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Derek Reaban · 05-14-2007, 03:57 AM

I know that this is an older thread, but I really like what Alex mentioned in her post. I look forward to my weekly lesson. We always begin with several Rochut etudes. I begin by playing the first line or phrase of the etude and then my instructor picks up where I end. We do this back and forth for the entire etude. The dynamic is typically gentle, and I find that dovetailing in and out of his sound reinforces my own sound model. I have been doing this for many years now (always alert and mindful of his part, fingering through the notes as he plays), and our sounds are extremely close when we play.

Occasionally, I will miss several weeks in a row (typically just scheduling conflicts), and on the first week back we have drifted apart somewhat when playing these etudes. As I lock back into his sound, several phrases into an etude, we begin to match closely again.

I find that aspect of the "ideal" sound has lots of overtones that come from a relaxed approach, but also from a complete pressurized breath to help energize the sound. No pushing, just letting the sound out. When I do this, along with a marvelous sound model sitting beside me, my body just does what it needs to in order to generate a mature, vibrant, resonant sound.

It's that "behind the bell" sound (from a live player) that really allows me to release any tension and just let the sound flow. I may be very selfish when it comes to studying weekly (it's something that I value tremendously), but when I think about the finest symphonic players, they are sitting beside the best sounds in their orchestras everyday (even though they are probably not actively taking private lessons!). They subconsciously cultivate those great sounds that they are hearing around them everyday and meld them into their own sound.

I like to think about that illustration of the camp fire with the glowing embers. When the embers are within the fire they glow with seeming endless strength. When you pull a single ember from the fire and place it by itself away from the fire, it's glows strong for a short period of time before fading and then going out completely. When a player is separated from great sounds, it's not long before there is diminishment (no matter how subtle). I have chosen to stay close to the fire to keep the vibrancy alive in my sound. It's amazing to me what this simple investment has done for my playing!

Great topic Glenn!

05-14-2007, 03:57 AM	#8 (permalink)
Derek Reaban Mezzo Piano User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 616	Re: Your ideal sound concept I know that this is an older thread, but I really like what Alex mentioned in her post. I look forward to my weekly lesson. We always begin with several Rochut etudes. I begin by playing the first line or phrase of the etude and then my instructor picks up where I end. We do this back and forth for the entire etude. The dynamic is typically gentle, and I find that dovetailing in and out of his sound reinforces my own sound model. I have been doing this for many years now (always alert and mindful of his part, fingering through the notes as he plays), and our sounds are extremely close when we play. Occasionally, I will miss several weeks in a row (typically just scheduling conflicts), and on the first week back we have drifted apart somewhat when playing these etudes. As I lock back into his sound, several phrases into an etude, we begin to match closely again. I find that aspect of the "ideal" sound has lots of overtones that come from a relaxed approach, but also from a complete pressurized breath to help energize the sound. No pushing, just letting the sound out. When I do this, along with a marvelous sound model sitting beside me, my body just does what it needs to in order to generate a mature, vibrant, resonant sound. It's that "behind the bell" sound (from a live player) that really allows me to release any tension and just let the sound flow. I may be very selfish when it comes to studying weekly (it's something that I value tremendously), but when I think about the finest symphonic players, they are sitting beside the best sounds in their orchestras everyday (even though they are probably not actively taking private lessons!). They subconsciously cultivate those great sounds that they are hearing around them everyday and meld them into their own sound. I like to think about that illustration of the camp fire with the glowing embers. When the embers are within the fire they glow with seeming endless strength. When you pull a single ember from the fire and place it by itself away from the fire, it's glows strong for a short period of time before fading and then going out completely. When a player is separated from great sounds, it's not long before there is diminishment (no matter how subtle). I have chosen to stay close to the fire to keep the vibrancy alive in my sound. It's amazing to me what this simple investment has done for my playing! Great topic Glenn! __________________ Derek Reaban Tempe, Arizona