I have always wanted to perform the trumpet solo featured in the Brandenburg Concerto #2.
It ain’t gunna happen!
Why you might ask? The answer is simple. I don’t have the chops and I never will have the chops.
With that confession, I have illustrated my concern for choosing material suited to your strength or better phrased, avoid your short comings. I have heard students play this challenging number beautifully but, as my first boss at the University of Northern Iowa told me, “Not every horse is a race horse”.
Be sure when you are setting your next program you are realistic in your choice of solos. Your material should be challenging without being unrealistic as to your capabilities. Too many times a player will select a piece that has caught his/her eye (ear) and after spending many weeks working on the number realizes that it is out of his/her musical reach. Be sure that you spend time playing your selection before dedicating your time to its preparation. A good guide when making your final selection is to spend a week playing through it to see if it will fit your technical ability and still rate as a number to add to your list of achievements.
You will need to decide if you are a technical player, a lyrical performer, a high note virtuoso or any other strong attributes before you decide on a solo. You may be a strong player and what you need to work on is your soft, delicate playing style. That is commendable and a very admirable decision. But “crossing the gap” from big air to conservative air usage comes at a price. The opposite is also true for a soft, delicate style player choosing to play a barn burner also has additional issues. My suggestion would be to limit those “cross over” pieces to the practice rooms, not the performance stage. Showcase your strengths and practice your weaknesses.
One thing I have learned from solo work is that when you are deciding on the final solo recital, drop one number. Too many times a player will decide on the perfect program only to find that he/she runs out of gas five minutes short of the finish line. A wonderful recital can be ruined if the performer is not able to hit the high C at the end of the last number. Don’t try to be a hero unless you are a hero.
For this project I have decided to work on a solo of moderate difficulty and is available free of charge at……..
Free sheet music : Goedicke, Alexander – Concert Etude (Trumpet solo) (free-scores.com)
Download this solo and in our next post we will be offering some insight into how we can start practicing this number and be on our way to a perfect performance.
