Adagietto

Good evening!

So today was an adagietto day. Translation: rather slow.

I am officially finished my last exam, and have some time before work starts to sit back, relax, and enjoy life's rather slow tempo.

I babysat my siblings for a couple hours today, and it was pretty easy. I felt like drawing, so I set them up with some colours and we did that together. Then we had lunch, I took them outside to play some soccer/football, we came back in and I got them a snack, then my brother played his DS and my sister continued to colour while I worked on a little project I had wanted to get done. I even played dolls for awhile with my little sister, but basically I got a jacket on one of her Bratz that she hadn't been able to get on before our Mom came home.

My grandparents are up for the week so we went out to visit them at the campsite their staying at (in their awesome trailer). We had some hamburgers, and me and my sister talked a lot more than we needed to about an anime she's getting me hooked on. Don't ask which one, it's so stereotypical anime freak that I wouldn't be able to admit I'm actually getting into it.

Other than that, there wasn't really much that I did.

I do own my own trumpet now though. The woman that gave it to me has officially become my hero. I think I will name the trumper Daniel. Either that or Benjamin. The first name that came into my head was Benjamin, but Daniel kind of suits the trumper to. I brought him to my old conductor, and he said that the trumpet was a really good one. In good condition (save for being a little banged up, but my conductor was able to buff out some of the dents with a drumstick. Who knew?) It's been well maintained, has a warm sound, and good motion. He gave me some good quality valve oil, some grease, and some tips on keeping the thing maintained. I can't wait to really start playing Daniel/Benjamin!

I had a trumpet buddy this year, which was awesome because the first year I really started playing trumpet I was the only one in the band. She was working on her practicum and had done some really cool stuff in Universtity when it came to music. She was the one who introduced me to Gustav Holst. He's my hero too. You can actually buy a 'Team Holst' shirt, and I am finding myself wanting one.

Anyways. I was going somewhere with this. She gave me a picture that had been taken of her conducting, and me playing trumpet at my last big concert. I've put it in my trumpet case and will keep it there, probably forever. She told me she would send me some music of awesome trumpet players who can basically make me feel like a failure just by thinking about the kinds of things they can play. I'm really excited to listen to them!

Well I'm exhausted, and I have to get up early tomorrow. The family is going to our church together to help decorate for "Vacation Bible School". It's this program for kids to go to, and I must admit it's really cool. Last year the theme was "God's Wild About You" and we decorated the church like a jungle. There were panda's all over the place, bamboo, lanterns, and a canopy set up in the lobby to look like the canopy of a bunch of trees. It's a lot of work, but it is pretty spectacular when all is said and done.

I'm sure it'll be good once we get there, but I would love to stay home and have another adagietto day tomorrow. I'd probably get bored to be honest. Without studying to do I'm a little aimless. I actually have these free moments where I'm not obligated to do anything. It's weird. I'll just stress out over driving now. That seems to be what has taken up that anxious spot in the pit of my stomach. I don't have my license yet, and if I don't practice I'm not going to be getting it soon. I know I shouldn't be worried about this stuff, but I kind of am, and I guess I should pray about it.

You know what, that's something I haven't done with driving. I'm kind of having a 'duh' moment here. If I pray about driving I'll probably feel a million times better about it.

Well that's awesome. I don't know if you know it, but you really helped me here figure out what I need to do about my attitude towards my biggest ordeal at the moment. (And yah, that's my biggest ordeal right now. I live a pretty laid back life.)

Right! I was going to go to bed because I'm tired. I get caught up in myself when I write on my blog. That's probably terrible, but I find this really fun.

Have a great night, and enjoy every adagietto day that comes your way. They can be few and far between, let me tell you.

Ciao!

-Trumpet Player.

Vivace

So today started in an--intersting fashion.

It was roughly two am in the morning. Now I'm not really one of those people who wake up and are functional in the middle of the night, so I groggily rolled around, and ended up knocking my Ipod onto the floor. I grappled for it in the dark, somehow managing to wrap the cord around the leg of my nightstand.
Yes I know, I have talent.
While fussing and stuggling with this chord, I manage to knock over the cup of water I had on my endtable and fritz out my alarm clock. Needless to say, I need to buy a new one. This one kind of buzzes whenever you plug it in now, not to mention the fact that the numbers aren't really displaying themselves properly. And I've never seen a clock tell the time, E, but this unique feature can be yours if only you pour a good two hundred and fifty mililitres of water into the top of your alarm clock.


Vivace: lively, vivid, usually corresponding to a quick tempo.

That's how my day started, and that's the word that's been bouncing around in my head all day with regards to the incident this morning. It certainly was lively, for two in the morning that is.

The rest of my day was relatively uneventful. I did a lot of prep for an exam that I have coming up, but I'm feeling pretty solid about it. When I think about it too hard, my stomach flutters up into my chest, and that doesn't seem normal, so I try not to think about it. I've got this. I prayed about this, God's got my back.

Me and my sister prayed a prayer we knew was kind of ridiculous, that God would give us a hundred percent on all of the tests we have from here until forever. It was kind of a joke, but also kind of a prayer based around the fact that God gives to those who ask. Even those who ask crazy things. I did get a hundred percent on my last final exam, so--take from that what you will.

I know I'm a little all over the place right now, but I felt the need to mention that I'm currently listening to Gustav Holst's First Suite in E Flat. (I actually switched to the final segment of William Tell Overture after writing that. And yes, I'm aware that I'm a little bit self centred when it comes to music. I like stuff that blares the trumpet.)

 I'm fairly sure the reason I want to listen to this kind of music is that I'm writing on a music blog. (Perhaps it's a stretch to call it that, but I feel very musically inclined when I write on my blog.)

I love music that's written and/or performed by concert band. It makes me feel all nostalgic, and cultured. I'm telling you, if you don't make a habit of listening to concert band, try it sometime. It just makes you feel smarter.   

And now I'm listening to The Middle by Jimmy Eat World.

I don't really have a specific genre of music that I make a habit of listening to. I'm not sure if that's apparent or not.

On another, unrelated topic, a woman from my church may be dropping off her trumpet here tomorrow. She's giving it to me, which is so increadibly amazing. I was looking for a used one so that I could have one, without spending too much money on it. The cheapest I could find was a Besson, for two hundred and fifty dollars. Very cool that I'm getting one for free instead! I'm so grateful, and I'll probably end up playing a bit tomorrow if she drops it off. I might even whip out First Suite. Thing is, I actually have to stop studying for a moment if I want to do that. Not sure if that'll happen or not. Regardless.

My first trumpet was a rental from school. Well--the only first trumpet that mattered. I named it Leonitus, and we didn't get along very well. I was admant that I did not want to play the trumpet (even though I picked it as my instrument) and I kept trying to convince my band teacher to let me switch onto a different instrument. A reed instrument perhaps.

He wouldn't go for it.

I happened to be the only trumpet in the band. But at least he could let me switch onto second trumpet, because I couldn't get past a mid-range C, right?

He wouldn't let me do that either.

I'm indebted to my conductor, because he pushed me to do something I didn't think I could do. He pushed me to play the trumpet, to play first trumpet, and to take every solo with confidence. He never let me back down, and now I'm absolutely in love with my instrument.

While me and Leonitus fought, tooth and nail, and he tried to resist being tamed, we managed to come to an agreement by the end of the year. I could press his buttons, and sometimes he would do what I wanted, and sometimes he wouldn't.

It worked.

My second trumpet was another rental. Brand new, right out of the package. His name was Gabriel. I opened him up in all of his glory, and we got along great. I hit the high C for the first time ever on Gabriel.

And now I'm getting a new trumpet. Well--new to me. What will he be named? What will he* be like? I don't know, but I'm excited to find out!

*I don't know why, but all of my trumpets are guys. It just doesn't make sense to have a female trumpet (but female trumpet PLAYERS, now there's a different matter altogether.)

Thanks for reading, I hope your vivace is a bit more of a pleasant experience.

-Trumpet Player

Sforzando

Hello, and welcome!


This is Sforzando, my blog. Some of you out there (who are not amongst the music theory geeks of this world) are wondering what Sforzando even means. Well allow me to explain...


Sforzando is a music term defined as meaning accented, or forced. It will often appear on music as the three letters sfz. When  you see that under your note you hit it, and you hit it hard!

I kind of want to approach life this way. You hit it, hard! Give it everything you've got, because it's here one second, and gone the next. If you don't hit it Sforzando, it'll go unnoticed. The other notes that aren't accented are important too, but they usually don't get the credit that a blasted sforzando gets. I want to be a sforzando. Get in, get noticed, get out of the way.

It must be obvious by now, but I am a bit of a music nerd. I used to be in a concert band, and I fell in love.

If you don't know anything about concert band, I'll tell you a few things. A concert band is like a family. Each memeber is vital, and brings something to the table that no one else does. Each also has a unique personality, and the people that play particular instruments tend to have particular mannerisms.

The flute and clarinet players are often more reserved than the rest of the band. They keep to themselves, but would prefer to be playing in a large group that doing a solo. They are often more modest than the rest of the band. Certainly they are nice people, but they don't always live life loud.

I am not a flute or clarinet player.

Next, you have your saxophone players. They are certainly louder, almost to the point of being obnoxious. They are more social people, more outgoing. They are always ready for excitement, but do they live the life of a sforzando?

No particularly. A saxophone player hits everything hard, it's no kind of surprise when an accented sforzando shows up. Saxophone players are fun, but they live life amped up at forte so an accent doesn't really make a bang.

I am not a saxophone player.

Then you have your bass section. Beefy, gutsy, the glue that holds everything together. They don't care what other people think about them, and to their credit. They are usually so good people only think good things about them. But the thing is, a bass player doesn't care if you notice them or not.


I am not a bass player.


Then you've got percussion. The social butterflies, the ones that pine for attention, the show-offs. They are usually super talented, but they are so wrapped up in other people noticing them that they aren't trying to hit a sforzando. They just want people to like them, and people don't usually realize they like the sforzando note until it's passed, and the discomfort of the jarringly loud moment is gone.


I don't play percussion.


Then you have your brass. Witty, charming, good looking. The stars of the show. They're want you to hear them, but they also want to be the best. They are trying to hit the dynamics, the style, the sforzando.


I am a brass player. A trumpet player in particular.


Anyone who knows anything about trumpet players know that they are as loud as their instrument, hardly outspoken, kind of narcassistic people.


But you know what. That's the way we like it.


Someone once told me their are only two kinds of people in the world. And trumpet players are better than both of them.


But on a more serious note, I just wanted to mention that not everyone can play sforzando. A concerto is not made up of repeated accented notes. It's made up of the quiet people, the extremely loud people, the growing dynamics, the clashing chordal progressions, the rushed triplets, and the fermata.  Whatever your thing, you're part of the peice.

I just hope you hear me, playing sforzando here on my blog.

-Tumpet Player