Below is David Van Hoesen's Scale and Arpeggio routine. The goal is to become familiar with the different scale patterns and chords in a particular key during a week's worth of practicing (one key per week). All exercises except the Broken Arpeggio are to be done with a metronome for evenness and speed.
Along with perfecting the technique, the focus should be on playing with a beautiful sound, good intonation and a musical sense in all registers.
The Arpeggios in Sequence are taken directly from a violin exercise by Carl Flesch.
A word about the Broken Arpeggio exercise. It is to be done slowly working for a beautiful, smooth connection between notes. Pay attention to embouchure, breath support and smooth, gentle fingers to achieve a smooth, expressive slur for each interval. This is a great exercise for breaking in new reeds as well!
Here is another version of this that may print more clearly. It is also available on my website. Scroll nearly to the bottom to find it.
What does the title of a Neil Young album have in common with tone production on the French Horn?
Read Principal Horn Bill Caballero's short article in the Pittsburgh Symphony musicians' newsletter to find out!
Good breath support, proper metering of the air through the instrument are essential for a great tone and smooth legato. Caballero says, "Probably 85% to 90% of my time is spent on fundamentals. Long tones, scales, tonal centering exercises."
It's inspiring to learn that one of the best horn players in the world works on his breath control and tone every day!
However, these fundamentals are often neglected in practice. As bassoonist, Norman Herzberg said, "Mastery of the bassoon is transitory and must be renewed daily." I have written about my efforts to maintain good fundamentals here.
Here's a great method for learning the opening to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. It's great whether you're learning it for the first time or just brushing it up for an audition or performance.
Some preliminary comments:
The opening has no crescendo from the first C to the grace notes and B, but most people play one. Because there's no crescendo printed in the music, this gesture should be subtle and carefully measured. Think of the sound of the held C energizing and opening up until the B is inevitable.
The beginning of the piece is not loud. I prefer to think of it as haunting and distant. Like a trip back in time. So no loud or abrupt sounds.
The progression from C - B - A forms the "skeleton" of the opening section in the first bassoon part. Tension should increase on the C through the B and then relax to the A. In spite of this being a famously modern piece, the opening phrases are really just old-fashioned, classical period arch phrases!!
Opening C -- my fingering:
Eb
x 1/2 o /xxoF
d Bb
Using the high d key and covering just 1/2 or less of the second tone hole in the left hand allows for a quiet, controlled start that is in tune. You can grasp the reed more firmly and not go sharp because of the half hole. Remove the half hole immediately after starting. Some players combine this with a breath attack for an even softer start.
I've written this out by hand for my CIM students for years, never quite sure if they could read my poor handwriting! Now, thanks to my friend, Rich Shanklin, I've got a file of it and can just hand it out.
You may find using a different order in each series is more helpful (series 1, exercises 1, 2, 4, 3, 5 and series 2, exercises 1, 3, 2, 4 for instance) but this is how I use it.
OK, so maybe we'll leave out smell and taste, unless you're using them to avoid older reeds!
My point in using the graphic above is to introduce this post on how we can use our senses (sight, touch and hearing, anyway!)effectively for better technique while playing.
Reliance upon sight may work for easier passages; but for accuracy and repetition, having all three at your disposal and knowing how to use them intelligently really help!
Sight
Sight is the dominant sense we use when reading music. We are visual beings. With today's heavy reliance upon looking at screens and the printed page, many say that the sense of sight is now the most dominant sense for humans.
Pattern recognition
The most important tool for great technique is pattern recognition. Seeing patterns in the music is the way to start. Knowledge of how music is structured (music theory!) can be very helpful.
Recognizing that Bar 1 below consists solely of an F major triad, Bar 2, Bb triad, etc. makes this passage easy:
Groupings
When you learn to read words, once you learn the alphabet, you read by grouping letters to form words, grouping words to form sentences, etc. Music is the same way. If you have to read each note and aren't making groups while you read music, your technique will not advance.
Find groups in the lines you play that make musical or visual sense (or both!). Group pairs of high notes together and low notes together below:
Linchpins
Sometimes, it's important to make sure your eye focuses on one particular note or pair of notes in a passage. To find this "linchpin", play the passage several times focusing your eye on a different place on the page each time. Which choice makes the passage flow easier? Circle the note(s) with a pencil and your eye will go to it every time. Certainly the grace note in the Beethoven example below would qualify as a linchpin.
The Sequence of events
When reading music, there are a few things we must decide.
1. When to look at the music
2. How often to look at the music
3. How much music to look at at a time
4. When to look ahead
There
is a sequence of events that must be managed. The eyes feed the brain
and the brain tells the body parts (tongue, fingers, breath,etc.) what
to do with the information given it by the eyes. The way this sequence
plays out is dictated by the pace and difficulty of the music.
Through practice, you can avoid a musical version of this from happening:
Circled below are the notes I look at when playing the Beethoven 4th last movement solo:
How Much
Most musicians are prone to group large numbers of notes together -- a complete scale, for instance. With some slower tempos, this may be quite reliable. However, when the speed is quick, finding a smaller grouping is better.
I admit that at a fast tempo, I can't play more than 4-5 notes in a row securely without having to look ahead for another small group. Going from beat to beat like this often works well:
Timing
The question of when your eye should "feed" your brain is also important. If you're getting stuck on a technical passage, examine not only how much you feed your brain, but WHEN you do as well. Maybe you're looking too far ahead, maybe you're not looking ahead soon enough, maybe you're not looking ahead at all! Practice adjusting this timing and you may find a way "out of the woods" of sloppy technique!
Wandering Eyes
Our world is full of stimulation and we have become used to glancing at screens, etc. at an alarming rate during waking hours. It's hard for most of us to remain focused on one thing for very long. Males have more trouble with this than females, studies have shown.
By comparison, reading music is really boring -- just black spots on a white page!! Training your eyes to stay focused on one thing for a long period of time -- even just a couple of minutes -- can be challenging.
Notice when your eye wanders from the page and gently urge it to return. Try to eliminate the distractions in your practice area and light the room so that the music stand is a focal point.
In performance, try to ignore distractions and learn to recover your focus after you are distracted. Stare at the page if you must! Practice by having someone make noise in a hall while you're playing and see how you do!
Hearing
Music is an aural art, so having a great ear is of the utmost importance. There are a few things you can do to improve your technique through training your ear.
Hear every note
Can you hear EVERY note in a technical passage? I know that I can play a passage more cleanly if I am really hearing every pitch. Try singing a technical passage slowly. Use slow practice not only to train your fingers, but to intensify how you HEAR the passage. Don't let up on this as you increase the tempo.
Hear it before you play it
Hear the passage before you play it. Like performing with good sound and intonation, you must have a concept of how a technical passage should SOUND beforehand and try to hear it before you play it. Leave nothing to chance!
Hear groupings
Can you hear the individual groupings you've chosen while playing?
Hear your phrasing
Related to hearing groupings, but you should be able to hear the phrasing you've practiced slowly when playing up to tempo. My technique is cleaner when I've assigned a role to EVERY note in a passage.
To enhance your sense of hearing for a passage, practice it with your eyes closed.
Touch
How a passage feels under your fingers is important. Through slow practice you build muscle memory. When you choose groupings, try to get a unified muscle memory feel for the groups in your fingers and hands.
What does it feel like to play an F major arpeggio, for instance? Try playing some "air bassoon"!
Is there a hand position that works best for a particular group? In the passage below, I rotate my right wrist slightly down and in for the G-F-G alternation and slightly up and out for the Bb to minimize finger action. The slight rolling of the wrist automatically brings the fingers closer to the keys and keeps you loose!
Maybe the rotation of left index finger for half hole is important? In measure 2 of this passage from Figaro, a slight rotation of the index finger, from completely covering the tone hole for E to slightly opening it for F#, etc., provides the finishing touch for the proper "feel" of this passage.
For the thumbs, is there a position that helps a passage become more fluid?
To eliminate unnecessary motion in this passage I point my left thumb up towards the high C key (UP) when playing high Bb and down towards the whisper key for high G (DOWN) when playing high A.
For smooth legato, place the right thumb on the low E key as close as possible to the F# key in this passage.
To enhance your sense of touch for a passage, practice it with your eyes closed.
Conclusions
For secure, brilliant execution of technical passages, we need to use the senses of sight, hearing and touch. One sense may get us through safely quite often, but there will be times when that's not enough.
Through slow practice you can sharpen the other two senses as backups. For instance, when your eye wanders off the page, often muscle memory takes over and you finish the passage securely. And seeing a passage well on the page may get you through cleanly, but your ear will be the sense that will guide your phrasing because of how you hear the passage.
The last technique I'd like to explore in this series on practice techniques is what I call "The Pyramid".
This is the best technique I know for building consistency and routine in execution of the most difficult passages.
Through multiple repetitions of a passage at carefully paced speeds, I can achieve a confidence, ease and reliability with just about any piece of music.
The Pyramid is methodical and somewhat time-consuming. It takes its inspiration from physical training. Anyone who has run intervals on a track or does strength training will find this method familiar.
Here are some instructions for use:
1. Choose speeds and number of repetitions that match your short-term goal for the passage in question.
2. For a passage that is nearly ready for performance at an audition or a concert, at first choose a top speed that is 85-90% of performance tempo.
3. Start with the slowest speed, ♩ = 110 and play 5 times, move up to ♩ = 115 and play four times, etc. After playing at ♩ = 130 once, move back down in order: ♩ = 125 2x, ♩ = 120 3x, etc.
4. During all of this, make sure that you can execute ALL repetitions at all speeds perfectly. If this isn't possible, then re-structure your "pyramid" to make it easier.
5. The focus should be on calm, clean, matter-of-fact playing throughout.
6. Later you can move the pyramid's speeds up so that the top tempo reaches the performance tempo you want.
7. This technique can also be used for a passage that is just being learned -- not ready to be played up to tempo. Choose a top speed at which you can play the notes perfectly with confidence, but must focus intensely on doing so. The slowest speed in the pyramid should easy for you, but not boring.
8. As the week progresses you can move the speeds up or increase the "distance" between speeds in the pyramid's levels to work towards your performance tempo.
9. Increments between speeds can be adjusted. Putting too large an increment between speeds can result in a top speed that's too fast or a bottom speed that's unnecessary.
10. With #6, you can incorporate other techniques if you want, such as changing rhythms or articulations.
11. Watch for tension in the body. Excessive use of an exercise like this can lead to a repetitive use injury.
In a previous post, I described a method I use to build fluency and evenness in a technical passage while gaining a better feel for its structure.
This method (I call it "Skeletonization") works best when first learning a passage at a slow tempo or when trying to polish it at a faster tempo.
The method I'll discuss in this post -- The Burst Method -- is a more advanced technical practice method. It is best used after the notes in a passage are learned and most technical problems are solved.
Many of us are good at slow, careful practice. However, this kind of practice only takes you so far. Often, it's tough to move from slow practice to getting a passage up to tempo. Sometimes, there's a kind of barrier you hit.
The Burst is a great way to get a difficult passage up to tempo with security and consistency.
How It Works:
A. Choose a passage which is tough to play up to tempo cleanly and with consistency.
Let's use the latter half of the opening of Figaro as an example:
B. In that passage, choose a section that is easy for you to play PERFECTLY up to tempo 5-7 times in a row. Every difficult passage has at least a short section that is easy to replicate perfectly. Use a metronome to keep yourself honest.
C. Next, add a small, manageable segment to the section and repeat 5-7 times perfectly:
D. Continue adding small segments until you've built up the whole passage:
Here is another way to use this method:
A. Taking another section of Figaro,
B. Start with a segment that involves a particular technical challenge
that gives you problems. Choose a small enough segment so you can just
focus on solving that particular problem first:
C. Then add segments before and after the tough spot, maintaining technical control over the original segment.
D. Now add segments after the trouble spot.
Here are some points to keep in mind when using this method:
1. Use patience and humility when practicing! Choose segments that make sense both from the standpoint of manageability and problem solving.
2. When adding segments, if you find you can't repeat a section perfectly up to tempo 5-7 times, STOP!!
3. Do not practice mistakes! Be honest and willing to go back to practicing a smaller segment if that's the best you can do in a practice section. "Pride cometh before a fall!"
4. The process of building a perfect, repeatable renditions of a difficult passage like Figaro up to tempo may take several days or even weeks. Work diligently and patiently. Practice should be in a mental zone requiring focused concentration, not easy comfort or an overwhelming feeling of panic or recklessness. For more about this, see this previous post.
5. Tailor the Burst Method to your own needs and ability. Everyone is different. The choices I made above might work for you, but maybe you'd make different choices. It's a very flexible method.
This is the first in a series of posts I'm writing about technical practice methods.
There are many well-known practice methods out there for learning music. However, in my teaching and in my own practice, I've found that there are few that are effective in addressing issues that come up in the advanced stage of technique.
The issues I refer to are those that come up after the notes are learned: in particular, getting difficult passages up to tempo and maintaining consistent flawless execution.
I have found three techniques that are especially helpful for consistency and tempo.
These are:
The Skeleton, The Burst, and The Pyramid
The Skeleton
The term, "skeleton" or "skeletonization" refers to a method in which the structure or "bones" of a passage are isolated and then integrated to give an evenness, a flow and a sense of purpose to a passage.
I learned about this technique from our former Second Bassoonist, Billy Hestand. Billy was first exposed to it in the Performance Techniques Class he took at the Manhattan School of Music with Dr. Carol Aicher. She was kind enough to share her ideas with me in preparation for this post.
In this series I'll use the Marriage of Figaro Overture as an example.
Most of us find this one of the most challenging excerpts there is.
A lot of bassoonists have trouble getting this one up to tempo while maintaining control of every note. Acquiring consistency in execution time after time is also difficult.
This method is very simple to understand and apply. In its most basic form it involves playing the beat notes in a passage while removing notes in between beats.
A. Stage One
1. Play through with just the downbeat notes. Tongue each note. Go slow at first if you need to and make your eye focus on each downbeat note while skipping over the notes in the parentheses.
2. Keeping the tempo slow, play again, tonguing just the downbeat notes, but try to hear or sing to yourself the rest of the notes WHILE PLAYING. Make a nice phrase and try to use your airstream much as you would when playing everything.
3. Move up the tempo. Keep your eyes on the "skeleton notes".
4. When you can do this comfortably, go on to the next stage.
Stage 2
Repeat the method outlined above for this Stage.
Stage 3
Now play "The Real Thing" up to tempo! I think you'll be impressed with how fluid and easy your fingers feel!
The Skeleton Method works well for excerpts like Beethoven 4th, Ravel Piano Concerto 3rd movement, but can be used for any technical passage.
Another technique related to this method involves simply clapping the rhythm of a passage before playing it. Wind players can also add "saying" the articulations without the instrument or using just the reed. If you can't say it, you can't play it!!
Here's a good example of a passage I'd clap out or try saying to a beat before playing it. It's from Jeff Rathbun's new "Rocky River Music" -- a work for Wind Octet that we're playing in Chagrin Falls this Friday evening.
Try clapping through this one. Dotted quarter note beat, 6/8 time, dotted quarter = 92
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