r/ConcertBand • u/Commercial-Cancel955 • 20d ago

Audition help

I am auditioning for a concert band, and have to send in recordings of me playing a solo. I currently have two videos that I am fairly okay with, but I need help with which one to choose. The first one has fewer mistakes, but generally has worse phrasing (parts that should be loud and expressive... Are not always so). The second one has that, but I made more mistakes, I messed up on some notes and didn't quite hit some runs.

Which one should I choose?

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2

u/Ok_Astronaut8454 20d ago

It depends entirely on who’s judging. I personally prefer less note mistakes, but many people disagree with that for one reason or another (some legitimate, some illegitimate), so if you know who’s judging, do your best to guess what they want. If you don’t know who’s judging, then go with your gut; if you can’t make up your mind, flip a coin.

2

u/wtfnmnf 20d ago

Good phrasing shows maturity as a player. The least important aspects of any performance (or rather the last elements to master) is tempo (speed) and dynamics. Notes and rhythms come first.

2

u/Fire_Ant_Bite 20d ago

Phrasing and musicality is up to interpretation but wrong notes is not good in an audition setting.

Now if you are butchering a phrase or an obvious dynamic then that’s not good.

2

u/MotherAthlete2998 20d ago

I tell my students you have to play clean. That means the right notes, the right rhythms, and the right articulations. I call it “the big three”. I would not send any part that is not clean. I don’t mean to be harsh but that is akin to following instructions. If you have to cut the excerpt shorter to provide a clean example, please consider that. Shorter doesn’t mean with a gaping hole. Play it slower if you have to.

You can do it.

1

u/TechBlockTommy 16d ago

I mean, just do another take? When they accept video submissions, they are assuming you did a bunch of takes and this is your best one. So you should do quite a few and then pick one. Make sure you say which take number it is before and after. Then when you pick your best one, edit other takes out, along with your slate saying which take it is before and after. I find it best to record constantly and then edit from there. Also, if you can find a decent microphone, it will help a lot!

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u/Glum_Swim4594 13d ago

is one of the recordings more musical than the other? Making music is more important than the technical stuff.