resonator

Im preparing the following excerpts for my college auditions;
Mahler 5
Leonare 3
Pictures at the exhibition
petrouchka

I am applying to eastman,mannes,msm and purchase, so my excerpts have to be top notch.

I have already listened 3-8 recordings of each and have practice them but i want to sharpen them up even more.
What can i do to take this excerpts to the next level?
What separates the losers and winners in an audition?
How can i make them standout?
Any advice is appreciated. THanks

Manny Laureano

I have to admit that the answers to your questions are sort of obvious, aren't they?

Take them up to WHAT level? I have no idea what level you play.

Winning separates winners from losers. People generally win by playing better than the others.

If you play out of tune, miss a lot of notes, play unmusically you won't get in. If you play in tune, cleanly, and musically you'll be in the running.

Forgive me but your question is way too general for me to be of aid in any SPECIFIC way.

ML

resonator

what i wanted to know is what are the things in the excerpts to look out for. What do trumpet players usually do wrong with them that would make me stand out if i do it right. For example, i heard that in leonare 3 the judges look for consistency of sound through the range since a lot of players subconsciously change sound. The main thing i want to know is about style.
How should each excerpt sound in terms of timbre? How should notes be tongue/release? Etc. In other words, the little things that make the excerpt sound better as a whole. Thanks



ps. It's good to see a Spanish guy in a orchestra. I don't know where you from (puerto rico/mexico?) but you are certenly opening doors for us to follow.

Alex Yates

In a nutshell - do all that Mr. Laureano (of Puerto Rican heritage) advised you to do. The best thing you can do for yourself is record yourself, record yourself, record yourself. It doesn't have to be on fancy equipment either. Any recording will reveal intonation problems, tempo inconsistencies and other questionable things. It is good to record yourself and do the listening sometime later in the day or even the next day. Have a notebook ready and take notes about what you are hearing. Don't bash yourself. Take note of what you are hearing on the tape from an objective point of view and list what needs fixing. Take that list to your next practice session and begin the process again. This is how you hone in on things without beating yourself up and improve consistently.

Oh, that thing about "style". In auditions, it is more about correctness. Don't take too many liberties in front of the committee. Remember, there are all kinds of instruments listening to you behind that screen, not just trumpeters. Save the "stylizing" for when you get the job.

Oops! I just realized you are auditioning for schools, not orchestras, but basically, the same advice applies.

Manny Laureano

Res,

All excerpts have to have a consistent sound quality, it's not just Beethoven's Leonore Overtures.

What you need to remember is this: all colleges are looking for is POTENTIAL. They don't look for geniuses but they do look for someone that one day may become successful in the world of music so they (the school) can take credit for it and attract even more students.

If you look at the excerpts with understanding, then the things you need to know are right there. Mahler must be played with a strict pulse just as he indicated (in contrast to the advice given to an ITG audience many years ago by a major trumpet-playing figure). It's a march, a funeral march. Dynamics, good sound, great intonation and power in the upper register.

Leonore III is a fanfare. Nothing to it but that. If you know how to play a rousing fanfare you know how to play that excerpt.

Pictures at an Exhibition must be in tune with a great sound and phrased so that it sounds like the opening to a great piece of music, nothing less than that.

Petrushka is a display of clean technic, upper register, perfect pulse, and dynamics if you're playing the 1947 version. Snappy, fun... that's the character.

If my ethnic backgorund has meaning for you, I am honored that you use it as a source of inspiration. I will always try to be someone for you to look up to. Who knows? Maybe it'll be you that replaces me one day.

Just don't look forward to that being anytime soon.

ML