š Fun Things
Itās important to practice our lesson book materials and band music, but you know how to play a musical instrument, and thereās tons of fun music out there to play!
Music to Play
Playing By Ear
To figure out to play a melody youāve heard on your instrument without any sheet music is called playing by ear. Itās a skill that can be learned like any other skill, and is really rewarding to learn. In addition to making it easier to pick out and play fun things more quickly, it can compliment your abilities in playing regular music. Additionally, itās also helps with jazz improvisation skills.
The key to playing by ear is to first really know the song youāre trying to learn. Itās advisable that you donāt try and learn it alongside a recording of it, because it might be in a key you lack familiarity with. Instead, just try figuring out one part of it note by note. If something sounds off, figure out of it needs to be higher or lower ā and if you overshoot going higher or lower, it might be a sharp or a flat in between what you went to. Work slowly and patiently, and then try piecing things together.
By learning it by ear, you might not realize just how complicated some of the rhythms are, yet have no problems playing them. Your goal isnāt necessarily to be able to write out the tune (a prcoess called 'transcribing') just to learn it for your own enjoyment.
Finding Fun Sheet Music
Fun Books
There are many books out there of music from musicals, movies, etc. for different instruments, usually as solo books. If you search on the website of a company like JW Pepper or West Music, for solos for your instrument and some broad terms of interest, youāll be surprised at what you find. Many of these books are arranged specifically for younger players.
Music Online
Thereās numerous sources of music online beyond what you might be able to find arranged in stores. Just googling for the name of a piece or a song and āsheet musicā will usually net you some pretty good results. Some results will be paid, but regardless, many results will not be for your instrument.
Thereās also a site called MuseScore that hosts many arrangements of many popular tunes for various instrumentation. Using their site will help you find something free, but it might not be of great quality. 8notes also has some free music.
Taking music you find for other instruments, especially music found on MuseScore, and arranging it for your own instrument (and/or bringing it into a key that is more familiar for you and in a better range for your instrument) is called transposing. Using notation software like Dorico or the MuseScore application is an easy way to transpose it for your instrument. See Music Notation Software article.
For many folk/simple tunes, you can freely find things on the OSFABB site.
ā¦IMSLP
2021 Summer Practice Ideas.pdf
Cool Music Sources
Listening
One of the best things we can do as musicians is listen to great music! Beyond the general enjoyment of listening to anything, there are many things that make you a better musician!
Listening helps youā¦
- Develop a better sense ofā¦ - Style on certain kinds of pieces! - Tone/quality sound for your instrument + āFeelā of certain musical things - Cool concepts like phrase rhythm and hypermeter! - - - Discover new - Composers - Styles - āExtended techniques" like - Flutter-tonguing - Growling - Multiphonics
Band Listening
Listening to full ensembles is mostly useful in hearing what we as an ensemble can aspire to sound like; good blend, good balance, and good individual playing. It's also useful for listening for your instrument.
- The "BDG Twice Taught" Playlist ( Spotify ā¢ Apple Music )
Jazz Listening
Solo Listening (By Instrument)
Be sure to check out Chamber Ensemble Listening for ensembles involving your instruments!
Flute/Piccolo
Melvin Lauf: Echoes of Narcissus. Christine Beard & Sarah Jackson, piccolos; Richard Shaw, piano
Iowa Piccolo Intensive 2015 Gala Recital Highlights
Greater Portland Flute Society
Mozart Flute Concerto No 1 in G - Jean-Pierre Rampal, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Gluck - Orfeo ed Euridice - Jean-Pierre Rampal -
EMMANUEL PAHUD Mozart Flute Concerto in G - 1 mov.
EMMANUEL PAHUD | DEBUSSY Ā· Syrinx
Emmanuel Pahud - Entr'acte from Bizet's Carmen - Berliner Phil.
The Flight of the Bumble Bee - Flute, James Galway
Marina Piccinini performs Pierre-Octave Ferroud's Jade
Marina Piccinini performs Claude Debussy's Syrinx
Joan Tower "Concerto for Flute and Orchestra" - Carol Wincenc
Paula Robison, flute - Carmen Fantasie Rehearsal
Gary Schocker and Hugh Sung play Hindemith Flute Sonata
Gary SCHOCKER plays Haynes super thin closed hole flute
Flute forest Mvt 2 gary schocker
Beautiful Morn - Mike Garson & Jim Walker
American Flute Salute - Jim Walker Concert 4.9.10
Jim Walker - William Tell Overture
Clarinet
That's A Plenty - Benny Goodman clarinet solo, 1928
Benny Goodman - Legends In Concert
Benny Goodman Orchestra "Sing, Sing, Sing" Gene Krupa - Drums, from "Hollywood Hotel" film (1937)
Artie Shaw: Concerto for Clarinet
Clariperu: Robert Spring clarinet warm-up (subtitulado)
Robert Spring (Clarinet) - Scherzo Tarantelle, Op. 16, Henri Wieniawski
Hakan Rosengren/Okko Kamu: Bernhard Henrik Crusell Clarinet Concerto in f minor, op. 5
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, II. Larghetto - Salastina
Bass Clarinet
Sax
Trumpet
Allen Vizzutti - Trumpet - āCarnival of Venice"
(Shaky video, but in this one, he pulls a bit of a stunt at the 5 min mark)
Horn
Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Percussion
Chamber Ensemble Listening
Clarinet Ensemble
Sujeito a Guincho | Espinha de Bacalhau (Severino AraĆŗjo) | Instrumental Sesc Brasil
(Kinds of groups that are different from a band)
Other Listening
George Collier has a cool channel; he takes interesting performances (usually jazz solos) and transcribes them ā meaning he writes out the music (that no one is reading) underneath the video.
In the interest of full disclosure, Iām stealing most of these links (and ideas!) from other band directors! Including
- Matthew Provinoās Sierra Vista MS Band page out in California - ā¦
Music TED Talks
How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins
Music Theory
Songs to help you identify intervals
sethisdavid on Instagram ā Mostly school appropriate. Funny, if sometimes obscure music theory posts