tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022615131472916654.post4816331022770660122..comments2023-10-07T14:34:06.703+01:00Comments on Horn Thoughts: Practicing a difficult passage effectivelyJonathan Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022615131472916654.post-31559960397866358192009-07-23T11:07:33.657+01:002009-07-23T11:07:33.657+01:00Hi Lyle
Playing slowly will of course make it eas...Hi Lyle<br /><br />Playing slowly will of course make it easier to notice that there is a rhythm problem in a tricky passage. Horn players traditionally don't have to concern themselves too often with complex rhythms, as the instrument simply isn't agile enough for such things, except in the hands of an very advanced player. I sometimes joke that horn players don't understand semiquavers!<br /><br />As for aiming for perfection - I promise you that even the advanced players don't achieve it, they merely approach it a bit more closely. The same really applies to all musicians. But even if you are a relative beginner, if you want to get better and be able to play more rewarding pieces, then sorting out technical problems with difficult passages has to have the aim of eliminating the mistake, and in that specific context, perfection is an entirely appropriate aim.Jonathan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2022615131472916654.post-51134929120048297152009-07-21T15:30:41.861+01:002009-07-21T15:30:41.861+01:00Jonathan - Thanks for clicking over to my blog and...Jonathan - Thanks for clicking over to my blog and leaving the comment. I'm currently on a kick of trying to see how to help people approach learning about music making with both right and left brain modalities. This post of yours clearly lays out what could be called the left brain approach, and I agree completely with what you're saying. <br /><br />Just wanted to say that in my experience, sometimes I can get too logical and mechanical when drilling down on a problem. For instance, working a lot trying to get the fingering right, I can miss that it's the underlying rhythm I've got wrong and the cause of the problem.<br /><br />Also, I'm nowhere near your level of technique and I think that alters the context. If I were to decide "perfection is my aim", my time with the horn wouldn't be much fun. My aim is more to simply enjoy as much as possible this amazing instrument I came to late in life.Lyle Sanford, RMThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312150272934828223noreply@blogger.com