Toughest music piece

[RickF]

We recently got a new piece of music in our folders that is pretty difficult for me. (Thought this might be a good idea for a thread.)

"Tulsa" [A Symphonic Portrait in Oil] (Original score by Maurice Ford - transcribed by Don Gillis).

It's in the key of 'C' for the most part, but with numerous accidentals, triplet 16th notes and 32nd notes, it's been eating my lunch in places. Anyone else ever played this piece?

Tulsa - Don Gillis

What piece 'eats your lunch'?

edited link above...

[keithbarton]

Toughest music piece

23 views and no responses? I'm not embarrassed to say Karl King's The Melody Shop gives me problems. And I truly dislike modern pieces with lots of syncopation. What Arthur calls, DAM music: Dissonant, Abstract, and Modern. Holsinger pieces come to mind, but then maybe I am talking about music I don't like?

[davewerden]

Toughest music piece

Originally posted by: keithbarton
23 views and no responses?

For my part, I was too overwhelmed to answer. There are so many great challenges!

For all the times I've played it, starting in college, I don't think I ever got totally comfortable with Festive Overture in one particular place. One of the twisty-fingered passages goes around the fingering:

2, 1, 2, 23, 2, 1, 2

or, with alternates:

2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2

If you go really fast, neither of those is all that easy because of the cross fingerings. I think if I had just chosen one of them and practiced only it I'd have been fine, but I kept changing my mind! So I never really "owned" either.

Another candidate was Agean Festival Overture by Andreas Makris. However, I did "own" this one for a while at least - I could nail it every time. But it's darned hard and goes up to a high D concert.

[RickF]

Toughest music piece

For all the times I've played it, starting in college, I don't think I ever got totally comfortable with Festive Overture in one particular place. One of the twisty-fingered passages goes around the fingering 2, 1, 2, 23, 2, 1, 2 or with alternates: 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2

I take a bit of comfort in the fact that a 'Pro' has trouble with Festive Overture too. I don't think I'll ever get it right. Even with some alternate fingerings that you and Neal Corwell outlined some time ago, I still have trouble with that one.

Keith says, "Melody Shop". Oh yeah... that's a tough one too.

I didn't mean to say that "Tulsa" was the only one. I only wish it was.

[daruby]

Toughest music piece

Wow, Festive Overture is tough. Bu the one that "owns" me is the introduction to Pineapple Poll. All the 4th valve stuff is outrageous.

Doug

[keithbarton]

Toughest music piece

No matter what piece it is, you have to practice, practice, practice, and one piece will be difficult for me and another for you and not the same for both of us. Let it lay for a few months and you have to start all over again. Pineapple Roll, another Arthur has talked about!

[davewerden]

Toughest music piece

Originally posted by: keithbarton

Pineapple Roll, another Arthur has talked about!

Hard, but easier if you know the alternate fingerings. Check out this:

Euphonium Audition Advice

Look under Strategies.

[suetuba]

Toughest music piece

Wozzeck is hideous. I have nightmares about that, from the last audition. I was actually grateful not to make it through to the round where that would be asked for. Pathetic, I know. I had learned it, but it nearly killed me. And I have a horrible feeling it's going to rear its ugly head in an audition I plan on doing in six weeks' time. Aaaargh!
I don't know the band version of Pineapple Poll, but I played it in orchestra in my double bass playing days ( before I accidentally modified my left wrist shape!), and I remember that it had monstrous runs for double bass in the opening. I may have faked a bit.
Sue

[Euphist]

Toughest music piece

yeah.. the 2 1 2 1 thing from festive overture kills me too

[bearphonium]

Toughest music piece

For me, its the break strain in Colonel Bogey. I find some of those fingerings awkward. I can play it straight but not to tempo, or at tempo and miss stuff. It is getting a fair amount of woodsheddin' right now.

[daruby]

Toughest music piece

Dave,

I used your fingering tips to Pineapple Poll to learn the piece when I played it with the Metropolitan Wind Symphony under Lew Buckley. I still couldn't play the first running part at speed! I could do the rest of it fine, but that first low running part is a B---h!

Doug

[blueeuph]

Toughest music piece

Back when I saw 'real music' (as compared to now 3/4 of the time minus going to the International Music Camp mainly), I would have to say Festive Overture, the band arrangement of it. I just prefer not seeing it again esp. that one lick mentioned. I played a brass band arrangement of Festive Overture which the euph. part is tame. I can't remember if all the fun stuff went to the baritone part in the brass band arrangement which I played.

I still have some solo music which I never really got around conquering. Some of them include Euphonium Music by Brain Bowen, mainly the 3rd movement of it!, Beautiful Colorado, getting the Allegro of Mozart Concerto in Bb, K191 up to tempo. Whether I will ever get a chance to perform them is another issue by itself.

[Wind0]

Toughest music piece

As for ensemble playing, the toughest piece I've come through in terms of the song overall is the Fourth and Final Movement of the Third Symphony by James Barnes Chance. From the beginning push to the technically-challenging passages to the anxious moments before the euph solos, it has to be my pick. That piece also has one of the best Tuba solos I've ever seen. I'd have to agree with Festive overture in the eighth-note run passages, but the piece as a whole diddnt seem to get me.

[suetuba]

Toughest music piece

The piece I mentioned above that gave me the heebie jeebies in that audition has, as I predicted, turned up on the list for the re-run of the audition in four weeks' time.
And did I actually do any practice on it, since I suspected it was coming up? NO!
IDIOT!
Now I have to chain myself to a music stand, and slog through some of the nastiest tuba writing.
Take it from me, don't play Wozzeck. I don't even like it to listen to!
(Probably committing heresy by saying that, but it's ugly music!)
Sue

[RickF]

Toughest music piece

Originally posted by: suetuba

And did I actually do any practice on it (Wozzeck), since I suspected it was coming up? NO!

Now I have to chain myself to a music stand, and slog through some of the nastiest tuba writing.

It always seems those challenging pieces 'rear their ugly heads' when we least expect them, LOL.