Articulation Awareness and Discipline
Articulation Awareness and Discipline
Attacks and releases are not related.
Simple observations:
When I ask students to play longer notes (particularly when playing excerpts, Mahler 3 in particular), they nearly always soften their attacks. Why?
Likewise, if I ask them to play shorter notes in some passage or other, their attacks become harder and the dynamic becomes louder. Why?
Learn to disassociate the attack from the release or note length. They are unrelated. Take control of your articulation and be aware of what is happening. Tenuto refers to the length of the note, not the type of attack. Staccato refers to note separation, not the type of attack. Staccato is not necessarily short. Secco is short.
How the note starts and how the note ends are not inextricably linked. Think carefully about each side of the note and craft what you really want, not merely what you are in the habit of doing.
Awareness.
Discipline.
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TA-DA!
I clearly remember my very first lesson with the great Frank Crisafulli in September, 1984. One of the things I played for him was the excerpt from the Intro to Act III of Lohengrin, for which he gave me two gold nuggets:
The first is a great way to clearly place the triplet. His advice: think “1-2 (in halves) and then 1-2-3 (in quarters) D-F#-A.” That rhythmic approach still helps me as well as every student I share it with.
So simple.
So effective.
The other nugget was his observation of the articulation I was employing on the dotted 8th-16th figures. I was going TA-DA instead of TA-TA.
TA-TA-TA TAAAAAAH TA-TA-DA TAAAAAAH TA-TA-DAAAAAAH TAAAAAH, etc.
Don’t mix ‘em.
All TAs for this.
Awareness.
Discipline.
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Oh, and another observation.
Ravel wrote “Sostenuto” under the solo in Bolero. He did not write “Legato” or “slurred.” Ravel was a master orchestrator. Trust his markings.
Success in nearly every career is contingent on separating yourself from others.
Don’t make the same mistakes as everyone else.
Awareness.
Discipline.
