Hello all! Thanks for a great rehearsal last night. I think our group sound is developing very nicely. Here are a few things to remember from what we played:
Lo, How a Rose
Instruments who play fifth-third* in last measure, add in the fourth (fifth-fourth-third) as two eighth notes and a half note, and bring it out. This vastly improves the excitement level of the last measure (if I may say so myself).
*See vocabulary note below for more info.
Linus and Lucy
Last two measures: For learning and performing the groups of eighth notes, feel free to edit out every second eighth note; just make sure the last note of the piece is short and light!
Edelweiss
Ritardando* (slow down slightly) at m. 46, a tempo (back to regular speed) at m. 47
Watch out for cutoffs (indicated by two parallel slashes, which means look at the conductor!) at m. 73 and m. 76.
Whatever you do, don’t breathe in the middle of the word ‘Edelweiss’! (I know you’re playing instruments, not singing, but you still need to keep the words in mind.)
Vocabulary:
Caesura/train tracks/cutoff: A full stop (to silence) for the whole band, indicated by two parallel slashes, which means look at the conductor!
Fermata/hold/pause: Arriving at a note and continuing to play it for an indefinite amount of time, indicated by a half-circle and dot, which means look at the conductor!
Ritardando: Slowing down, indicated by the abbreviation rit. (but when I add one in my own part, or need to emphasize the rit. indication to myself, I use a squiggly trailing-off-looking line).
Subdivide (subdivision): Thinking/feeling/playing smaller divisions of a given note length; e.g., a half note can be subdivided into two quarter notes, four eighth notes, eight sixteenth notes, etc. I will from time to time ask you to play a phrase as subdivided (e.g., you will actually play two eighth notes in place of a quarter note), and I encourage you always (or most of the time) to think/feel subdivision even while playing a phrase as written. Subdivision is a useful technique for learning rhythms, developing rhythmic precision, and ensuring accurate note lengths.
Tonic, third, fifth: These are the formal names given to the first, third, and fifth note of the scale. The tonic is the note for which the scale is named; e.g., in an F major scale, the F is the tonic note (or the ‘do’ in ‘do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do’). The third (‘mi’) is the note that gives the quality of the scale, major (in F major, it’s an A – happy!) or minor (in f minor, it’s an A-flat – sad), and it always needs a little extra zing, especially at the end of a piece. The fifth (‘sol’) is the same in both the major and minor scale.
For next week:
Clinics:
Woodwinds will meet in the library with Vic, and everyone else will meet in the music room with Davide.
Rehearsal:
In the Bleak Midwinter
Don’t Stop Believin’ (first read-through!)
Oye Como Va
Arioso
Hey, you’ve made it this far! You deserve a bonus. Here’s the Sam & Friends vintage Muppet video I referred to at rehearsal. I am square Kermit.
