Weissenborn Wednesdays! Etude #1

For starters I am using the etude scans available on IMSLP so that anyone interested in following along with the etudes performed can have easy access to them. While I am allowing myself multiple attempts at recording each etude, I am trying to limit myself to three recordings and posting the best of the three, mistakes and all. 

Weissenborn Etudes

I still haven't decided what format I want to use with these blog posts, but for now I will start by saying that these first 10 or so weeks are the recordings that make me the most nervous. They strip down the performer to the basic elements of music and reveal any fundamental flaws that may have crept in over time when you feel like you are practicing more "important" things.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to decide if I was going to play the repeats on this and following etudes, but spirit of brevity for the listener as the etudes get longer, I decided to forgo the repeated sections. 

My primary goal with this etude was to channel the fluidity of a Bach prelude. There were two things that I spent a lot of time debating, the final tempo and the measures in which I would put more emphasis on the downbeat. I also struggled with my choice of breathing location in the first section. I was hesitant to break up the V-I motion between mm. 8 and 9, but decided that for consistency through the whole etude this was the best place to breath.

I think this is a good place to close for now. I don't want these to be attempts at some large educational discourse, but I hope that it does bring a little insight into what I was thinking as I prepared for this week. 

Weissenborn Wednesdays: The Introduction

As I have taken on the challenges of being a foster uncle, I have discovered that balance in life when you are responsible for a little human's life is much more difficult to find.

When I moved to Houston I threw myself into the life of being an uncle and working and I ended up taking almost 2 months off from practicing or even playing bassoon. I never intended to take that much time off. I thought that I would fall naturally into the role of musician/uncle/barista, but the transition wasn't as natural as I had hoped. I also think that I needed a little separation. I love music and have been more passionate and driven in my pursuit of having a music career than anything else in my life. The Navy music program was toxic for me. I spent my first full time music gig being beaten down and having my love not just of music but of life stripped from me. I never stopped loving music and as much as the chiefs I worked for used it to punish me, sitting under Dr. Mallory Thompson in the Northshore Concert Band was the air I came up to breath every week. I don't say any of this to make people feel sorry for me, but to say that I have spent the past two weeks getting my face back and discovering that in the time off while I learned how to do these other incredible things in life, I have also rediscovered the joy in my passion for music. It is no longer a tool for punishment or a life line to stay sane but something that completes me and gives me balance again.

As I continue my life in Houston I hope to build a teaching studio and perform with different ensembles throughout the area, but until then, I have nowhere to go that requires any accountability. I've seen friends doing the #100daysofpractice on instagram, but with an 11 month old in tow, I know myself well enough to say that daily recordings and uploads aren't going to happen. So over the next year I am committing myself to practicing, recording and publishing one Weissenborn etude a week, every Wednesday barring any personal or natural disasters. While I reserve the right to make multiple recordings and upload the best one, they will be single takes. I can say with near certainty that while I will aim for perfection, there will be mistakes, notes will be out of tune and accidents will happen. As a person who doesn't like to be wrong, this will be as much a character building exercise as accountability exercise. So perfection may not happen, but I will do my best to play with intent. With each upload, I won't be including performance guides, but I will include some text to let you know what I was thinking as I practiced and what my intent was. That being said, I should get back to the practice room and I will see everyone for Weissenborn #1 next Wednesday! (You may also hear my duet partner [foster niece] in the recordings; so for the purists, I apologize ahead of time.)

First Blog: hopefully to be followed by a second

So I've never been much of a blogger, but I do enjoy reading them. I'm gonna be honest, this blog won't be a blog completely devoted to bassoon and music related information. I am also an avid runner (marathon, half, 10k, 5k, hopefully an ultra within the next two years) and cyclist who also swims on occasion because I am trying my hand at triathlon. There will be a lot of bassoon information as well as reviews or recommendations of CD's, videos and whatever else I think will be interesting to me and beneficial to a reader. 

When I move to Houston I will also be embarking on a new path in the foster system. My sister is a foster parent and I will be moving in to help her with her endeavors as I build a teaching studio and work on building my career again as a freelancer. While names and pictures aren't allowed on the web, I will also be posting funny stories about Little Miss and me. Fun fact, I have never changed a diaper in my life, so that will be fun. Do clothespins on the nose actually work or is it just a funny TV gimmick? Feel free to drop any suggestions in the comments section. 

To finish things out, check out the animation for In the Hall of the Mountain King.