can be quite technical. Wind players can subconsciously force this sound while strings in a similar role remain transparent. Understanding that ornate material may be intended to remain in the background can greatly improve the transparency of bands.

Resonant Sonority

The nature of string playing tends to be more horizontal versus the vertical tendency of wind playing. As a result of the construction of string instruments, an entire string section resonates fairly easily. Each instrument is itself a resonating body, as the wooden instrument sympathetically vibrates with the string, allowing a large string section to create a truly sustained, legato sound when appropriate. There is a considerable amount of sound “left over” after the musician has ceased his/her efforts to make it.

The same cannot be said for woodwind and brass instruments. Bands often underachieve in establishing a clear legato, especially when a passage is articulated rather than slurred—the sound stops when the air stops. What this can mean is that the band must actually work even HARDER than a string section to create a truly resonant sound. Essentially, the goal is to create the illusion of resonance because it will not occur naturally. Note length in the band can be dry and short when unnecessary (vertical) and attacks can be too strong with little resonance that follows. Making attacks/releases more round by controlling the speed of the air in relation to the tongue can help create the illusion of resonance. The Art of Wind Playing by Arthur Weisberg provides a fantastic resource and visual guide to illustrate these concepts.

In the band, the need to breathe and the quality of air speed can interfere with a horizontal sound. The use of stagger breathing when possible can create the illusion of long resonant lines when they are not physically possible. An end of a phrase does not necessarily mean a breath. Increasing an awareness of long lines and connection of notes is important. Perhaps visual examples (drawing note shapes or using metaphors) and aural examples (a string section) can be helpful.

Range of Dynamic Extremes

In the orchestra, a string section with small numbers of winds has a tremendous capacity to play at extremely soft dynamics as well as strong. Because the dynamic comfort zone of wind players is much louder than their string counterparts, bands tend to play at primarily strong dynamics. As a result, they settle for piano dynamics that are actually much closer to mezzo forte or stronger. In addition, many wind players strive to hear themselves, whereas string players tend to hide within the section (also adding to overall balance and blend).

It is of great importance that wind players are pushed to develop their soft extreme in order to contrast their forte extreme, all while not sacrificing tone quality, intonation, or technique.

Visual aids such as imagery, simile, metaphor, can make this concept tangible. For example: “The brass must be a shadow of the oboe,” or “Imagine the intensity of air needed to inflate a water balloon.”

At soft dynamics, breath is critical. A tremendous intensity of air speed and support is needed to achieve piano dynamics in wind playing. In addition, the concept of “hiding” in the sound of others is relevant in this case. An individual must strive to hear the surrounding musicians rather than him or herself.

As a side note, the notion of a section player “hiding”—blending in, fitting in, producing a sound that doesn’t stick out, etc.—is one of the central questions of ensemble playing. It can manifest itself both positively and negatively, depending on the context. Determining the context is key for both conductors and students, as is the ability to perform as both a leading and a hidden voice.

Individual Part Responsibility for Winds

Orchestral wind parts are usually not doubled, forcing the individual musician to be independent. Multiple players per part in bands allow students to hide in a section (especially young bands), developing fewer skills of independence. In this case, hiding becomes negative. Programming band repertoire that demands more independence can help develop greater individual musicianship as can rotating parts within a section. In addition, the large ensemble rehearsal process can be approached as a series of chamber interactions to develop greater individual musicianship and engage musicians. Guiding their listening, having students take part in the musical decision-making process, expecting students to recognize when they are primary or secondary material, and rehearsing without a conductor at times can all bolster a sense of independence.

Musical Movement

In keeping with ensemble independence, string sections move together with unified bowings and often display phrase elements in their body movements. Principal strings also have a great deal of responsibility in making musical decisions and communicating these to their section.

Bands are usually still and often rigid in their physical execution. The awareness of expressive movement will not only improve individual musicianship, but will also increase individual responsibility. Reading physical movements, especially of principal players, will help to unify the ensemble and increase musical communication. Guide their eyes as well as their ears to engage the need and willingness to move!

Parallel of Breath and Articulation to Bowings

For string playing, the weight and speed of the bowstroke have a direct correlation to the attack and speed of the air in wind playing. Awareness of this correlation can influence the technical approach of the wind player. For example, a sfz in central European repertoire tends to requires a faster bow speed but not an attack of the string. Similarly for a wind player, a sfz in this style requires a faster burst of air but NOT a harsh tongue.

The vocabulary of bowings from which strings draw create sonic variety. An advantage in string playing is that this technique is visible, while in wind playing the technique is internal and therefore can be difficult to identify.

In the band setting, a discussion of different bowings (such as arco, pizzicato, spiccato, detaché, etc.) can provide a broader and more visual model of possibilities for wind players. A wide variety of syllables, consonants, and air speeds to attack and sustain (or lack thereof) can be applied for stylistic results. This is a common technique in jazz rehearsals, but many concert bands stick with ta, which creates more problems than it solves.

In part two of this discussion, we’ll take the orchestra conductor’s view and explore what orchestras can learn from bands.

The post Embracing Similarities #1: What Bands Can Learn From Orchestras appeared first on MakeMusic.