Listening is an important part of our musical development, but we're not always fortunate enough to hear each piece we work on live.  Especially when it comes to solo literature for low brass instruments, there is a lot of great music that is under performed, but recordings allow us to continually access a performance so that we can learn from it. 

High quality recordings have the following characteristics:

1. They are either recorded at live concert events, or recorded professionally for distribution.
2. They are recorded by sound engineers or quality recording equipment, not a personal cell phone.
3. The performers are seasoned musicians with detailed preparation.  A sight-reading or impromptu performance may not give us the specific nuance and insight that we're looking for when listening for our own development.   

When looking for a recording, ask yourself if it fits these three characteristics.  The resources below are by no means a complete list of places to find great recordings, but should have accessible recordings that are suitable:

• YouTube - YouTube completely revolutionized the way in which we access audio and video recording.  With this one source, you have an overwhelming amount of literature at your fingertips, ranging from ensemble and solo performances of young students through the most renowned professionals.    

              The pros - so many recordings to choose from, multiple copies of the same piece, backing tracks to play with, and                 it's free!
              The cons - only streaming, and not every recording is a good one!  Listening to other students can be helpful, but                   try to stick to professionals to use as your model.  If you don't know who the performer is, search for them online to               try to find their bio, or look them up on the Trombone Page of the World or on David Werden's website (euphonium). 

• iTunes Store - Similarly to Youtube, iTunes puts a great deal of music quickly at our disposal.  A quick search can turn up quality recordings, however you're more likely to find the traditional repertoire.  Is it possible to find that euphonium etude you're looking for?  Unlikely, but it could happen.  

             The pros - lots of selection, quick downloading, and you can keep it! 
             The cons - you have to pay for it (which is good for the music business anyway!), and similarly to YouTube, not every              recording will be worth the cost.  Check out the performers BEFORE you buy.

• Naxos - The Naxos Music Library is an enormous database of music, with classical, jazz, world music and more.  The interface requires just a simple search and often produces multiple results for one piece.  Like everything else, common pieces produce more hits than you can listen to in a day, while the standard low brass solo literature is still lacking.

             The pros - Naxos has a great deal of music, is easily streamed, and you can listen to as much as you want (once you              have access) with no additional charge 
             The cons -  Naxos is a subscription service, so it is expensive to buy as an individual.  Generally, institutions like                    schools and libraries pay for subscriptions for their students/patrons.  See if your school has it, or convince them to                subscribe!

• David Werden's Website (generally for euphonium/tuba) - This is not actually an independent source of music, but rather links to YouTube videos.  You can trust that these are high quality recordings to use for your own benefit!  Access the list of trombone videos here, and tuba videos here.  

             The pros - someone has done the work for you!  These are all great recordings, and a wonderfully organized source.              The cons - it is by no means of complete list of all the great videos on YouTube, but you can trust these.                                Unfortunately, it's only streaming though.

• Your local library - Check out your local public library to see what they have on their shelves.  I've often found that public libraries will have limited selection, but you may get lucky.  You may be able to propose some new purchases as well!

             The pros - if you're a local resident, this service will be free!  Just return your CDs on time!
             The cons - probably a limited selection, making our low brass specific music unlikely.  

• A local college library - This is likely a more comprehensive resource than the local library, but may not be open to the greater community.  Look for higher education institutions with respected music programs, and find out their policies on borrowing.  Or befriend a local college student!

             The pros - wider selection than a public library, could be more tailored to music students.
             The cons - may not be as accessible to someone not affiliated with the school.

• tromboneexcerpts.org (for orchestral trombone music) - This website has a great deal of public domain excerpts from the standard orchestral literature for trombonists to access, but contains ONLY that.  

             The pros - you can look at the short excerpts of music while you listen, and the creator has taken the short clips                    from many, many great recordings for you to listen to and compare.
             The cons - this is a very specific resource, and contains only short clips.  For the bigger picture, you'll need to find                  full parts and full length recordings.


Check back soon for information about the Region Band/All-State audition material and more!  Happy listening!

With the summer in full swing, we've all had some time to relax after the school year, get back in shape, and revisit some of the music we've worked on before.  But, the Region/All-State Band audition music will be posted soon and that means it's time to dive into some new etudes and solos!

So, where do we begin on this new journey?  Should we just dive right in and start practicing, or are there other steps first?  Here's a couple ideas:

• First, obtain the correct copy of the music required.  Sometimes, only one publisher produces the book/solo, but in some cases there are a lot of different versions by different editors.  In most cases, the differences are minimal, but that is not always the case!  Look for and editor's or publisher's name listed with the music, and then consult an online catalogue (such as the wonderful print music distributor Hickey's Music) or a local music shop (like H&H Music).  When in doubt, check with a teacher (including me!)

• Next, find a high quality recording (or two, or three!)  Recordings are a great way to get ideas about how the music should sound, and can even help us develop our own decisions about how we want to play our instruments.  Listen to multiple people's performances, even if they don't play the same instrument as you!  Give a quick listen before you start playing, but then come back to these AFTER you've read through your piece by yourself.  Come back next week for a blog about how to find high quality recordings and determine what on earth that even means!

• Now it's time to play your new music!  Take the time to get through the entire work, marking in your music the difficult sections that will require practice.  Are there any parts that are the same?  What about parts that are similar, but have some changes?  Where is the most exciting part of the music?  This is a good opportunity to ask yourself these big questions before you get going with your practicing.  But as always, practice smart.  It's always exciting to play something new for the first time, but still take out your tuner, metronome, and pencil before you start.  Which segues nicely to...

• Make sure you understand all of the funny words on the page!  A lot of composers (especially the old, dead ones) like to use languages other than English with music.  These words are descriptive, but often leave us with some legwork to understand what they really meant.  Most often, these words will be Italian, but if the composer was of a different background, they may have used their own language.  It is not uncommon to find markings in French, German, or other languages as well, if the composer was of that nationality.  If you don't understand a word, look it up in a dictionary, such as the Naxos Glossary or the OnMusic Dictionary.  If you can't figure out what language it is, look up the composer at IMSLP to find out their nationality to start!  Knowing the difference between terms is important to play music at the right tempo and in the right style; there is a huge difference between Allegro maestoso and Allegro giocoso and it's your job to make the distinction!

• Lastly, enjoy!  Learning new music is fun, and doesn't need to be a linear process.  These few steps will get you going, but you'll need to revisit them.  After practicing for a while, have a listen to a new recording to get a new perspective.  Later, look up the composer's biography to find out more about their background and compositions.  (Don't worry, I'll have information up here soon about high quality online resources!  So for now, just stay away from Google Translate for your musical terms!)

Keep checking the TMEA website for their postings on the audition music.  It should be posted around July 25th for the TBA conference.  Next week, I'll have information here about high quality recordings, as well as upcoming posts about online resources, practice tips, and more.  

Also, please "Like" my Facebook page and follow me on Google+  to receive updates on this blog as well as other information!  I am available beginning August 4th for lessons in Tomball, so please contact me or submit the "New Student Information Form" to set up your first lesson!

Happy practicing!