Sound Painting is a form of directed improvisation devised by Walter Thompson. Particular symbols tell all or part of the orchestra to play certain things, however these are obviously interpreted differently by each player. Here is a recap of the signs we learnt at the end of the morning:
The directed improvisation created a more structured and unified sound, that also allowed the group to gain more confidence when improvising. We broke into smaller groups to enable us to all practice directing. I found it challenging to be constantly thinking of new ideas when put under pressure. However I got used to the signs and it was a fun, interesting and new way to create music. Here is an example of lots of groups experimenting in the hall at the same time. Interesting, fun and a little chaotic!
We decided to use this sound painting to create more direction and structure in the Bruch. It provided us with more boundaries which, surprisingly, allowed the orchestra to be more creative while playing together.
We moved on to rehearse the Mozart and found ourselves stuck in dialogue about particular sections. We were doing nearly more talking than playing and were not getting anywhere fast! While some discussion is important for our self-led orchestra, we accomplished very little due to these discussions until we all made a conscious effort to push on with rehearsals.
Rehearsals were now going well but as it was only the second day we were struggling to play as one completely in-sync ensemble. To help this communication issue we did a number of movement and eye contact activities.
These activities varied throughout the day. We started away from the music, we walked around the space and did various communication and team building tasks. This included quickly moving to age order, finding someone with the same hand size or forming human 'sculptures' with a limited amount of contact with the ground. I initially doubted the relevance of these activities until we started rehearsing again. Our communication was improved, our confidence had grown and our ensemble more together.
The movement activities while playing the Ravel were particularly interesting. After continuing to play while our stands were moved around the room, we made an effort to keep continuous eye contact and watch other members of the orchestra throughout. This moved our focus from our own music to other players and the overall sound. I found myself in a circle with 4 violinists. This made me feel connected to other sections of the orchestra and I was particularly alert due to being apart from the wind section.  |
| 'Always be looking at someone' - who knew playing in a circle could be so difficult!? |
Being aware of the rest of the orchestra, of the overall sound and of the necessity of communication is a lesson that was repeated throughout this project. The movement activities were particularly effective at highlighting this and these are skills I will definitely be applying to traditional orchestra performances.
The difficulties of playing together were intensified when we spread out in the hall, each of us finding the biggest and most interesting space we could! Our movements had to be more exaggerated, we had to listen more and were able to hear the orchestra from a new perspective. I think this led to a much more aware style of playing once we were all together again, although continuing to play while following a moving stand is something I still find difficult!
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| Spreading out in the huge hall: orchestral playing that looks a lot like hide and seek |
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