Yes, We Have None (Signifying Nothing)

[jheti]

Quickly, on Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", and on "classical" (1943? XD) noisemaking in general.



I remain, entirely, inordinately, and almost pathologically, PLEASED with the kettledrums. Like whenever they're on. No matter what else is happening I'm all "EEEEE KETTLEDRUMS".

Sophisticated listeners call them tympani. I associate that word with eardrums (formally known as the tympanic membrane) and thus think sophisticated listeners are silly.

I cannot stand piccolos. I HATE THEM SO MUCH. They're squeaky. They make my hair stand on end. Filth! Nastiness!

Harps are still like water, harps make all manner of blue and bright turquoise sounds.

Clarinets are easy to spot because they're cleaner sounding than the oboes. We love them both, yes we do.

I'm sorry, but I still prefer trombones to trumpets. Teach is apparently a trumpet player and all happy over the difficult job the trumpets have in this piece, and I'm like, "I'm not gonna tell him the trombones just outclassed his trumpets, because he'll get mad." XD

I still knew the violins, but anyone who watches movies knows violins, because that's basically all film scores EVER USE, is violins. Lol.

Comments

[nyohah.livejournal.com]

Either composers don't often use clarinets, or I don't often distinguish them from oboes properly.

Trumpets are screechy when played loud, and all trumpet players seem to think that playing so loud that they are screechy is The Only Way.

Playing a trombone is so harder. That's a analog instrument, there, like strings, not a digital one like most instruments where it's actually easy to play the right notes.

But here's a challenge: try picking out the violas. >_< (I <3 violas, but they are basically extraneous.)

[jheti.livejournal.com]

They're...different the way tenors and sopranos are different. The ranges are about equal, but some weird quality without adequate name is different. It's not timbre, but sort of. *Vague hand-waving gestureness and looking for a word.*

To me the oboes sound more orange, but that makes no sense and comes from too much Fantasia as a wee thing. (Those Tchaikovsky!fish were/are SO SEXY PRETTY. omg4srysly. XD)

In this one, the trumpets just kind of stood there and "shouted" the same eight notes while the trombones actually PLAYED something. I mean, dude, I can respect the amount of effort and control that probably goes into getting a shout like that at that speed, but that doesn't mean it was "interesting" from the layperson's view. ;p

Actually, the "Young Person's Guide" does show the violas about four and a half seconds of "solo" respect in the final portion of the program before the obligatory deafening crescendo. ^_~

So I did get to listen to them, but yah, I lack the ear to pick them from violins, unless, say, the composer had the violins "screaming" way up top and the violas "singing" the same air down in a more mellow delivery, and then it would be like "Oh, they're not alike."

I did appreciate them for the little bit of hearing thereof I got to do. ^_^ Honestly, I'm about the only student in the class who knew which instrument sections were which, if we go just by the discussion postings. *Headdesk.*

I think teach is going to be very, very disappointed with us all by year's end. XD

[nyohah.livejournal.com]

My guess is this is an introductory music course? In that case, as with all introductory courses, I think the teachers have to be prepared to be disappointed, 'cause, WOW, are people typically dumb.

Viola's range extends below violins all of half an octave, and thus, presumably, the violin's range extends half an octave above the violas, but that's not so clear cut, because you can always move your fingers further down toward the bridge until you don't have anything to press against anymore, whereas you simply cannot make the instrument play a note lower than the open note on the lowest string. Violas and violins share three strings. I believe cellos and violas share three strings as well, but it could be only two. At any rate, even if you think you're hearing violas playing under the violins, it could as easily be second violins, because yes, there are always both first and second violins parts. And if you hear a sound that's too low for the violin, it's probably a cello! Violas have a nicer, mellower sound than cellos, I think, but they are basically useless. I have read that some composers really resented the viola's existence, because they never could come up with a worthwhile role for them in their music, and it shows. I have sat at live symphony performances and watched the violas and really tried to pick out what part they were playing and totally failed unless the violins weren't playing and the violas were playing pizzicato (plucking the strings) while the cellos played with their bows or something equally unmissable. And this is after having played one for three years.

[jheti.livejournal.com]

Oops! First and second violins XD

I can't hear the difference, other than they like to throw solos at one section or the other, and at least here, the seconds were playing louder all the time.

I was happy to find out that pizzicato actually had a name, and therefore I no longer had to associate it as "that thing they do with guitars". lol!

Well, I'm with you in that the violas by themselves have what I would consider a more stable, fuller sound. It's a richer noise with a wider feel and more poise. Also warmer. ^_^

Cellos I do not understand at all. Even with all the Rasputina and Yo Yo Ma.

! I had thought viola was one of the instruments you played, but I didn't want to be wrong and look insensitive. *Face!scarlet.*

Well, take comfort in that it's a very pretty instrument with a more confident air than the violin. ^_~

Music appreciation. Lacking talent, appreciation is about all I'm good for. XD

And yeah, I'm not going to say anything about the other kids, but *smirk*.