Score Study
What are the advantages of studying recordings
Becoming acquainted with an unfamiliar piece
Gaining information on tempo and style
Informative source of past interpretation?
Tips to improve pitch reading
Visual cue to symbolic processing to knowledge retrieval to answering output
Always have a reference pitch
Understanding of spatial relationships (high vs low)
Concert Band
Standardized in 20th century by American Band Association
Focuses on popular band music and orchestral transcriptions
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 3 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 4 saxes
4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 baritone, 1 tuba, 3-4 percussion
Total of 40-50 performers
Symphonic Band
Comparable to symphonic orchestra in range
Larger sections with total of 90-120 performers
May include bass, piccolo, English horn, harp, bass trombone, contrabassoon
PROPER MICROPHONE TECHNIQUE FOR VOCAL AMPLIFICATION
Brighter Voice - mic should add warmth through mid and low ranges
Darker Voice - mic should lighten sound with treble and upper-mid prominence
Sing into center of mic, consistent distance, pull back for sudden increase in volume
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES BEHIND SOUND PRODUCTION
Pressure Oscillations - vibrations transmitted through air
Simple Resonators - move to create fluctuations of pressure in surrounding air (strings, membranes, reeds)
What are some aspects to know
Instrumentation and transpositions of scored instruments
Form, harmonic, and melodic structure to assist with balance
Dynamics to prepare changes in sound
tips to improve rhythmic accuracy
Heavy reinforcement of steady beat with multi-sensory learning
Dancing, swaying, counting, clapping, tapping
Peer learning, matching level of other students
Introduce heartbeat into practice for familiarity
Experience physically through movement first (before age 5)
Negative results of not hearing yourself
Hindered productive collaboration and minimal self-monitoring
Inaccurate tuning, rhythm, and phrasing
FILTERING SOFTWARE
Protect students from obscene, inappropriate, and harmful websites
Sometimes unreliable and inconsistent, interferes with learning
Arguments that it prevents students from decision-making
Roles of Resonance
Enables the voice to carry with vibrant, rich sound
Sound originates through passing of air through vocal cords
Optimal Resonances - maximized depending on pitch by changing space in oral cavity
Techniques used to learn a score
Analyze, reanalyze, interpret, learn, and know nuance
Play all vocal parts on piano, listen to voice leading and harmonic changes
Play accompaniment part separately
Read text poetically to find dramatic inflection and stress of the line
Analyze structure, harmony, dynamics, and melody
Mark score extensively
What are the two types of note reading
Rote and Intervallic
Name purposes of warmups
Mentally centers and adjusts ensemble, establishes proper physiological cues
Warms, stretches, and lubricates instrument for ideal tonal quality
MIDI = Musical Instrument Digital Interface
Define reverberation
Reverberation - sound waves that bounce off surrounding surfaces
Forms of score marking
Entrances of melodies/themes
Tutti sections
Dynamic changes
Fermatas
Repeats
Cadenzas
Meter changes
Tempo changes
Sectional changes
Harmonic structure
Melodic structure
Rhythmic structure
Form
Textual emphasis
Instrumentation changes
Key changes
Balance changes
Style indications
Free-hand cues
Special preparatory beats
Name some ensemble rehearsal strategies
First - determine if there is a lack of individual practice
Next - take ensemble through passage slowly and rhythmically
Assist in note accuracy, technical facility, and fluency
Play again slowly in isolation, slowly speed up to performance tempo
Practice scales, arpeggios, and technical etudes
Name (physically) healthy performance practices
Gradual damage to inner ear through long exposure to high dB listening
Distorted/muffled hearing, difficulty hearing high pitch, pain/ringing after loud sounds
Limit band practices to 2 hours (average sound intensity is 90 dB)
Use of proper hearing protection
Avoid listening to headphones above 85 dB for long periods of time
What does DAW stand for
DAW = Digital Audio Workstation
Define Nonharmonic Overtones
Nonharmonic Overtones - non-integral multiples of the fundamental
Tips for studying recordings
Listen to more than one, a wide variety
Do not practice conducting to a recording
Listen early in score study, stop once rehearsals begin
Tips for NEURAL BASES FOR MENTAL PRACTICE EFFICACY
Practice without access to instrument
Practice makes permanent through reinforcement
Reinforce neural pathways without movement
Describe grade 2 in the AMERICAN BAND COLLEGE MUSIC GRADING CHART
2 to 5 minutes, none to four flats, easy compound
Add faster tempo, crescendos/decrescendos
Types of microphones
Dynamic Microphone
Uses metal coil to pick up sound
No need for phantom power
Handles loud sounds and rejects background noise better
Condenser Microphone
Uses diaphragm and backplate
More sensitive and detailed, picks up subtleties
Vocals and acoustic instruments
Ribbon Microphone
Thin strip of metal in magnetic field
Smooth and natural tone for early studios
Brass, strings, harsh voices on bright mics
XLR Microphone
Analog signal through balanced cable to interface
Refers to cable, can be dynamic, condenser, or ribbon
Flexibility, balance, integration with professional gear
EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCES IN REVERBERATION TIME IN PERFORMANCE SPACES BETWEEN A CONCERT HALL AND A FOOTBALL FIELD
Football Field- least reverberation time, signal weakened by long distance to bleachers and lack of ceiling to reflect sound waves
Concert Hall - significantly more reverberation time, designed to increase blend