I'm preforming the 3rd movement from the Dragonetti next month with my school orchestra. I personally like the tempo at a solid 100, which is not really too fast. But the group I'm playing with has some in-experienced players and has a high tendency to rush. Would it be wise of me to take the tempo down to a 88 or 90? I know if I keep it at 100 its just going to get out of hand and just be unclear. Should I take it too slow or risk it to rush?
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Double Bass Dragonetti Preformance
- Thread starter AdaGio³
- Start date
Play it as fast as you can play it (the entire movement) without any mistakes. It is better to play it well at a slower tempo than to play it fast and do a hack job. What does your teacher say? Also, it would help if you filled out your profile.
The third movement is the best sounding one by far. If you can record it I would love to here it performed. Good luck.
Edit: BTW You are the soloist. Don't take it down for the accompaniment. Do it as you feel you can play it clear. Good luck again.
Edit: BTW You are the soloist. Don't take it down for the accompaniment. Do it as you feel you can play it clear. Good luck again.
AdaGio³ said:
It's really a matter of the tortoise and the hair. You should play a piece only as fast as you can play it convincingly. Most judging or people with knowledge of the piece would rather see you play it slower and make it sound EXCELLENT versus trying to rush it through and attempt to be at a level of playing which you're not at really. Same thing happened to me at a Masterclass 2 years ago. 3 of us played the same piece, I remember in the book it said quarter note=120, some people were really battling to play it at an even 110 (you couldn't even hear the notes.) I calmly played it at about 90 or so, and it was by far the most favorable in sound and technique.
I actually think his question of rushing involves the rushing of the inexperienced orchestra...not himself. That said, I'd say you might be better off playing it a little slower assuming that it's going to reach the speed you want it anyway. No matter what people are gonna say here, it won't stop your orchestra from rushing in the concert. True, a good orchestra will be able to follow a soloist, but a bad orchestra can abruptly send a performance to hell in a handbasket. I'd play it safe and lay back a bit...
This was your question. Since you were referring to yourself, I believe it was answered accordingly.AdaGio³ said:
What you really need to do is tell your conducter about the problem. I think you'll see better results than anything any one here could tell you (not that it's bad advice).
True, but it's high school so the conducter should be teaching. Not just flailing his arms around.BGreaney said:
That question was obviously about him, in reference to his school's tendency to rush.
I recently played the first movement of the Dragonetti with a youth orchestra a fell victim to the same tendency. I started around 96 and we would always end up around 120. It's quite frustrating, and in all honestly, there's is nothing a conductor can do about a group of kids who get nervous and start to rush or just can't handle the slower tempo. The transitions between slow/fast passages will always rush with youths (it's sad hearing profesional orchestras do it too). A teacher can teach kids not to rush, but they're still novices and will continue to do it until they have more experience. I'm married to my metronome, but it's impossible to ask an entire orchestra of high schoolers to go home every night and have a machine tell them what to do.
Good luck to you on your performance.
I recently played the first movement of the Dragonetti with a youth orchestra a fell victim to the same tendency. I started around 96 and we would always end up around 120. It's quite frustrating, and in all honestly, there's is nothing a conductor can do about a group of kids who get nervous and start to rush or just can't handle the slower tempo. The transitions between slow/fast passages will always rush with youths (it's sad hearing profesional orchestras do it too). A teacher can teach kids not to rush, but they're still novices and will continue to do it until they have more experience. I'm married to my metronome, but it's impossible to ask an entire orchestra of high schoolers to go home every night and have a machine tell them what to do.
Good luck to you on your performance.
Expect a youth orchestra to increase about 20 beat per minute. So if you are going to start at 92, be very well prepared to be able to play it around 112. Highschool players are inexperienced and it is hard for us to control our adrenaline in a performance, which is why they tend to rush that much.
Good luck with your performance!
Also, Adagio, I believe youre Dennis Caravakis? (sorry if I spelled your name wrong) I'm one of Bret Simner's friends and he was curious if you were coming to NYSMF this year. Drop me a PM if you are Dennis.
-Nick
Good luck with your performance!
Also, Adagio, I believe youre Dennis Caravakis? (sorry if I spelled your name wrong) I'm one of Bret Simner's friends and he was curious if you were coming to NYSMF this year. Drop me a PM if you are Dennis.
-Nick
dennis, i think that since you're amazing, you should play it at 30,000 bpm. screw the orchestra.
even though you already performed it...
sibass89, i guess i answered your question, because he is dennis, and he is going to NYSMF this summer. how do you know bret? did you go to hartwick?
even though you already performed it...
sibass89, i guess i answered your question, because he is dennis, and he is going to NYSMF this summer. how do you know bret? did you go to hartwick?
