Wednesday, September 04, 2019

All notes on display!

Imagine that all the notes you played today were on display in the window of your local jewelry store. Your advertisement reads: TOP QUALITY GEMS - REFINED, POLISHED, PURIFIED, READY FOR PURCHASE, AVAILABLE IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES - BOLD, BRAZEN, BRIGHT, SPARKLING, RADIANT! 

Ideally, a crowd of gawking passersby are standing amazed and eager to purchase large bundles of your valuable notes. "Wow, honey, look at those! They're gorgeous! Each one of them is perfect!"

Your job is to flood the market with an endless supply of solid-gold notes, always keeping in mind that cheap junky notes just won't sell. A daily commitment to refining and polishing is simply what you do. Being able to display a great product is worth the painstaking effort. Few are good at it because few have the clear vision and patience required. Rarely do you hear students carefully preparing each note, one by one.

What constitutes a high-priced note? Each has great quality of sound regardless of size. Each is clear and well-defined, with accurate pitch. Each great note fits properly into its phrase.  Fuzzy edges and unfocused tone are immediate disqualifiers.  If listeners were taking melodic dictation, they must easily be able to notate what you are performing. Your music critics will honestly use adjectives like clean, clear, vivid, solid, secure, stunning!

When your brain is programmed like that, your embouchure will start to cooperate, and your product will improve dramatically!




No comments: