[musictlk] question about performing conducted music

Tue Mar 12 06:37:17 UTC 2013

It would really depend on the type of music you're playing and the
difficulty.  If it's just for a recreational group then it shouldn't
be too strict.  I've mainly seen kids do it and worked with a group of
visually impaired kids.  This is where I got the tapping technique
from, since a lot of them were pretty young and had not had a lot of
musical training at that point.  For these kids we would stand behind
them and tap their left or right shoulder when it was time for them to
play the bell in their left or right hand.  For kids who liked to play
both at once we would give them chord tones that could be pretty
constanly played so long as the student remembered to count to 4 and
only play on beat 1.  If this is something you're doing for fun with a
set of bells that isn't as fragile and made for recreational use, more
like choir chimes, then you could try the shoulder thing.

Of course, if you're meaning to do church bells which are actual brass
requiring that you wear gloves and such it won't be that simple.  You
could still have an assistant if you wish who may be able to help with
bell changes, but the best bet for either situation would be to just
learn how to come in by ear and aurally pick up the piece.  Learning
the music is half the battle and the logistics aren't that bad once
you get the hang of it.

On 3/12/13, Data <data at papermusic.org> wrote:
> Yes, definitely. The issue with the handbells will become difficult when
> you
> are doing change-ringing. It's a very visual thing being able to lay the
> bell down in sequence without clanging against the adjacent bells, which
> not
> only scratches the bells (and believe me, handbells are sacred to church
> music directors and must--emphasis--on the must--be kept in pristine
> condition. This way, they are designed to last forever.
> The other challenge is that your tactile response through your fingers is
> going to be zero, since all handbell players are required to wear gloves to
> keep fingerprints off of the brass. (Not just for aesthetic reasons, but
> because skin oils degrade the surface of the bell and will, over time,
> change the timbre of the bell.) So, without constantly putting on and
> taking
> off the gloves, you're not going to have access to your braille music.
> I am very intrigued and interested in helping with this challenge. I have a
> lot of handbell playing experience, and I believe there is nothing anyone
> can't do without a bit of help.
> I have a 5-octave handbell set at my disposal, if you want to start
> experimenting. I can just put on my blindfold and that will be very
> interesting to see if I can ring without sight (without damaging the bells
> or myself--haha).
> Yours truly,
> Andy English
> www.papermusic.org
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: musictlk [mailto:musictlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of Anne
> Martin
> Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 4:28 PM
> To: Music Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [musictlk] question about performing conducted music
>
>
>
> Does anyone think it would work for a blind person to play hand bells?  How
> would you be able to tell when to come in on time?
> Anne
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kaiti Shelton" <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>
> To: "Music Talk Mailing List" <musictlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 6:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [musictlk] question about performing conducted music
>
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> The breath works really well.  It's a great ensemble technique for
>> anything, but for us who can't see the conductor it works really well
>> too.  It's so unnoticeable that if they're not doing it already then
>> they shouldn't have a problem with doing it if you ask.  Also, I've
>> never seen steel drums so I'm not sure how much room they take up or
>> how far apart the players are, but in honor bands when the music did
>> require a very silent start for whatever reason I've asked the person
>> sitting next to me to just tap my foot or something.  It's very
>> unnoticeable and it doesn't take either of our hands or mouths off of
>> our instruments.  If space would allow for that you could give it a
>> try.
>>
>> On 3/11/13, Koby Cox <kobycox at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> What instrument do you play?
>>> Koby
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Mar 11, 2013, at 10:47 AM, Aleeha Dudley <blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi all,
>>>>     I'm in a university steel band and this semester, we are
>>>> performing some classical music that will be conducted with visual
>>>> cues rather than audio ones. Steel bands normally perform with the
>>>> director giving the band a 4 count audio cue into the piece. However,
>>>> with this music, movements from Vivaldi's the four seasons, as well as
>>>> a Bach fugue and some others, is all conducted visually, with a nod of
>>>> the head before the band is supposed to play. Does anyone have any
>>>> suggestions as to how I can come in on time with the rest of the band
>>>> and somehow get the same information from the conductor as everyone
>>>> else?
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Aleeha
>>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Kaiti
>>
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-- 
Kaiti