“As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the means for writing one note.” Georges Bizet<\/p>\n
(Note: this entry is part of a series of audition tips. Click here for the beginning of the series.)<\/a><\/p>\n So you\u2019ve learned the notes and rhythms of your audition piece, you\u2019re taking care to keep the pitch up at the ends of phrases, and you\u2019re beginning to hate the piece \u2013 this bunch of notes that you\u2019ve played so many times it makes your brain numb. Now what? Well, it\u2019s time to fall in love. No, not with the guy\/girl that sits next to you in band \u2013 with your music. Yes, that bunch of notes that\u2019s beginning to feel like a torture device invented by some unknown sadistic authority type, is actually one of the most amazingly inspiring creations in the history of humanity.<\/p>\n First of all \u2013 hopefully by now you own, and have been listening regularly to, at least one, or ideally three, four, maybe five or six recordings of the piece. You say you have seven? Awesome! (If not now\u2019s the time! You may wish to choose based on the thoughts below, or your teacher\u2019s recommendation, or your own browsing, but get something! Click here for some recommended\u00a0YouTube recordings <\/a>\u2013 and use good headphones!)<\/p>\n Start listening with a new ear \u2013 shake off the tedium you\u2019ve experienced in learning the notes for a little while \u2013 and listen as if you\u2019ve never heard the piece before. Hopefully it will be self-evident that there\u2019s plenty to fall in love with. Then start reveling in the finer points. Notice the differences between one recording and another. Think about what details you love about one recording, and which you don\u2019t like as much about another. Think about how YOU would ideally like to play it. Obviously, we all need to play the correct notes and rhythms, but beyond that, notice how wide the differences are between professionals in the way they treat particular notes or phrases. It\u2019s by reveling in those differences and developing a deeper understanding of what you want from your own playing that truly brings your performance beyond playing a bunch of notes and on to a clearly evident expression of the love that this music was intended to be.<\/p>\n The main idea here is that all of these recordings are amazing, unique, and awe-inspiring. Listen to them as much as you can. I hope to\u00a0follow up on this post with additional thoughts on detailed nuances regarding the\u00a0Bizet Menuet\u00a0in particular, but for now revel in the beauty of this music and the variety of ways it can be interpreted. What style do you prefer? You may love them all \u2013 great! Over time you may appreciate aspects of one or more interpretations in particular. It\u2019s when you take this music into your soul and fall in love with it in all its glorious detail that you take the step beyond preparing for an audition and into playing like a pro.<\/p>\n