I am currently learning a Vivaldi sonata on the oboe.
In answer to another post Recorderzrule said that she played it for her diploma on the recorder which made me wonder about the possible benefit of learning to play it on the recorder as well. It seems to me that the problems would be different on the two instruments (articulation and breathing on the oboe, cross-fingerings on the recorder for example) and perhaps playing it on another instrument might enable me to see the piece differently. On the other hand, it did occur to me that it might just get my fingers completely confused and mess up my breathing completely.
What do others think?
Full Version: Learning The Same Piece On A Different Instrument
If it's in the same key it drives me mad, what with the clarinet being a transposing instrument! I've tried it on clarinet and sax and it was awful - I rely a lot on my memory when I play so it's difficult!
I play the Handel A minor sonata on both flute (as it's a Grade 6 piece) and recorder (for which it was originally written). The Telemann D minor sonata is on the Grade 6 list for flute, and I have a student playing it at the moment, and I played it for Grade 8 recorder a couple of years ago.
I have no trouble with the fingerings, despite one being an F instrument and the other a C instrument. What's interesting are the different technical challenges which are thrown up. Something which is awkward on flute, because it involves lots of movement between C, D and E for example, is very easy on recorder. Double tonguing is also easier. But the flute allows more dynamic contrasts to be made. You then enter the interesting area of how much you should allow the capabilities of the modern flute dictate what you do with the sonata. Sometimes returning to the original instruments highlights how it should be played.
I have no trouble with the fingerings, despite one being an F instrument and the other a C instrument. What's interesting are the different technical challenges which are thrown up. Something which is awkward on flute, because it involves lots of movement between C, D and E for example, is very easy on recorder. Double tonguing is also easier. But the flute allows more dynamic contrasts to be made. You then enter the interesting area of how much you should allow the capabilities of the modern flute dictate what you do with the sonata. Sometimes returning to the original instruments highlights how it should be played.
*barges into woodwind forum*
You then enter the interesting area of how much you should allow the capabilities of the modern flute dictate what you do with the sonata. Sometimes returning to the original instruments highlights how it should be played.
So true - the best thing ever for my Bach on piano was learning the harpsichord
. It soon got me out of the habit of over-shortening important staccato notes, instead playing them somewhere between legato and staccato.
*I'll let myself out
*
QUOTE(andante_in_c @ Feb 18 2007, 08:14 PM) 
You then enter the interesting area of how much you should allow the capabilities of the modern flute dictate what you do with the sonata. Sometimes returning to the original instruments highlights how it should be played.
So true - the best thing ever for my Bach on piano was learning the harpsichord
. It soon got me out of the habit of over-shortening important staccato notes, instead playing them somewhere between legato and staccato.*I'll let myself out
*
I played Rachmanninov's piano concerto no. 2 on the piano and then on the flute to give me a better idea of the phrasing. It was really helpful, (if slightly wacky) - knowing when you would breathe in a piece always helps with phrasing, because it's sort of the same thing...if that makes any sense 
QUOTE(musical_K @ Feb 18 2007, 09:20 PM)
I played Rachmanninov's piano concerto no. 2 on the piano and then on the flute to give me a better idea of the phrasing. It was really helpful, (if slightly wacky) - knowing when you would breathe in a piece always helps with phrasing, because it's sort of the same thing...if that makes any sense
I hope it was only the slow movement! If you managed to play the first and second movements then you are a great flautist indeed! Would like to hear that!
Was it originally an oboe or a recorder piece, or is it one of those you can play on lots of instruments, so as to maximise profits from the sale of sheet music 
? If it has had to be transposed, you would be learning clashing fingerings, since the oboe is in C, pretty much, and treble recorder in F. (Or would you be using a C recorder?) I think that might be more fun than learning almost-same-but-not-quite fingerings...and learning to articulate it on the recorder might well help in deciding what to do about the tonguing for the it on the oboe, though I understand the baroque oboe is played under much less pressure than the modern one, so some things will be more difficult to do on the modern instrument. One more thing - do you love the piece to bits, or will you drive yourself mad getting the same melody on the different instruments up to scratch?
Sounds like a fun project to me .
? If it has had to be transposed, you would be learning clashing fingerings, since the oboe is in C, pretty much, and treble recorder in F. (Or would you be using a C recorder?) I think that might be more fun than learning almost-same-but-not-quite fingerings...and learning to articulate it on the recorder might well help in deciding what to do about the tonguing for the it on the oboe, though I understand the baroque oboe is played under much less pressure than the modern one, so some things will be more difficult to do on the modern instrument. One more thing - do you love the piece to bits, or will you drive yourself mad getting the same melody on the different instruments up to scratch? Sounds like a fun project to me
.
I played Pierne's Canzonetta initially on the clarinet and then for Grade 8 sax the following year - it drove me mad being in a different key and a slightly different arrangement due to the lesser range of the saxophone. I would never play the same piece again on two different instruments after that experience! 
QUOTE(anacrusis @ Feb 19 2007, 12:25 AM)
Was it originally an oboe or a recorder piece, or is it one of those you can play on lots of instruments, so as to maximise profits from the sale of sheet music
? If it has had to be transposed, you would be learning clashing fingerings, since the oboe is in C, pretty much, and treble recorder in F. (Or would you be using a C recorder?) I think that might be more fun than learning almost-same-but-not-quite fingerings...I'm not quite sure what it was for originally. The edition I have just says oboe. Notewise it corresponds to a treble recorder (this is why it's nice for the oboe as it doesn't go lower than an F and doesn't go higher than a D or possibly an Eb, I can't remember).
I couldn't decide if having completely different fingerings would be better or worse. As Andante said she manages to play treble and flute, I think I ought to be able to manage treble and oboe.
QUOTE
and learning to articulate it on the recorder might well help in deciding what to do about the tonguing for the it on the oboe, though I understand the baroque oboe is played under much less pressure than the modern one, so some things will be more difficult to do on the modern instrument.
This was what I was hoping - since I won't have the same breathing problems (I'm still having to add a couple of beats in in places when I play it on the oboe) and I can tongue much faster (and more cleanly) on the recorder.
QUOTE
One more thing - do you love the piece to bits, or will you drive yourself mad getting the same melody on the different instruments up to scratch?
Sounds like a fun project to me
.I do really like it - otherwise I wouldn't have contemplated learning it on the recorder as well.
I think I'll give it a go
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