I was given a great idea today from Dr. Jonathan Allen during our Orchestral Low Brass Coaching. It can be applied to any chamber group and could really add an extra layer of depth to the knowledge of literature. He suggested each week, one of us is responsible for bringing in a bit of information about the piece and or composer we are working on. It's very simple, but how many times have you just played a piece without knowing when it was composed or knowing anything about the composer? I know I have been guilty of that in the past. Not only does this offer more insight, but it also gives you a chance to present material to your friends and colleagues on a weekly basis. To give an example, we were working on Bruckner 4 and I asked Dr. Allen what tuba I should use. He was able to respond telling me that since the tuba was invented in 1835 and the Symphony was written in 1874, it probably wasn't to the point where there would be decisions between using a CC or F tuba. Just the knowing when the piece was composed was able to answer this question.
Even if it is as simple as looking at Wikipedia or spending five minutes on Grove Online, challenge yourself and your chamber groups you are part of to go the extra mile and gather some more knowledge on the pieces you are doing.
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