fnchdrms87

Mr. McCandless,

How you remedy the first entrance/excerpt in an audition, competition, or concert setting. Nerves factor in heavily for auditions and the problem for me is to just go and nail the first excerpt with out testing out and noodling a few notes on the horn. The most impressive performances I have seen are the guys who can come and nail the first statement cold. Thoughts?

examples:
opening of honegger intrada
opening mahler 5 solo
schumann 2
first high soft lick in la mer
opening of the first and third mvt. of the desenclos
first statement of the tomasi
zarathustra high C calls

just to name a few

Miyot

fnchdrms87, I may be the least qualified to help but here goes. No fear! Just get used to nailing it. I can't remember where I read this, but it was one of those Zen trumpet players, perhaps Clarke. Do not hesitate, or think about it. Your body and brain know exactly what to do. So just do it.

amtrpt

Hi fnchdrms87,
In my time playing there are only a few reasons that we miss notes. What I try to do now is make sure that if I miss a note I miss it honestly. Getting started can be especially tough. Here are a few things you might want to think about.
First make sure that you are comfortable with the timing of the attack between the tounge, the lips and the air. It's very important that you be able to release everything together without hesitation. (I think Wilmer may have already said something similar to this on another message board.)

Secondly make sure that you really have the pitch in your ear. A lot of missed notes happen simply because we don't hear the starting pitch, or the interval in the middle of a passage. For instance with Mahler 5 I always make sure that I have the C# in my ear during the tuning note so that I can be sure to start in the middle of the pitch without guessing. (This works great until the conductor decides to talk for ten mintues about the piece right after the A has been given.)

Lastly try an make sure that you have a clear musical idea in mind. I like to leave the work in the practice room when I perform. What I mean by that is that if I have done my preparation well then I need to trust it and not sit onstage thinking of a check list on how to start a note. Another example that you gave is Schumann 2. I really like to imagine this as an early morning in a foggy open field with a hill at one end and the fanfare coming from over the hill. Almost ghostly if that makes sense. That helps me get in the right frame of mind to start the pitch not just well and accurately, but also musically.
Good luck!
Andrew