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Does a show need a slow movement?


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Well, that's not neccesarily the debate though; for example, if you listen to Suite of Assorted Catalcyms, you'll find that much of it is intense and fast, yet, there are slower, half time sections laced in for contrast and effect. There is one slow movement, but I only did tat out of convention. I like the slow sections that I have embedded in the faster parts, but i'm not real big on the whole concept of a slow movement. They are rarely entertaining, and often break the momentum of the show. However, for example, the minor canon before MVT 5 in SOAC and the fugue before the Conclusion are godo examples of embedded slow sections. They don't break the momentum of the piece, but they are entertaining, and they do serve as a sort of tempo break. It hink this tactic is much more effective, and is very underused. That's just my opinion though.

 

We have a lot of high C's in the Lord's Prayer... (which is one of our slow movements from this past season)... of course, we also had a double G in wild nights and a few high e's in ostinato.

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It depends on what kind of a show you want. Do you want a fast-paced, high impact show? Then you probably wouldn't want a "ballad," so to speak. But shows that compete to win need to show that they can do it all. Sure, show the trumpets that can pull the high C, clearly, and show the clarinets and flutes that can run the breaks like it's nobody's business. But you'd also want to show that you can produce the most beautiful, powerfully moving sounds ever put on turf. Show that you can create chords so wonderful people are crying by the time you're done. Use the ballad to show that it's not all about the technical stuff, not all about the range or volume.

 

Think also about the visual aspect. Remember Reagan 03? The ballad was great (Linconshire), but what really hit me was their guard: massive flags (probably around 15' by 30'). I doubt they could've pulled those massive flags out at any tempo faster than a ballad. Ballads give the guard an excellent chance to do something creative, unique, and what normally wouldn't be possible at faster tempos. "But the band can't move much at slow tempos!" Why's that bad? If you're band just marched a 200 bpm, 2-minute long movement, they might like a slower pace. It gives them a chance to rest their lips for a bit, to catch their breath, and to recover for the next movement (which is, of course, 3 mintues long and goes 220).

 

So, no, ballads aren't mandatory, but they sure do help out. IMHO.

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I figured that SOMEONE would mention Jupiter. I was about to ask if that would be an example. But, I guess I can see Fortissimo's point about stopping the momentum of the show. Perhaps embedded sections are the wave of the future. It seems that I see more and more shows that are one big, flowing movement with distinct sections instead of the conventional shows with multiple, independent movements. Anyway, I hate to do this, but I'm undecided on the subject. I'll try to meditate on this subject later.

 

- mm

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