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What is with all the annoying bobbing and weaving done by musicians,especially professional orchestral musicians ? I was trying to "watch" the video from another post of a perfomance of Mahlers 6th and had to stop looking at the video and just listen to the audio.
Are they taught this by their college professors? I've seen videos of bands filled with highly skilled high school aged kids do this with entire sections in unison in the way they moved. To see that is really annoying.
I suppose some do it as a matter sheer enjoyment of what they are playing but the other than that is there any purpose to it? Does it help them keep time ? Does it help to "feel" the mood of the music and thus project it in their playing ? Does it aid is carrying out the correct phrasing?

Some of the wind players (particularly the principal oboist) in the Berlin Philharmonic immediately come to mind. Of course, they play so well it's OK with me if they gyrate and sway. However, I agree with you that it is distracting to watch. It is interesting that orchestral brass players rarely are seen moving around much as they play.

Ace

bloke wrote:Someday, I'm going to invent a sousaphone that mashes its own buttons...so I can move my arms around just like singers do...

Should be able to get one arm free for a dramatic gesture once in a while. Go ahead and fully express your feelings. Strings and woodwinds will be envious.

I especially see this with violin players and upper woodwinds. I always thought it had something to do being a byproduct of phrasing and "feeling the melody" (or whatever...). I doubt many teachers ever advocate for moving around a whole bunch, but they certainly promote the idea of making music. I think we as tuba players might see this differently as well, since our role in the orchestra is almost never melodic.

Don't get me wrong, I think it can look a little silly sometimes, but I think it would look sillier to listen to a beautiful melody played by someone sitting perfectly still. And I also think a lot of young players probably move around because they think they are supposed to.

Everybody's doin' it.....
http://guitarsquid.com/posts/video-evid ... rummers-fr

little slow at first but just wait and you'll be "rewarded".
Pete

It's all part of the 'artistic liberties' that are taken. Sometimes I wonder how they manage to keep their chops on the MP and fingers on the keys.

A couple of months ago, I witnessed a euphonium player flapping his arms like a chicken to the point that I thought he would lift off his chair any time. It was sort of like his arms were controlling bellows that forced the air from his lungs into the horn!

There is a local clarinet player who requires an empty space on each side of their chair... plenty of clearance for all of the swaying back and forth.

Tubaists don't seem so bad about body movement but their eyebrows are sometimes fun to watch!

ppalan wrote:Everybody's doin' it.....
http://guitarsquid.com/posts/video-evid ... rummers-fr

little slow at first but just wait and you'll be "rewarded".
Pete

LMFAO!

Part of it us cultural. Look at bluegrass players....some of those banjo rifs have more notes per second than anything else out there, but the player will be like a statue. Horn players are generally motionless. Trombones don't have a choice at least with their right arms, nor violinists; I'm told it's the same with bassoonists....they sort of "have to bob" in order to play, all those keys with the thumb. Oboe....when you have your brain under that much pressure, something's gotta give, even if it's only eyebrows.

For non-musicians in the audience, they don't observe a concert the way we do....and they need something to look at, some of them. They're not analyzing the tone quality, checking which fingering is being used for that knotty passage, commenting mentally on the interpretation. They're just sitting there and need something to look at. Some of the groups that make the most money are those that give the audience the best stuff to look at.

MA

MaryAnn wrote: Some of the groups that make the most money are those that give the audience the best stuff to look at.

MA

Hence the popularity of "Bones Apart"

I'm told I'm "very expressive" regarding my eyebrows when I play- up for high notes, furrowed for serious playing,... I think the young lady called it cute.

Regarding -some- physical movement, I think there are two sides-
not moving- completely focused on the music
moving- living as they play

Certainly there are people who do either way for different reasons; I believe those two to be the more legit answers. I bop around a lot when I play bass trombone (why I really cannot use my Ergobone), some when I play tuba, and frown when I have to play euphonium.

A recent performance of "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" (Debussy) by Univ. of Maryland Symphony Orchestra has lots of movement. It's over 12 mins long and all memorized. They sound excellent to my ears. No bumps or intonation issues with all their moving around.

a "moving" performance

That's weird. I'm glad I didn't have to do that when I was at UMD.

Rick F wrote:A recent performance of "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" (Debussy) by Univ. of Maryland Symphony Orchestra has lots of movement. It's over 12 mins long and all memorized. They sound excellent to my ears. No bumps or intonation issues with all their moving around.

a "moving" performance

Sounded fine to me -- and they certainly seemed to be having faun ...

"... and she'll have faun, faun, faun 'til her daddy takes the t-bone away ..."

http://whatshouldwecallconservatory.tum ... -to-vienna" target="_blank" target="_blank


pertinent to this discussion

At my church the pianist ellicits quite a bit of criticism due to his overzealous emoting. It is really pretty drastic, including screwing up the face into a grimmace and all sorts of fawning over the keyboard. Yesterday my quintet played for a service and included a jazz/pop arrangement of "Old Time Religion" by Gary Schlecta. Good chart by the way. http://www.selectapress.com/demo/givemethat.html" target="_blank I got lots of positive comments afterward including several concerning my emoting. Guess I'm going to have to work on that some. I feel pretty much like doc and didn't realize I was moving around enough for people to comment on it. Bummer!