ubassman Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Was chatting to a friend about a couple of Bottesini etudes included in the current ABRSM syllabus (Grade 5 - 8 ) and how they should best be played . As there are no dynamics shown in any of the etudes (as they are technical studies rather than compositions for the concert hall), I was of the view that its down to the musicianship and interpretation to make the pieces come alive particularly in an exam environment for the level of grade being performed i.e. for a 'distinction' the player should be [i]authoritative and have an instinctive and communicative sense of performance, sensitivity to the musical detail and mood. etc etc [/i] He was of the view that you just play the notes evenly taking the ground that if the composer wanted accents, Forte and Piano passages, cresc etc he would have written in the dynamics and as a technical piece it should be just that - a technical tour de force. Pull out the character of the music or play a technically perfect but sterile demonstration? For me it should be both but got me thinking and normally yes, I would follow the dynamics of the piece respecting the composers intention ...but when there are none ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oggiesnr Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 There's the same problem all the way through the levels. I'm working on a couple of studies for Grade 4 and again there is an absence of dynamics. The approach I'm working on is to make sure that the technical aspects (intonation, bowing etc) are as good as I can make them and then introducing enough dynamics to make the pieces sound musical rather than a procession of notes. The good news is that my tutor is used to this so can keep me on the straight and narrow and knows what the examiner is going to be looking for. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 ...just looked up the Bottesini 4 and 9 studies - really very different pieces ( are you doing one of these Steve? - if so all the best with your exam !! ). ...4 is a lot more straight laced and almost mathematical and Study no 9 is more lyrical in comparison. What I though was interesting was that I figured that if i were doing 4, I would play it perhaps more 'black and white' focussing on the precision of the alternating slurred and staccato bowings and hitting the accents where they are specified ...but if I were playing Study no9 I would tempted to add colour with all the accidental notes that are thrown in and the range covered. So maybe the right answer is to play what the piece calls for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oggiesnr Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 [quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1374421916' post='2148528'] ...just looked up the Bottesini 4 and 9 studies - really very different pieces ( are you doing one of these Steve? - if so all the best with your exam !! ). ...4 is a lot more straight laced and almost mathematical and Study no 9 is more lyrical in comparison. What I though was interesting was that I figured that if i were doing 4, I would play it perhaps more 'black and white' focussing on the precision of the alternating slurred and staccato bowings and hitting the accents where they are specified ...but if I were playing Study no9 I would tempted to add colour with all the accidental notes that are thrown in and the range covered. So maybe the right answer is to play what the piece calls for! [/quote] I'm working on both of them at the moment, no decision yet made on which I'll actually do. I prefer playing no 9 but I actually play the other one more accurately! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philparker Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I'm currently studying for the Grade 6 exam where the Bottesini Study 40 or 50 can be played in the C List. I'm annoyed and frustrated that nearly all the pieces for the ABRSM Grade 6 exam are in separate scores, unlike when I studied classical guitar and could buy all the exam pieces in one album. Grade 5 for DB wasn't as bad (I didn't take the exam) and my collected study repertoire allowed me to practice 9 pieces at that standard, but at Grade 6 I have a lot of music to buy. However, getting back to the original point, once a study has been familiarised, there should be every reason to apply one's own interpretation of dynamics, phrasing and tempo. In the classical guitar world, composer Leo Brouwer has written many studies that have been included in ABRSM grades and many professionals have played these as concert pieces above and beyond their grades with their own interpretation - indeed, Dale Kavanagh often plays a few of them in her concert repertoire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 You can see Bottesini with a twinkle in his writing 4 as a test for the right hand ...slurred notes into staccato and then a slur into an accent - all in one bar ...and then the 9th definitely throwing down the gauntlet for the left hand intonation and fingering! Both great fun to play for very different reasons . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Phil, 40 'Allegretto con energy' with big drops or 50 'allegro' with the first bar played 'leggeramente' ( calm before the 3/8 staccato storm ? ) ...you gotta love Bottesini! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 [quote name='philparker' timestamp='1374433952' post='2148713'] when I studied classical guitar and could buy all the exam pieces in one album. [/quote] I remember having to buy Augustine Barrios, Fernando Sorr and an obscure Scarlatti when doing my 6 at classical guitar ( many moons ago !!) and thinking how expensive it was as you had to buy a whole book for one piece....and pay for the exam. I think that seems to be a predicament with the upper grades. Maybe we should operate a musical library and share what we have !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLoydElgar Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 JUST PAY its going to a good cause! =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 [quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1374429507' post='2148631'] I'm working on both of them at the moment, no decision yet made on which I'll actually do. I prefer playing no 9 but I actually play the other one more accurately! Steve [/quote] ...I think I do too on balance ( 9 is just a bit more musical to play ) ...but it cool to show off a bit of dexterity with no 4 ( which I guess is the deal there ) ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 [quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1374429507' post='2148631'] I prefer playing no 9 but I actually play the other one more accurately! [/quote] For no 9, the 'money notes' I reckon are to make the shifts in bars 7 & 8 ...and 11 squeaky clean - I reckon 'jobs a good-un' getting those bars nailed with everything else more or less falling under the fingers ..just got to get them thar string crossings clean !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 ...and of course the dynamics ( which was the original post !!) ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 When it came grade 8 double bass, my approach was pretty much 'grip it and rip it'. If you notice a natural flow to the music, just go with it. If it seems like just a bunch of interconnected notes, just play it as a bunch of interconnected notes. I did grade 0 to grade 8 in two years and was taught by a cellist who hadn't really played double bass though, so stylistic points were not always a priority for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandShef Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 My understanding of the Bottesini studies is that, even though they are technical pieces, with no performance directions, you can still play them musically by giving them 'shape'. I'm sure for the exam you'd pass if you just played them 'straight', but you may get distinction if they were played with a bit of extra musicianship! My tutor once said to me that to follow a piece of music slavishly without interpreting it yourself, is like driving whilst blindly following the sat nav, instead of interpreting the road yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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