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Practicing Weissenborn Study #16

Weissenborn Opus 8/2, Study #16 for advanced bassoon students. More examples of practicing with rhythms and sprints. Bach's Bible. Guest performer Martha Schulenburg. By Terry B. Ewell, Bassoon Digital Professor. BDP #124.

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Weissenborn Opus 8/2, Study #16 for advanced bassoon students. Topics include: - Practicing with rhythms - Sprint practice - Finger technique - Flick keys - Bach's Bible Guest performer: Martha Schulenburg By Terry B. Ewell, Bassoon Digital Professor. BDP #124 • www.2reed.net

The original transcript is available here.

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Transcript

0:19Introduction

Welcome, this is Terry Ewell. Study #16 emphasizes excellent finger technique. The sixteenth-note runs should be fluid, with smooth and even finger motion. Fast-moving sixteenth notes are best mastered with rhythms that emphasize multiple quick notes. Dotted rhythms, for example, are not especially helpful for mastering this study.

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0:21Finger Technique

Finger Technique

0:38Effective Rhythm Practice

Effective Rhythm Practice

0:51Triplet Rhythm Exercises

Instead, rhythms using eighth notes with triplet sixteenths are much more effective because they force the fingers to move rapidly through groups of notes.

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1:16Sprint Practice

Sprints are another excellent way to master this study. In fact, this is the best practice method to use here. Line 5, for example, contains several difficult finger combinations. Here is a sequence of sprints for practicing the first measure. Practice each sprint until you have mastered it at a tempo faster than your intended performance speed. Notice that I begin from the end of the passage and gradually add more notes while working backward through the music.

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2:16Connecting the Measures

This type of practice should be applied to every measure in the line. Once each measure has been mastered, connect them together until you can play the entire line fluently.

2:26Flick Key Technique

Of course, you will need to use the flick keys for the slurs to B-flat 3 and D4 in line 8.

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2:44Breathing Suggestions

If you are unable to play the passage in lines 6 through 8 in a single breath, I suggest taking breaths at the beginnings of lines 7 and 8. Neither breath is ideal, however, because breathing there delays the downbeat.

3:06Reflection: Soli Deo Gloria

Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone) Weissenborn expressed his faith in God through his choice of hymn tune in his Trio. Johann Sebastian Bach likewise demonstrated his faith in nearly every musical work he composed. He wrote the initials S.D.G. at the end of all of his church compositions and many of his secular works. This abbreviation stands for the Latin phrase Soli Deo Gloria, meaning "To the glory of God alone."

3:34Bach's Personal Faith

Bach did not express his faith only in public. There are also many examples of his private devotion to God. One of my treasured books is a reproduction of pages from Bach's Bible. It contains his underlinings, comments, and notes in the margins. Despite his demanding schedule and the responsibilities of a large family, Bach still made time to read the Bible. His notes reveal a deep commitment to learning more about God.

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Credits

  • author Terry B. Ewell
  • composer Julius Weissenborn