[Music: Orefici’s Melodic Study #5, performed by Terry B. Ewell]
Well, in Orefici Study #1, Mr. Orefici starts off with an almost operatic, vocal line in the opening. This should be a study in vibrato for you with varying your vibrato, with using it to bring out emphasis in the line, with shaping the line. One of my earlier videos, I think it was video #100 “Motion in Music,” I actually play this [the opening] for you and I talk about ways in which you can make motion within music. So, I am not going to repeat all that here, you can go back on look at this. I will certainly leave you with the link. But I want you to think about ways in which you can use vibrato both on sustained notes and also on notes that are moving. Sustained notes, for instance, in the opening.
[Music]
I think that you can hear that I am varying the speed of my vibrato. All of that is part of the expressive gestures that I am making.
On the second line we have some eighth notes here. One of the things I think is so interesting about the bassoon is that our vibrato technique, our vibrato mechanism is not linked to our fingers. With string instruments, their vibrato mechanism is linked to the fingers and often string players when they move their fingers, they restart their vibrato. Di, di, di… and things like that. We do not need to do that as wind players. You can use vibrato to bring out a new intensity. For instance, take the second line and look at these eighth notes.
[Music, no vibrato]
See those notes there, I didn’t use my vibrato. If I add a little bit of vibrato, you can hear that there is more of a drive, more intensity.
[Music, with vibrato]
So, you can experiment with that. When you have control of your vibrato, you can work on these things and make these musical types of gestures.
Well, it is my believe as a Christian is that everything you do is spiritual. Our spirit is bound to our body. Every choice you make, everything you do is spiritual as well. It is difficult to play bassoon well when your spirit is discouraged or frustrated. I want your spirit to be lifted up. I want to you set your mind on things above, not on things on this earth. I want your spirit to be renewed and replenished. So, let me share here one of my favorite verses of the Bible as we conclude here. It is from Ecclesiastes 3:11:
He has made everything beautiful in its
time. Also he has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can
find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
God bless you.
[Music, Orefici’s Melodic Study #1]
[Music: Orefici’s Melodic Study #5, performed by Terry B. Ewell]
Copyright © 2021 by Terry B. Ewell. All rights reserved.