Ask an Expert: Archive

I have memorized my marimba solo and now I’m trying to develop it musically. I’m incorporating all of the markings on the music including the tempo markings. What else can I do to make my solo, “musical?”

Remember, that the music you are striving for is not in the marimba, nor is it on the written page. The musicality that you desire is inside of you. Your experiences, musical understanding and your intuit sensitivity create the musical potential for your solo (not in just playing right notes and rhythms). Learning a new work of music is a process. Often this process is more important than the actual performance. Open your mind to exploring every angle of the music: the style, the composer, the form, harmonic structure, dynamics and articulation, etc. This includes listening to other compositions by the composer. Then when you have applied this information to your solo, imagine the remaining possibilities. Record yourself in practice sessions for self-evaluation. Consulting with and listening to other musicians is very important too. As the solo becomes “part of you,” strive to perform it often in master classes or recitals. Don’t be disappointed with mistakes. A poor performance can give you the opportunity to revise and understand your weaknesses. Give attention to these issues and then perform again. This process can help you develop your musical potential.

Mark Ford
University of North Texas

This is a very difficult and at times elusive area to teach. Music making is an extremely personal experience and one that continually develops over many years of performing and listening to music. The concept of listening to ourselves more objectively can be a good place to begin.

1) I would first suggest establishing a routine of taping your practice sessions and performances. This will give you a truly objective perspective on the interpretive and expressive nature of your performance.

2) Sing passages from the solo. This is a terrific way to develop a sense of line in your playing. The human voice is arguably the best instrument for creating pure musical line. I will often conduct and sing to help me better understand a sense of pacing in a particular phrase. If you have trouble singing, work on it. It's also an important teaching tool for all you budding educators.

3) Experiment with dramatically emphasizing the expression in your solo. I find that many times students think they're making significant differences in dynamics and tempos when very little is happening at all. Communicating with an audience can be like trying to break through an invisible wall. I often find that I have to go that extra step for them to "get the message".

Michael Burritt
Northwestern University