Exploring the Art of Chamber Music with Brandon Patrick George
Join Grammy-winning flutist Brandon Patrick George for an exclusive livestream exploring the transformative power of chamber music. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just beginning to collaborate with others, this session will offer invaluable insights into preparing your part, key elements to focus on, and how to approach rehearsals with confidence. Learn the rewarding aspects of making music together and the skills that will elevate your ensemble playing. Perfect for musicians of all levels, this discussion will leave you inspired to embrace chamber music as a core part of your musical journey. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert advice and practical tips from a world-renowned artist! Brandon Patrick George is the flutist in Imani Winds and is on the faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music.
Follow this event link to tune in!
https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/chamber-music-brandon-patrick-george
We are going to be using this thread to gather suggestions and questions!
- What questions do you have on this topic?
- Any particular area you would like me to focus on?
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Hello! My question:
How do you use technology for chamber music? do you do livestreaming rehearsals and send each other audio to reduce the number of times you have to meet?
Ciao!
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I play in an amateur woodwind quintet + piano. We meet once or twice a month. But we never really rehearse, instead just playing through the music. Part of the problem is that no one wants to take on the role of director and no one wants to hurt anyones feelings about their playing. I feel like we are lucky to be able to get together at all, since we are all amateur players with busy lives, and don't want to do anything to alienate members and make them leave the group. Any advice for taking the group to a slightly higher level?
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Sam Smith Hi Sam, I have been playing in amateur trios and quartets for some time now. One of us (usually the person who has some idea of harmony and music analysis or the one who plays best) takes the role of moderator. We agree from the beginning that all comments are welcome. We play phrase by phrase and see if everyone agrees on what that phrase means and what dynamics are appropriate. Noone should remain silent. this,is not about one teaching the others. If there are similar measures for different instruments, we play them together to make sure we play appoggiaturas in the same way and use the bow in the same way. We take detailed notes on our sheet music (or tablets). We sometimes repeat an 8-measure phrase 5-6 times until we are satisfied and agree that if even one of us is not satisfied with the result, we repeat - however, if the problem arises from one or some of us needing to improve their own playing in a difficult passage, we leave that part to the next rehearsal. At the end of the rehersal we record ourselves and listen to it together. Usually we work for an hour and a half. Voilà. Have a good evening. Sedef
PS In our trio, if we are having difficulty synchronising the pulse, we turn our backs to each other and play without the visual cues from watching each other.
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