WEBVTT 00:00:06.840 --> 00:00:10.699 Welcome to our podcast, BAM BFFs. The podcast 00:00:10.699 --> 00:00:13.099 where we make your music selection less complicated. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:15.859 On today's episode, we are going to be discussing 00:00:15.859 --> 00:00:19.460 Dark Star by Christina Huss. Cheers to starting 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:25.120 the conversation. Okay, Dark Star. This is a 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:28.800 good piece for like a fall concert. This piece 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:31.719 is not on the Texas piece. No, it is. It's a 00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:35.710 grade one. It's a new... As of last year, Texas 00:00:35.710 --> 00:00:37.170 PML grade one. That's right. That's right. Last 00:00:37.170 --> 00:00:40.149 year it was new. Grade one, Texas PML. It is 00:00:40.149 --> 00:00:44.549 in the key of F or D minor, really. And four 00:00:44.549 --> 00:00:47.689 -four throughout. No split clarinet parts. All 00:00:47.689 --> 00:00:50.530 low brass together. No split trumpet parts. There 00:00:50.530 --> 00:00:53.109 is a lot of percussion in this and the percussion 00:00:53.109 --> 00:00:56.170 is really important. So this is one that you 00:00:56.170 --> 00:00:58.409 need. Gosh, let's see. One, two, three, four, 00:00:58.409 --> 00:01:01.890 five. You need probably seven minimum percussionists. 00:01:02.170 --> 00:01:05.480 Eight or even nine, you could spread parts out 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:07.920 enough to fill a really large percussion section 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:11.010 if you have it. Yep. This piece is like Laura 00:01:11.010 --> 00:01:13.129 just kind of mentioned, it's very versatile and 00:01:13.129 --> 00:01:15.829 if you think it fits your band really well, I 00:01:15.829 --> 00:01:20.170 would save it and perform it perhaps later on 00:01:20.170 --> 00:01:22.329 down the road at UIL if you really love it and 00:01:22.329 --> 00:01:24.409 if it fits your band really well. Otherwise, 00:01:24.510 --> 00:01:26.549 like she said, this is a fun one to do at the 00:01:26.549 --> 00:01:30.849 beginning of the year for like a fall concert, 00:01:30.989 --> 00:01:33.170 Halloween, quote unquote, spooky type music. 00:01:33.810 --> 00:01:36.469 The kids love it. It's very catchy. It's a wonderful 00:01:36.469 --> 00:01:40.310 melody and it's well - written, it's not difficult 00:01:40.310 --> 00:01:44.189 to perform on each individual instrument. Now 00:01:44.189 --> 00:01:47.329 you do need to have strong low brass and you 00:01:47.329 --> 00:01:49.430 need to have strong percussion. Yes, low brass 00:01:49.430 --> 00:01:51.930 and percussion are basically featured the entire 00:01:51.930 --> 00:01:54.250 way. This is a piece you could get away with 00:01:54.250 --> 00:01:57.769 if your woodwinds are not super awesome or even 00:01:57.769 --> 00:02:00.650 your trumpets aren't super awesome. Right? So 00:02:00.650 --> 00:02:03.189 this is about, and how often do we get to say 00:02:03.189 --> 00:02:05.709 that? Never. I was thinking, I don't know that 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:08.560 Lauren I've ever said that. so this is this is 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:10.979 a brassy piece yeah put it put an asterisk next 00:02:10.979 --> 00:02:13.680 next to this one it's a good one yep um so the 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:16.629 whole piece starts out with a trill Everybody 00:02:16.629 --> 00:02:18.990 knows how much I love those but it's a forte 00:02:18.990 --> 00:02:21.270 piano trill So I don't mind it as much for four 00:02:21.270 --> 00:02:24.389 beats with suspended symbol and then snare timpani 00:02:24.389 --> 00:02:26.629 mallet They're right rolling down beat everybody 00:02:26.629 --> 00:02:29.849 plays and measure to we start with the melody 00:02:29.849 --> 00:02:32.729 The melody is always in the low brass and low 00:02:32.729 --> 00:02:34.370 reeds here at the beginning and it continues 00:02:34.370 --> 00:02:37.110 on forever and ever got a little percussion underneath 00:02:37.110 --> 00:02:41.370 helping keep pulse but it's 1 2 3 4 1 & 2 push 00:02:41.370 --> 00:02:45.770 through don't breathe for 1 2 3 4 1 2 in the 00:02:45.770 --> 00:02:50.270 A natural, that one, you gotta really make sure 00:02:50.270 --> 00:02:53.770 you teach that really good. Everybody has it, 00:02:53.909 --> 00:02:56.409 yes, high second position. There's a timpani 00:02:56.409 --> 00:02:59.210 part that goes three and four and one, three 00:02:59.210 --> 00:03:01.810 and four and one in response each time, so this 00:03:01.810 --> 00:03:03.889 is not a piece where you can just cut the timpani 00:03:03.889 --> 00:03:06.289 part out. It's all by itself on that. And the 00:03:06.289 --> 00:03:08.610 timpani does help to kind of cover up in the 00:03:08.610 --> 00:03:10.210 low brass, where Katie was talking about push 00:03:10.210 --> 00:03:12.949 through, don't breathe, which is one of the reasons 00:03:12.949 --> 00:03:15.300 why I think this is very kind of smart. written 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:18.219 yeah but teacher kids not to breathe after that 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:22.740 yeah then they continue on and we have these 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:26.759 little interjections they start as quarter notes 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:34.659 in the upper upper voices one one then it changes 00:03:34.659 --> 00:03:38.500 to eighth notes bump bump then it's even more 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:42.479 eighth notes one and three and one three but 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.300 that's it And that's all they're going to play 00:03:44.300 --> 00:03:47.139 for a while. So that's not bad. So if you have 00:03:47.139 --> 00:03:50.199 kind of weaker woodwinds, this is a great one 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:52.039 to choose. Percussion are going crazy. Percussion 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:54.139 and low brass, they're still playing the same 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:57.919 thing. So now we've landed at 10. They're continuing 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:01.620 on that melodic theme. But the trumpets are going 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:04.060 to add in on it. And the horn. And the horns 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:09.599 have a harmonic helper part. So you want to make 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:12.020 sure that you are bringing that new part out, 00:04:12.039 --> 00:04:14.840 the trumpet. put in the horn, low brass is now 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.779 not the important part anymore. We've heard that 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:20.079 theme. We've heard that theme. Now we also get 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:23.040 in percussion, we get a thunder sheet here. Oh 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:25.019 yeah, so fun. Yeah, this is really cool, you 00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:26.459 know, I mean percussion always geek out when 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:27.959 we get to play something cool like that. Different, 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:29.980 yes, and your kids will too. Yeah, definitely. 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:34.480 So then now there's the new melody, one, three, 00:04:34.540 --> 00:04:37.660 four, one, two, three, don't breathe, one, two, 00:04:37.660 --> 00:04:42.100 three, four, one, now breathe, four, one. teaching 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:44.879 them about this proper phrasing or writing it 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:47.560 in on their parts for them which of course we 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:50.800 are advocates of draw a little arrow no breath 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:53.699 you're leading through even pushing through with 00:04:53.699 --> 00:04:56.379 their with a small little mini crescendo is a 00:04:56.379 --> 00:04:59.199 great idea to make it sound more musical but 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:01.560 again the range is great the trombones are just 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.079 going up to an a trumpets are landing at the 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:08.439 end of the phrase on a B natural Or at the height 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:10.899 of the the phrase on a B natural so that's got 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:13.500 to be in tune Just like we talked about the trombone 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:15.899 a natural making sure they're not flat on that 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:18.850 note So they keep going. The woodwinds are still 00:05:18.850 --> 00:05:20.569 doing the little interjections we've already 00:05:20.569 --> 00:05:25.149 talked about. And we end at 18. Now it's a new 00:05:25.149 --> 00:05:29.269 theme. Now 18, this is like literally the only 00:05:29.269 --> 00:05:32.490 eight measures that the woodwinds, I would say, 00:05:32.689 --> 00:05:35.709 are quote featured. Yes. And it's not a difficult 00:05:35.709 --> 00:05:38.670 part at all. The flute, the clarinet, and the 00:05:38.670 --> 00:05:41.790 alto sax are playing this. The alto sax is kind 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:44.870 of a harmony to it. But this new little line, 00:05:45.149 --> 00:05:48.170 it's all slurred, it's in a very comfortable 00:05:48.170 --> 00:05:50.470 range, clarinet is at the bottom of the staff 00:05:50.470 --> 00:05:53.870 or in the chalomo range, and flute is in the 00:05:53.870 --> 00:05:58.069 staff, barely gets to a G above the staff at 00:05:58.069 --> 00:06:02.269 one point in here. Now the oboe and the horn 00:06:02.269 --> 00:06:09.029 have the counter melody here, but it's just a 00:06:09.029 --> 00:06:11.110 little eight measure phrase, it's really no big 00:06:11.110 --> 00:06:13.170 deal. Now what you do have to watch out for, 00:06:13.410 --> 00:06:16.209 in the mallet percussion, mallet or on eighth 00:06:16.209 --> 00:06:18.889 notes, one and two and three and four, like the 00:06:18.889 --> 00:06:23.410 whole way through this and it can get too loud. 00:06:23.529 --> 00:06:27.230 It can be too loud or it can be one and two and 00:06:27.230 --> 00:06:29.170 three and four and one and two and three, you 00:06:29.170 --> 00:06:31.050 know, where they're at one hand stronger than 00:06:31.050 --> 00:06:35.339 the other. So make this a pulse that you really 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:38.399 kind of feel and less hear. They don't need to 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:41.459 be super super strong on this. There's a bass 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:43.279 drum and some other little percussive things 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:46.279 happening in here too. But just make this eight 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:48.379 measure phrase the most beautiful thing the woodwinds 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:50.680 get to do and the whole piece and then it's then 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:52.939 it's back to what we did before. Yep and push 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.759 through you know all the where they might want 00:06:55.759 --> 00:06:58.339 to breathe would be between slurs. Between slurs. 00:06:58.699 --> 00:07:00.540 But don't let them do it. Make sure you write 00:07:00.540 --> 00:07:02.360 it so they're all breathing. together at the 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:05.879 end of the dotted half note in measure 21 before 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:09.120 the new phrase. When they do take that breath 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:12.060 that's where the counter melody and the oboe 00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:14.819 tenor sax and horn kind of fills that part in. 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:17.740 So don't let horns breathe on that bar line between 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:21.079 21 and 22 or on any bar lines. But this horn 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:23.720 part is a little bit more you're gonna have to 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:26.060 isolate it just because it jumps around a little 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:28.500 bit more and it's got a little bit of like a 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:31.720 harmonic cool part to it. It may not be as easy 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:36.319 for their ears to hear, so work on 18 to 26 quite 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.019 a bit just to make it sound easy. Then this, 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:41.860 there are some repeated notes under slurs in 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:43.699 the upper woodwind, so you will just need to 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:46.079 make sure I would pre -mark it on their parts 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:49.680 that they're gonna lightly articulate that, but 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:51.639 just remind them, especially if they're young 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:53.740 players, they may not be aware of that. Then 00:07:53.740 --> 00:07:57.480 at 25, we're leading back, or now into 26, just 00:07:57.480 --> 00:07:59.740 the same thing, so there's the trill in the upper. 00:07:59.689 --> 00:08:02.329 Upper voices again. Now the lows though get to 00:08:02.329 --> 00:08:04.949 have a little scale going downward, getting louder. 00:08:05.230 --> 00:08:07.350 Then they have the melody again. We still have 00:08:07.350 --> 00:08:12.410 the interjections. 34 is kind of like the melody, 00:08:12.509 --> 00:08:14.629 but they're missing some of the notes. So it 00:08:14.629 --> 00:08:19.600 goes one, three, one. Three, four, one. There's 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:21.959 lots of cool, like, this is kind of like a feature 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:25.040 between percussion and brass. So percussion, 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:28.540 when they're not playing, has like a little tom 00:08:28.540 --> 00:08:31.939 conversational piece, a vibra slap, a little 00:08:31.939 --> 00:08:34.460 timpani getting louder and softer. It's cool 00:08:34.460 --> 00:08:37.200 because it is very much so like a conversation 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:39.919 between lows and percussion. Again, that's not 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:42.500 written a lot of times. Pretty cool. Then back 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:44.240 to the lows, then back to the percussion, back 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:45.840 to the lows, back to the percussion. Woodwinds 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:48.120 are doing zero things. unless they're a low read 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:50.539 here. Now in this section, Kabasa is keeping 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:52.860 time for you. It's doing eight notes throughout. 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:57.970 It's so... When my band played it. It's not an 00:08:57.970 --> 00:09:00.149 easy instrument. It is, it is not. You've got 00:09:00.149 --> 00:09:03.590 to experiment and find, you know, exactly the 00:09:03.590 --> 00:09:05.929 way to make it sound as even as possible. Then 00:09:05.929 --> 00:09:08.870 on timpani here, what timpani is doing is rolling. 00:09:08.950 --> 00:09:10.870 So the timpani is giving that thunder effect, 00:09:11.230 --> 00:09:14.169 right? The roll crescendo and then a decrescendo 00:09:14.169 --> 00:09:18.269 roll. Now remind them, this actually is, I think 00:09:18.269 --> 00:09:20.629 for a younger ensemble is kind of hard. Those 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:22.570 rolls need to be single stroke. If they've never 00:09:22.570 --> 00:09:24.230 played timpani before, their default is going 00:09:24.230 --> 00:09:26.289 to be to bounce. They don't do it, they need 00:09:26.289 --> 00:09:29.690 to be single stroke. And at this tempo, at 144, 00:09:29.789 --> 00:09:33.210 I think you can get away with doing 16th notes, 00:09:33.210 --> 00:09:36.009 but they just need to be small. So, like, the 00:09:36.009 --> 00:09:39.309 kids should not be... Like, we don't want to 00:09:39.309 --> 00:09:41.350 hear that. Keep the mallet close to the head. 00:09:41.669 --> 00:09:43.509 But make sure that they know that they are single 00:09:43.509 --> 00:09:45.950 strokes, and I would, you know, practice it on 00:09:45.950 --> 00:09:48.529 a practice pad so their hands can get really 00:09:48.529 --> 00:09:50.610 even doing two measures of full 16th notes at 00:09:50.610 --> 00:09:53.750 that dynamic range to make it sound really even 00:09:53.750 --> 00:09:56.460 on the timpani. It's so exposed, that's why you've 00:09:56.460 --> 00:09:57.480 got to make sure that's right. Oh, it definitely 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:01.580 is. Then, so they come in and then the second 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:04.919 time percussion has their little moment of interaction, 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:09.279 the mallet part comes in and they have like this 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:12.070 almost like - Counter melody. Yeah. One. four 00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:14.990 and one two three four one then it's back to 00:10:14.990 --> 00:10:17.429 the lows then mallets have a new counter melody 00:10:17.429 --> 00:10:21.210 one two and three four one two three four one 00:10:21.210 --> 00:10:23.769 back to the lows then we have the same thing 00:10:23.769 --> 00:10:26.690 we had before forte piano trill everybody's having 00:10:26.690 --> 00:10:29.009 a forte piano this time we're back to 50 with 00:10:29.009 --> 00:10:32.090 the low brass melody this time it's the same 00:10:32.090 --> 00:10:34.330 low brass melody with the trumpet melody from 00:10:34.330 --> 00:10:37.389 the beginning but now the flute oboe clarinet 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:39.850 have what the trumpets have so it's just more 00:10:39.850 --> 00:10:42.559 of like a full band It's a bigger moment piece 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:46.360 part not piece but part of it Same breathing 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:48.840 considerations. We've already talked about at 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:52.100 58. We have a new another new section It's the 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:54.840 trill and the upper people lows have their little 00:10:54.840 --> 00:10:58.279 melody, but now this is like a building Yes, 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:00.659 we're building off up to the end for sure adding 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:02.480 different people at different times Yep, so it's 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:06.019 lows lows lows lows trumpets saxon horn horn 00:11:06.019 --> 00:11:09.679 and then one two in three four two and three 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.580 three and four, one, and then the whole band 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:14.539 has a forte piano and we're holding for eight 00:11:14.539 --> 00:11:17.820 counts. That's gotta be regimented, how loud 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:20.179 everybody's gonna get. I would keep it piano 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:22.759 for the first measure. Well, and not everybody 00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:25.080 should do the same thing. There's a trill in 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:27.120 the upper people, I would say you stay piano 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:30.220 the whole time. Also, I'd probably tell the trumpets 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:32.679 just to maybe chill because it's up on an upper 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:36.899 B. Maybe the lows can be the ones that lead the 00:11:36.899 --> 00:11:40.480 crescendo to the very end. and percussion the 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:43.639 mallet part is the theme here with timpani they 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:45.960 have eighth notes one and two and three and four 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:48.340 and one one and a two and a three and a four 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:50.840 and a one and two and three and a four and whatever 00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:54.519 one one and two and three and two one and two 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:58.639 three four one two and three okay so it's led 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:03.100 by percussion at the very very end um and that's 00:12:03.100 --> 00:12:06.360 it the whole band ends with like choking the 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:09.590 crash cymbals and It's got a good little bang 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:12.710 at the end. Yeah, everybody is, it's, you know, 00:12:12.990 --> 00:12:15.149 um, unison rhythm at the end in the last two 00:12:15.149 --> 00:12:18.789 measures for the wins. Yep. Um, lots of fun. 00:12:19.210 --> 00:12:21.409 It's a really good piece. It's super cool. And 00:12:21.409 --> 00:12:24.470 it's nice because there's not a ton of like little 00:12:24.470 --> 00:12:28.169 stylistic things to, to work on. It's mainly 00:12:28.169 --> 00:12:32.710 just like house top accents, slurs, regular accents. 00:12:32.769 --> 00:12:34.509 Balance and phrasing, balance and phrasing, balance 00:12:34.509 --> 00:12:36.789 and phrasing. Right. And then, you know, and 00:12:36.789 --> 00:12:40.240 this is I don't know, I just, I think this is 00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:41.639 a piece that your kids will walk out of your 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:44.320 band hall humming, you know, singing the little 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:46.740 tune. And you will too. Alright, well thank you. 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:49.120 We hope you will consider programming Dark Star 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:51.000 in the future and thank you for joining us on 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:53.980 this episode of Band BFFs!