articulation

Today I went and played at a beginning orchestration class at a local college as part of an internship for dal niente. It's always fascinating to do things like this, to play things written (or, in this case, orchestrated) by people who don't play my instrument and in most cases don't play a stringed instrument at all. It really makes me realize how much information I have stored in my brain and my hands. When somebody writes something that goes against standard performance practice, it is goddamn hard for me to make myself do it. I look at it, and my brain says "No way! Do it the other way!" It looks absolutely ridiculous to me. It's not the fault of the people writing the music, because in order to know what I know they either need to do what I do or have spent a lot of time learning about it, and it's actually kind of fun to fill in some of the blanks. It allows us performers to hold forth with years of opinions that no one has ever asked us for before. "Don't write me too many fifths, that bowing is awkward, don't forget to change clefs for high notes, notate that articulation this way..." It makes me feel smart and useful, and it solidifies the ideas I have about playing while allowing me to fully exercise the anal aspect of my personality. Learning is fun :)