Nice. This clip reminded me of why I hated sheet music (flipping pages) and wondered again why metal guitarists could remember all their gazillion notes while orchestral types couldn't. After seeing our singer use her BlackBerry as a teleprompter it occurs to me that iPads will eventually replace sheet music and those big stands. A wi-fi signal from the conductor's could easily provide a time code that would scroll everyone's display at the right speed.
... wondered again why metal guitarists could remember all their gazillion notes while orchestral types couldn't.
I wonder if that has anything to do with the presence of a conductor. Most classical soloists and small ensembles do actually perform their pieces from memory (this sax quartet notwithstanding; they are obviously students still learning the piece). Such small groups are used to playing together and adjusting to each other, much like a rock band, and they don't need a larger figure like a conductor to keep them on tempo and cue.
Larger ensembles that do use conductors need for all of the players to stay together and to do what the conductor wants them to do. Though the individual players may indeed memorize their parts, they still need the score to follow along in case the conductor needs to bark at them about something that happened in measure 35, or whatever (easy to find in a paper score, not so easy in a memorized piece).
I do think the idea of iPads in place of scores is very intriguing. Perhaps such devices could be installed directly into the music stands.
2 comments:
Nice.
This clip reminded me of why I hated sheet music (flipping pages) and wondered again why metal guitarists could remember all their gazillion notes while orchestral types couldn't.
After seeing our singer use her BlackBerry as a teleprompter it occurs to me that iPads will eventually replace sheet music and those big stands. A wi-fi signal from the conductor's could easily provide a time code that would scroll everyone's display at the right speed.
... wondered again why metal guitarists could remember all their gazillion notes while orchestral types couldn't.
I wonder if that has anything to do with the presence of a conductor. Most classical soloists and small ensembles do actually perform their pieces from memory (this sax quartet notwithstanding; they are obviously students still learning the piece). Such small groups are used to playing together and adjusting to each other, much like a rock band, and they don't need a larger figure like a conductor to keep them on tempo and cue.
Larger ensembles that do use conductors need for all of the players to stay together and to do what the conductor wants them to do. Though the individual players may indeed memorize their parts, they still need the score to follow along in case the conductor needs to bark at them about something that happened in measure 35, or whatever (easy to find in a paper score, not so easy in a memorized piece).
I do think the idea of iPads in place of scores is very intriguing. Perhaps such devices could be installed directly into the music stands.
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