Junior Low Clarinet: Audition Solo 1A, Moderato Grazioso
-Google search or ask for the definition of all words listed around the music. Some may be musical markings while others may be tempo. These words, and differences, will further your interpretation of the melody.
-Clearly articulate the differences between each articulative marking. Match the terms to the markings in the solo and learn how to differentiate the articulations.
- Staccato
- Accent & Accented Staccato
- Tenuto
-Find the intended “target note” of each slurred and articulated line to further show musical direction. This is the same thought when we speak; emphasis is given to the most important word in the sentence!
Happy birthday to YOU. Happy birthday to YOU.
----------------------→(X) ---------------------→(X)
The arrows show the direction moving to the most import part of the song (since it’s YOUR birthday.)
Musical example:
Measures 25,26,27,28 start with a note and end with that same note an octave apart. Each measure uses the 8thnote figure to get there. In measure 28, we arrive on the note C and it’s held longer than any other note in the small sequence prior. Looking at the ending notes, in a sequential order, the melodic line (albeit hidden) is F-E-D-C! Hint: Dynamics can hint at target notes of phrases Find, interpret, and perform the other lines!
-Finally, use chromatic F# to avoid “finger flipping” in measure 18.
Clinic Low Clarinet Audition Solo 2A, Sempre dolce
-Google search or ask for the definition of all words listed around the music. Some may be musical markings while others may be tempo. These words, and differences, will further your interpretation of the melody.
-Clearly articulate the differences between each articulative marking. Match the terms to the markings in the solo and learn how to differentiate the articulations.
- Staccato
- Accent & Accented Staccato
- Tenuto
-Find the intended “target note” of each slurred and articulated line to further show musical direction. This is the same thought when we speak; emphasis is given to the most important word in the sentence!
Happy birthday to YOU. Happy birthday to YOU.
----------------------→(X) ---------------------→(X)
The arrows show the direction moving to the most import part of the song (since it’s YOUR birthday.)
Musical example:
Measures 23,24,25,26(29) include a scale interrupted by a low-G continuo.
Bring out the scale, with subtle accents on each note, to avoid the monotony of 3 measures of sequential 8thnotes. Find, interpret, and perform the other lines!
-Speaking of sequences, musical sequences can become “stagnant” if you play a repeated phrase the same way too many times.
To make a sequence interesting, try starting at a softer dynamic and play each repetition at the next dynamic level up.Musical Example:
- Measure 16’s 16thnotes are played at “P”
- Measure 17’s 16thnotes are played at “MP”
- Measure 18’s 16thnotes are played at “MF”
- Measure 19’s 16thnotes are played at “F”
- Measure 20 then has a crescendo that leads to measure 21 with a dynamic of “FF.” Sequentially, both notes and dynamics, it works!Find, interpret, and perform the others!
Senior Low Clarinet Audition Solo 3A, Andante appassionato
-Google search or ask for the definition of all words listed around the music. Some may be musical markings while others may be tempo. These words, and differences, will further your interpretation of the melody.
-Clearly articulate the differences between each articulative marking. Match the terms to the markings in the solo and learn how to differentiate the articulations.
- Staccato
- Accent & Accented Staccato
- Tenuto
-Find the intended “target note” of each slurred and articulated line to further show musical direction. This is the same thought when we speak; emphasis is given to the most important word in the sentence!
Happy birthday to YOU. Happy birthday to YOU.
----------------------→(X) ---------------------→(X)
The arrows show the direction moving to the most import part of the song (since it’s YOUR birthday.)
Musical example:
Measure 6 (beat 3) to measure 8 (beat 2.) Each 4-note slurred figure is a sequence that ascends, but starts again a third lower each time. The last note in each 4-note sequence spells out the tonic chord in the key of the appassionato; G minor (D-Bb-G.) This sequence is the 2ndhalf of the musical phrase started on beat 4 of measure 4. Find, interpret, & perform the others!
Measure 20-21/38-39 includes “Metric Modulation”; metric modulation is when the note that gets the beat is reassigned, but the tempo and how you perform the length of these notes STAYS THE SAME.
2/4 – 7/8. Instead of 2 beats to a measure, there are now 7. Instead of the quarter note getting the beat, the 8thnote gets the beat.
How to practice this:
- Set a metronome to 112 and play steady open-G 8thnotes
- Now, mentally, group these 8thnotes by big beats
- As 2 8thnotes exist in a beat, accent the first 8thnote to show the beat.
- 1– 2, 1– 2, 1– 2 (so on and so forth)
- Boldnumbers imply accents on that part of the beat.
- In 7/8, the 8thnote gets the beat. Since there are 7 beats in the measure, every 8thnote will get an accent.
- 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7…
- Look at measures 20-21/38-39 and you’ll see they’re grouped instead of playing straight (like before)
- 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 should now be grouped 1- 2, 3- 4, 5– 6 – 7.
- Playing these steady open-G 8thnotes, in this accented fashion at 112, should have you performing the time correctly. To fully play the measure correctly, substitute the open Gs for the written notes and articulate all written articulations.
Download these performance notes [pdf].