In general, it’s the soloist’s responsibility to set the tempo. Your accompanist will expect that, and it’s hard to stay together if each of you waits for a cue that never comes. You want to develop the confidence to lead and trust that the accompanist will follow. A major exception is when the piano has the moving part. For example, if you’re playing whole notes while the piano plays 8th notes, the pianist can’t conform to your tempo; you have to listen and follow her. You have the option to ask the accompanist to lead the whole piece while you follow. That’s especially helpful if you’re inexperienced, and need to develop the skill of keeping a steady tempo. Continue reading Accompanists: tempo setting
Accompanists: mutual expectations
You can expect your accompanist to:
Accept only engagements she can fulfill, both technically and from a scheduling standpoint.
Tell you if the music you’ve selected is too difficult for her.
Pay attention when you demonstrate how you plan to play a piece – I once worked with an accompanist who failed to do this, and the rehearsal went downhill from there. Continue reading Accompanists: mutual expectations
Accompanists: handbell-specific issues
This article assumes your accompanist already understands accompaniment fundamentals, but may not be familiar with handbells. I’ll write another article for beginning soloists learning to work with an accompanist. Continue reading Accompanists: handbell-specific issues
Believe in yourself
Every Friday, the Wall Street Journal features a one-of-a-kind property for sale, which could be anywhere in the world. These morning, I saw the photo and the headline “A Frank Lloyd Wright House,” and I immediately recognized Mr. Berger’s house. Robert Berger was my geometry teacher at Novato High School (north of San Francisco) in 1972. Like all good teachers, he had a profound influence on my life, and that house (though I visited only once) in a way changed the trajectory of my life. Continue reading Believe in yourself
Accompanists: finding a regular accompanist
This article assumes you’ve progressed to a point where you need someone to work with you on a regular basis, and that you’ve achieved a certain level of proficiency. A beginner, or someone looking for an accompanist for casual, low-paying gigs, isn’t in a position to make many demands on a potential performing partner. Continue reading Accompanists: finding a regular accompanist
Accompanists: assessing your needs
Audiences seldom realize it, but a significant part of what they perceive as the quality of your solo ringing is the caliber of the accompanist and strength of the ensemble created by the two of you. I often think of the sailboat we owned, a very traditional boat with a lot of beautiful varnished wood (brightwork). When we bought the boat, part of it had a clumsy paint job in an awkward color. We had it professionally painted in brilliant white. Immediately, we started getting more compliments on the brightwork. The new paint provided a foil for the beauty of the wood to shine. Continue reading Accompanists: assessing your needs
Marking bell equipment
It’s a good idea to mark bells both visibly (so you know which are yours at a handbell conference) and invisibly (so you can prove stolen bells belong to you if the police recover them, or if they show up on eBay). I’ll talk about how to do both, as well as marking other equipment. Marking all your equipment is a critical part of preparing for your first handbell event, or a concert with other handbell musicians. Continue reading Marking bell equipment
Insurance: property
Congratulations! You’re a handbell owner! Chances are, you waited a long time for this, and now you want to protect your investment. Insurance may play a part in this. Continue reading Insurance: property
Insurance: liability
When you become serious about handbell music, and especially when you start ringing outside the umbrella of a church group, it’s time to start thinking about insurance. When handbell musicians talk about insurance, they usually mean property insurance on their bells. When you think about it, though, the greater risk is liability. Continue reading Insurance: liability
Trust your training
I know a successful venture capitalist who reads every newspaper article thinking, how could I make money from this idea? I find myself looking at the world through the lens of, what can this teach me about music? Watching Olympic men’s gymnastics this week reminded me of an important performance principle. One gymnast is coached by his stepfather, who performs a little ritual with him before every routine. He sends him out with the admonition, “Trust your training.” Continue reading Trust your training