Would Arnold Jacobs be the best today

djwesp · Post by **djwesp** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:20 pm

Me likey the search button.

CC · Post by CC » Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:27 pm

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:36 pm

the elephant wrote:What a fresh idea. I will have to think about this one seriously for a bit. So will all of us. That has never been discussed here before.

Well, it actually has been a bit since this was discussed, unless I was lucky enough to have missed it. (One can hope...)

But even so, it hasn't been long enough. No need to link to the older discussions. This is intellectual masturbation--ponder until you reach satisfaction with your answer.

Fact is, had Jacobs been 15 this year instead of around 80 years ago, he would have all the same benefits that all of you 15-year-olds have. Can YOU play Carnival of Venice well enough to impress a couple of the best conductors in the world? Note that the conductors of today have heard the progression of improving playing standards, and so they are harder to impress.

Actually, he might not be as good, because if he came along now instead of then, he wouldn't have the benefit of all that teaching that has done so much to improve playing standards.

You can't take a man out of his time. He achieves what he achieves relative to his environment and relative to the playing examples in his experience. Any hotshot wannabe BETTER play better than Jacobs did at the same age. If not, he'd be 80 years behind.

We pick up where our elders leave off, if we deserve to ponder whether we are in their league.

Rick "who thinks a lot of later photographers are as skilled as Ansel Adams was, but they didn't duplicate Adams's importance" Denney

goldtuba · Post by **goldtuba** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:48 pm

this topic has already been talked about, but I would like to add my 2 cents to this fresh thread. When it comes to musicality and tone, I don't think that there will be another Arnold Jacobs. If you're talking about technical issues, there are many that have gone beyond Jake's abilities. One also has to remember that Arnold Jacobs played in the CSO for so long that he knew the literature better than most people. I don't think that he would have tried to start a solo career, but when it comes to orchestral playing, there are few that comes close to his quality.

djwesp · Post by **djwesp** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:51 pm

Rick Denney wrote: Well, it actually has been a bit since this was discussed, unless I was lucky enough to have missed it. (One can hope...)

I agree completely, however, wouldn't it be more convenient to everyone to centralize such discussions?

By just searching the forum and "adding" on to what discussion has taken place. This forum thrives on a good five or six discussions. Imagine if they were pinned at the top of the page?

Wes "realizing that new people asking these five or six questions---is what makes the forum lively and prime flaming grounds" Pendergrass

GC · Post by GC » Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:09 am

I don't know if Jacobs' playing was as important as his teaching. From all accounts, his ability to teach musicianship to people on all instruments (and even to singers) was unparalleled. If you haven't read Song and Wind, by the way, it's an absolute must. It may be about a tuba player, but I know trumpet and woodwind teachers who require their students to read it.

The Big Ben · Post by **The Big Ben** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:31 am

Rick Denney wrote: Rick "who thinks a lot of later photographers are as skilled as Ansel Adams was, but they didn't duplicate Adams's importance" Denney

Agreed, Rick. I have only started to read and listen to Arnold Jacobs' teachings but am very, very familiar with the teachings of Adams. Ansel Adams photos are pretty darn good but there are others I like as much and some I like more (Edward Weston for one) but I use his methods every time I take a photo in every sort of situation. To me, his teachings of how to visualize the final results and then apply the controls to create those results is what makes Adams important.

I'm reading and listening to Jacobs to try and get the same sort of guidance to my tuba (and all musical) playing.

Jeff "Say, Cheese!" Benedict

WoodSheddin · Post by **WoodSheddin** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:36 am

Why is it that some people who waste so much time here take it upon themselves to insult and demean those who are discovering this online community for the first time?