 |
|
Return to Handbook Table of Contents
|
Either William Tell or La Gazza Ladra Overture will appear on every audition. Both require accurate slide/tongue coordination and each have many pitfalls.
I have indicated suggested key slide positions for several notes; because I utilize a slide technique that generally keeps the slide moving smoothly and I let the tongue to the articulating (as opposed to a slide technique that actually stops the slide at every given note in a rather "jerky" fashion), my goal is to try to keep the slide going in the same direction as much as possible. My right hand and wrist are relaxed - I don't want to transfer any tension that the excerpt may be causing into the right arm and hand.
Back off the volume 10% after hitting each of the tied whole notes; do not play the tied eighth note (as in measure 3) - that is where you breathe.
My teacher, Edward Kleinhammer, always recommended using a "no" tongue syllable (instead of "ta") on this and other heavily articulated excerpts. By doing this, we will take the "bite" off the notes and have more than just an attack for each note. In addition, it is delicious to think of playing William Tell with "NO tongue!"
The most common rhythmical mistakes are to come in late after the long tied notes and to come in early after the half note rests in measures 26, 28 and 30. Keep your internal metronome going throughout. Keep the air moving forward at all times. Practice this at a variety of tempos. While I always single tongue it, some people find it more comfortable to use double tongue - this excerpt tends to fall "in the crack" between single and double tonguing for many players. As is the case with other "unison" excerpts, don't overblow this. In the orchestra, you play this along with the other two trombonists, so less is really more as we strive to produce the best kind of sound possible, devoid of any "shattering" overtones caused by over blowing.
You can hear me play this excerpt on the 1984 audition tape which I made for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The recording may be found in mp3 format on the Douglas Yeo Boston Symphony Orchestra Audition Tape page of this website.
To download the music of this excerpt as a PDF file which may be read and printed in a high quality output with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software), click the icon below:
Return to Handbook Table of Contents
|
All rights reserved. |