What’s on your music stand? (February 2013)

[kreig-kitts]

I was a bit surprised to learn that the band transcription of The Planets doesn’t have any harp, so that lessons my workload quite a bit. The Star Wars Trilogy music, however, has a substantial part on each of its five movements, most of which will require some work, so I have plenty to do regardless.

[Jerusha Amado]

Star Wars Trilogy music! That sounds really cool!
Do you think that the harp part is prominent enough so that you can be heard during the performance?

[kreig-kitts]

In theory, yes, though due to our size I’m going to pitch some discrete amplification to the conductor if our rehearsals suggest it will be a problem.

[justin-lo]

It feels somewhat strange replying to a “winter” thread for it feels totally like summer here… Anyway. I’m working on my ATCL programme now, the Paganini Variations and Children’s Hour Suite still needs some hard work.

I also have a few orchestral parts to work on, Debussy’s Nocturnes, Chaminade’s Flute Concertino as well as the Flying Dutchman, which I still dread. Another orchestra I’m in seems to be starting Mahler 5 and Scheherazade this week, but it’s not going to be performed, so no pressure.

I’ve done the Star Wars Trilogy before – it’s mostly a nice part, especially the slower movements like Yoda. But I recall the glissandi hurt my fingers so badly I had to bring my picks for the performance.

[Jerusha Amado]

Hi Justin,
You bring up a very good point–not all parts of the world experience the same seasons simultaneously; therefore, I’ll change the name of the thread to “February 2013”.

[Jerusha Amado]

Hugh,
I’m sorry about putting this thread in the wrong category. I used to put it in the “Coffee Break” section (before we had “Repertoire”), so I did so again out of habit.

[kimberly-rowe]

Absolutely no worries Jerusha! We’re just trying to keep things logical and it seemed like “Repertoire” was a better place for this. Thanks for starting the thread!

[emma-graham]

Thanks Jerusha, I am going to check out that book ASAP! Apparently my brain didn’t compute the words “give up the harp” I just can’t imagine not playing at all. They might as well have told me to cut my own head off!

[kreig-kitts]

Justin, did you find the Star Wars Trilogy printed pedal markings a mess? So many changes were missing and others redundant because they’d already been changed (sometimes marked and sometimes not). Maybe the key was changed when it went to band and either some changes were lost in transposition or they weren’t needed in the orchestral edition. On the second page of Leia’s Theme alone I had to add six changes and cross three out.

I guess you could give them credit for trying, but as we all know, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

[emma-graham]

Nicely done Kreig. I see what you did there!!

[Allison Stevick]

Yeah, good one, Kreig! 🙂

In other news, I received the Sylvia Woods version of Stairway the other day! It is so much fun! I kind of want to transcribe the guitar solo and try to fake it on the harp… But I don’t think that would work out very well. haha

[justin-lo]

Jerusha, we’re supposed to be in late winter here now, actually.

Kreig, I understand your pain. The first two movements are particularly messy. This happens quite frequently in band repertoire, at least from my experience. They write in part of the pedal changes and make us feel like it’s the whole story. I appreciate that they try, but most of the time I wish they’d just leave it to us.

[Jerusha Amado]

Hi Allison,
Great to hear that you’re now working on “Stairway” and that you like it!!

[tony-morosco]

I kind of want to transcribe the guitar solo and try to fake it on the harp… But I don’t think that would work out very well. haha

I considered it too and came to the same conclusion. The other day I was playing around with Black Sabbath’s Planet Caravan and got most of the melody down, but I tried to imiate Tony Iommi’s guitar solo and it is just impossible to do on harp. But I really liked the overall sound of the piece on harp so I may have to come up with my own harp solo for it.

So you can alway do that. Make your own solo. That’s what solos are for, to shine and improvise in your own voice.

[Allison Stevick]

I may just do that, Tony! I’m already adding to/changing a few parts of the arrangement, so it wouldn’t be that much more work. Also, I love Led Zeppelin, and it’s weird to have a huge chunk of the song missing (even though it is already quite different than the original just by playing on harp).

[Author]

Posts