Last updated: August 10, 5:14 PM CDT

Daily Notes

Chris Branagan provides the following review of Monday morning's activities.

Monday Morning

9:35 AM — Keller Recital Hall

Joe: Good morning. We've got two more people to hear this morning. I really enjoyed last night's class. It was a late night, but the groups sounded great. Let's welcome back Joseph Rodriguez to play this morning.

Note: JR = Joseph Rodriguez; Joe = Joe Alessi

JR plays Swashbuckler's Song and final movement from the Hindemith Sonata.

Joe: Great, how did you feel about that?

JR: A little nervous, a little shaky.

Joe: Okay, but you can't let the nerves win. Sometimes you just have to be a fighter. The nerves are going to hit, you have to be prepared for nerves and understand that you just have to fight through it. You need to come out swinging on this piece – pesante, it means heavy. Take a deep breath, focus, aim and fire. That's what gets rid of nerves – that's what gives you confidence. If you're tentative, the dynamics go lower, maybe just 10% less. Also, your rhythm goes out the window – a lot of rushing goes on. Rhythm and pitch, the basic elements of music, have to be so well prepared that nerves do not affect them. Sit down and sing it – be convincing with your own voice. You can't throw these elements out the window.

Also, don't ascertain whether your performance is good or bad. Just make it you and the music. Don't let anyone else into your box, your individual space. It's all concentration: concentration on your product and getting the job done. Let's start again, and really focus on the first note – make a big, heavy sound.

9:54 AM

JR plays

Joe: Good, but make sure you manage your air properly, especially as you come down the scale from the high B-flat. Make sure you don't get behind. Your accompanist shouldn't have to wait for you. Give yourself a little bit of room to breathe.

When you start to run out of air, the last thing you want to do is lean forward. You need to lean back a little. Your body can support the air in this upright position, it can't move air if you're leaning forward.JR plays

Joe: Good, but try to finish the phrase (in the final movement) in an arch - finish it elegantly. Okay, we hear you trying to put it out so much, but you need to save some for the last time we hear the melody. Yes, you made a big deal about going into "Y," but you need to come back and save some for the end.

Joe demonstrates

Joe: Make sure you still make a line and make it lyrical, even with the volume. Make it sound like a song. Make sure you plan out every breath. I like to see lots of breath marks on the parts. We have to take breaths, and where we do it is as important as the quality of your sound or your slide technique. When you prepare the final ending, the high B-flat should sing, but don't crescendo above the resolution. This section here (Aa), is almost like playing an orchestral excerpt: the louder you get, the longer things get.

10:14 AM

Joe: I think you may not be blowing through the notes. Even though you have to make a phrase, you need to blow. That's the hardest thing to do on the trombone: play loud and lyrically.

Don't feel bad about the fact that we're tearing this apart, it's one of the hardest in the repertoire. You learn more about it by throwing you off your game plan and creating a whole new game plan. When you start to run out of air, your body starts to sink, but you need lean back, make yourself more upright. Think "long bow," especially on the C on the valve.

JR plays (applause)

Joe: That's great. Yeah, I don't have much more to say about that, we've done some good work. Let's now thank Phil Fisher, and I can now announce publicly, that Phil and I will be recording my next album together. (audience applause)

Okay Joseph, do you want to play some excerpts?

JR plays Mahler 3

10:27 AM

Joe: Wow, what a great sound, but there's something I noticed: the pitch. I think you're a little confused about the E (third space on bass clef staff). Try it again and watch your E's and F's.

JR plays

Joe: Yes, much better. You've got a great sound. We need to move on to Jason, so let's thank Joe for a good job.

Audience applause. Jason Malloy takes stage to perform Ernest Bloch Symphony for Trombone.

10:41 AM

Joe: Good. Now, in the end, you could experiment with taking a chance to release the note. (Joe demonstrates with a diminuendo on final note) Can you try what I just did?

Jason plays

Joe: Yeah, that's much better. Can I do that one more time? That's kind of fun (laughs with audience). Now, watch the breath placement at the end. (demonstrates)

I think this takes a tremendous amount of breath control. You have to take time to take the right kind of breath. I want you to take a little extra time to breath.

Jason plays

Joe: In this section where you play the high D, the bottom note needs to be like a pyramid, that is, the base of this slur, then you just float up. Instead of focusing on the top note, focus on the bottom note like a spring board.

Jason plays

Joe: Good, you know, the only thing you have to watch out for are some pitch things. You've got the sound down, you've got the style down, just make some good decisions. Alright, now we have to thank our other pianist, Yalin, for doing a great job this week.

10:53 PM

Joe: Okay, Jason, let's do some excerpts.

Jason plays Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin

Joe: Okay, let's study this for pitch (Joe demonstrates by taking out small notes and only playing notes on the beat). Just work on the basic scale of the piece; whittle it down to its bear minimum.

Jason plays

Joe: Yeah, the pitch is already getting better. But I have to say that the tongue – the tongue can't arrive before the air. And the tongue can't come up too soon before the end of the note. Make sure the attack is very deliberate, and the way you do the first, make that the attack for every single note.

Jason plays the excerpt in its basic scale form

Joe: Let's play it again as it's written. This is where the trombones have the tune – it can't be etude-like. Give it a little something special. Don't let your slide be behind your tongue. The slide has to have rhythmic energy just like the tongue. This is not a mellow excerpt, make it exciting.

Jason plays

Joe: Jason, you've got great talent. You have one of the most beautiful sounds on the instrument, but you've got to get out there and get exposed to this kind of music. As trombonists, we have to branch out as much as possible. You should never neglect one area, because you are going to need that area someday. Now is your chance to study these things. Go out and buy a recording of every major piece. That should be part of your scene.

Okay, let's do this one more time and make it exciting. Make sure your rhythm is good. If you lose time, you're going to try to make it up somewhere else. You need to make sure your rhythm is consistent throughout. Do it again and stay focused on the pulse.

11:14 AM

Joe: I really want to get this with you. Let's play it together.

Joe and Jason play the excerpt

Joe: Good. Now by yourself, one more time from the top. Okay, I think we're going to leave this, but let me play it for you one more time. (demonstrates)

Okay, let's hear Hungarian March and see how it's going.

Jason plays

Joe: The style is unexciting. Let's have it a little shorter with a little more bite. I think to get the bite you need, the right combination of air and tongue, practice slowly (Joe plays Arban arpeggio exercise). Just try that.

Jason plays

Joe: Make sure the volume stays the same through the note. Don't let it get louder after the start of the note. You need to be a little more focused on getting a beautiful "ping." Every player out there has to become his or her own teacher. For me, that means you have to stay true to the music. The next step would be to apply this to the excerpt. Try to really work on your attacks because it's destroying the shape of your notes. Alright, let's give him a hand.

11:30 AM

This ends the final master class in the 2005 Alessi Seminar