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ITEA Journal Volume 42 Number 1 (Fall 2014)

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EXPERTS' EXCERPTS FOR EUPHONIUM by Jeremy McBride

Colonial Song by Percy Grainger

Dr. Brian Bowman once told me that all it takes to audition successfully is great tone, time, and style.
That concept, though it sounds overly simplistic, is completely true. All any audition panel wants to do is
hire someone with a great sound, great rhythm, and great sense of style. I try to keep this in mind Advertisements
when I prepare excerpts and tried to use that concept when I prepared this article.

The euphonium solo from Grainger's Colonial Song is one of the most beautiful in our repertoire and for
me, one of the more interesting excerpts to prepare. It is often chosen for auditions because it
demonstrates a huge variety of skills in a short amount of time. It also truly tests your musical maturity.

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A beautiful, consistent, singing tone quality with great intonation is a must. To achieve this, you need to
start with a very clear mental image of this excerpt. I would start learning this excerpt first without the
horn. Be able to sing through the entire excerpt. First, start with the assistance of a piano, then sing a
capella. Record yourself. This may prove humbling, but will let you know right away whether you are
truly hearing the music in your head. This will also help prevent potential bad intonation habits. The
clearer the melody is in your head, the less likely you will be to let the horn's intonation tendencies
dictate your pitch.

Next, move on to using the mouthpiece. Try buzzing the excerpt. Again focus on maintaining pitch.
Maintain a very free and consistent mouthpiece buzz. Since this solo needs to be very smooth, try
glissing from pitch to pitch on the mouthpiece, eliminating all bumps in the line. When you move to the
horn, this will help you avoid slotting from note to note, which destroys playing very smooth slurs.

Dynamics are vital to this excerpt. The dynamic nuances make this piece interesting and expressive.
Every dynamic written should be played in a way that is obvious to anyone listening. Again, a good
recording device used in a large room or hall will help. Many times the dramatic dynamics we think we
are doing are barely noticeable to the listener. For example, the mp at measure 21 must be different
from the mf at 29. The hairpin dynamic swells should be performed in a way that support the melodic
material and should stay within the context of the the overall dynamic scheme. For example, in
measures 23-26, the hairpins are written in to remind you to follow the dynamic contour of the line and
not an indication to overly swell to a dynamic well above the already established mp. See fig. 1. Advertisement

Figure 1

Don't let the huge dynamic range affect your tone. Every effort should be made to demonstrate dynamic
contrast, but not at the expense of having an under supported mp or a strident overblown fff. This is
especially true in measures 36 through 44. You should play with a full, expansive tone, but not one that
is crass or overblown. Keep in mind that the excerpt changes from a true solo to more of a tutti brass
feel at measure 36. It should be played as such. Many times performers try to play this as loudly as
possible without regard for tone. Don't let that be you.

Remember, the overall dynamics in this excerpt grow from mp in measure 21 to fff in measure 44. Pace
your dynamics for maximum musical impact. If you get loud too soon, the impact of the big finish is
lost.

I know it is has been stated again and again, but rhythm and sense of pulse are extremely important in
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military band auditions. While some conductors choose to take a very slow tempo for Colonial Song, I
would encourage auditionees to keep the tempo in the 70-80 bpm range. Even though the rhythms in
this excerpt are relatively simple, keeping a steady tempo can prove very challenging. Keep in mind that
audition panels often tap their foot along with auditionees. If they have trouble staying with you, you're
dismissed. Keep a constant 8th note subdivision running in your mind when playing this, especially in
the half notes. Be careful not to lose time at breaths, which is very common at slower tempos. Use
every metronome trick you can think of when preparing this excerpt. Place the metronome on 16th note
subdivision, 8th note subdivision, quarter notes, half notes and even one beat per bar. Again, use a
recording device. Record yourself playing with and without a metronome. Get to the point that you can
sync a metronome to a recording of yourself playing without one. Please make the 32nd notes in bars
24, 43, and 44 accurate! (See fig. 2.) Many times these are mistakenly played as 16ths. Every effort
should be made to play all the tempo indicators on the page. There's quite a variety: rit., piu rit., molto
rit., meno mosso, piu mosso. These are all written very deliberately in the music and must be accurately
interpreted. For example, the phrase ending beginning in measure 27 is marked rit. The same musical
material is then marked molto rit. in measure 35. This indicates that measure 35 is to be played more
dramatically than measure 27. Use this level of detail when interpreting all the temp indicators.

Figure 2

It is difficult to practice ritardandos because the metronome does not help. Try clapping 8th notes while
singing the excerpt. Use the clapping to guide the ritardando. It should be a gradual slowing of time, not
a sudden shift. This is especially true in measures 43 and 44.
Measures 37-40 are often played incorrectly. The combination of long notes, rests, and syncopation
often trip people up. This will be a spot that the committee taps their foot along to and they will be
waiting for the mistake, usually rushing or skipped beats.

This excerpt should not be played with excessive rubato! Many players fall into this trap. You have to be
aware that you are playing a counter melody under the melody and against 8th notes in the harmony.
Any excessive playing with time will only hinder the ensemble in this setting. Instead, use your many
other musical tools to achieve the molto espress. indicated. Use vibrato, dynamic shading and sense of
direction in line to get the desired musicality.

There is a variety of articulations to consider in this excerpt. I've heard people make the argument that
the long slur markings are for phrasing and don't actually indicate a true non-articulated slur. I can tell
you that this has never been an issue in an audition. Just treat the long phrase markings as very legato
slurs. The one exception is the 32nd note at the ends of measures 24 and 32. Articulate the 32nd note
and the next 8th note using the syllables tah-dah(fig. 3). ITEA News
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New Hire: David Childs,
University Of North
Texas

New Hire: Jace Vickers,

East Central University

New Hire: Alex Avila,

Texas A&M University -
Kingsville
Figure 3
New Hire: Genevieve
The accents in Measures 28, 34, and 36 are for dramatic emphasis (fig. 4). Keep the notes long and Clarkson, Oklahoma City
firmly articulate each note. Don't do an explosive style articulation. University

New Hire: Aaron

Campbell, University Of
Tampa

New Hire: Geoff Durbin,

Ouachita Baptist
Figure 4 University

For me, the articulation interpretation changes from beat 4 in measure 35 to the end of the excerpt. New Hire: Joe LeFevre,
Here, I prefer the traditional brass style orchestral accent. Kansas City Symphony

Breathing can be a concern in this excerpt. Generally, you can breathe at the end of any phrase
New Hire: Aubrey Foard,
marking. In Measure 36, don't breath until after beat 3 (fig. 5). Tank up before beat 4 so you can really
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sing on those high notes in m 37.
Orchestra

New Hire: Ryan

Robinson, Oklahoma
State University

New Hire: Aaron Tindall,

Figure 5 Sarasota Orchestra
Listen to as many Colonial Song recordings as possible. There are many different interpretations
available. The more you hear, the easier it will be to develop your own style and interpretation for this
excerpt. Besides extensive metronome use, try playing along with drones to help intonation. I would use
a drone on Eb and Bb. Smartmusic also has the full band parts available to play with. This can be
extremely useful, especially if you haven't had the opportunity to really work on this with a band.

Jeremy McBride joined The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" in November of 2013. Prior to
joining the band, Jeremy was a freelance musician and lesson instructor in the Dallas/Fort Worth
metroplex. There, he maintained a private lesson studio of 70 students and performed with such
professional groups as the Dallas Wind Symphony and the Lone Star Wind Ensemble.