Preparing for Chair Placement in Your Band This Fall- Part #3

Now Let’s Get Specific.

Here is an example of an audition sheet for a trumpet chair in an actual High School band-

Band Auditions

These examples are typical of most audition material in that they begin simply and continue to get more difficult. Each of the four sections was selected for a specific reason and I will address these issues individually.

Example #1- Allegro

To most, this is just another simple scale but to your director it has several deeper characteristics that you should be aware of.

1. The scale is the A minor scale and to be even more accurate, it is the A Melodic Minor Scale which has a raised sixth and seventh note ascending and lowered in the descending section. You might ask, “What difference does that make if I play it correctly”? It could make a big difference if your director decided to ask you the actual name of the scale. If your friends merely say “It’s the A minor scale” and you identify it as the “A Melodic Minor Scale”, who do you think your director will be more impressed with?

2. Choosing this scale will let your director know your playable range both low and high so when practicing this scale concentrate on you biggest, warmest tone quality on your low A and be sure to reach the top A with a comfortable, unstrained sound also. To assist you in this area, rewrite the scale one step lower and one step higher in order to build confidence in you upper and lower range. Playing the same scale in different keys will also keep your mind fresh and each time you play the different scales, you will be building the sound in your head of the step and half set combinations which will help you learn this printed scale.

3. Your sheet states that each quarter note equals 132 beats. Knowing this is just the beginning for your practice should start well below the stated tempo. Practicing at 60 beats will give you more time to see, hear and feel the notes you are learning. When I say “feel” the notes I am describing the actual motor skills required to push the valves down to accomplish the pitch you are attempting to play. When playing these scales slowly, you burn in your brain the note’s image, the correct fingering and the correct pitch. Start slow and gradually increase the tempo. Once you have achieved the 132 tempo, slowly and steadily increase the tempo to somewhere around 182. When you begin to get bored with this scale, make it more challenging by adding slurs. Tongue the quarter notes and the following two eighth notes. Then slur the next two eighths and tongue the following two eighth notes- T TT TeeA TT T, TT TeeA TT T. If this becomes stale, start practicing your double tonguing- Ta TaKa TaKa TaKa T, Ta TaKa TaKa TaKa T.

4. Be sure to vary your dynamics as you practice this scale for it is too easy to become complacent doing it the same way every time. Try playing it pp with a crescendo to the top note. Start it at a f level and get softer as you ascend. Play the first measure p, the second measure f the third p and the last two f. Mixing it up will force your brain to make the adjustments and at the same time you will be building motor skills needed to learn the fingering.

Example #2- Moderato

When looking at this exercise for the first time, most players will take in the pitch of the notes and the length of each note. But there are more important issues in this piece than pitch and counting. Notice the small points of this piece to consider.

1. Dynamics
2. Articulation- tongued notes and slurred notes
3. Special articulations
4. Accidentals
5. Time signature
6. Unusual rest in the fourth measure
7. F natural at the end of measure 6 followed by F# in the next beat.
8. Low D on the second beat, next to the last measure. Slide adjustment must be made at this point to lower the usually sharp D.
9. Subtle tempo changes in order to make piece come alive (slight ritard. in measure four would add interest to an otherwise simple melody).
10. Stretching the triplet in measure three would also add a personality to the line.
11. The Bb in measure five is there for a reason (it changes the mood of the piece by changing from G Major to G minor which continues in the next measure. This one note sets up a totally different feel and should have slightly more weight put on it for that reason. This is also true for the F natural on the last beat in measure six which continues the G Minor feel until the F# is played in the next to the last measure. Suddenly we are back in the key of G Major for the rest of the melody. Those issues were only half of what is going on in this passage for in the second measure, the C# has changed the key from G Major to A Major and in the third measure it changes to A Minor. You might ask what all of these harmonic changes have to do with learning the notes. These harmonic changes have everything to do with learning to play this exercise MUSICLY. Playing just the notes is like reciting Spanish with perfect pronunciation but not knowing what the words represent. Go the extra mile and play music not just the correct notes. That’s what your director wants to hear from you. “PLAY MUSIC NOT NOTES”.

My next post will finish with the last two passages in this audition and will include a recording of how I would play the material.