Tag Archives: advent 2012

Playing for ballet class: a page of tips

Posted on January 17, 2014 7:05 am by Jonathan Still

In December 2012 I posted daily articles about what I’ve learned about playing for ballet classes over the last 25 years or so. This is a page of links to all those articles, with excerpts from each. Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, Music, Personal, advent 2012, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, class | 6 Comments

Playing for ballet class tips #25: respect the ritual

Posted on December 25, 2012 10:30 pm by Jonathan Still

Class has a ritual, liturgical quality to it, particularly in a company. It is daily, it happens at a particular time, with such religious regard for punctuality that a teacher will begin class without music, rather than be late. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, Music, Personal, advent 2012, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, class, musicology | 2 Comments

Playing for ballet class tips #24: Speak up – don’t act the pianist

Posted on December 24, 2012 6:53 am by Jonathan Still

I can’t remember when exactly I discovered this, but it was life-changing. If you’ve got a question in class or rehearsal, speak up, don’t act the pianist. If you’re going to ask a question at all, ask it loud and clear. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, Music, Personal, advent 2012, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, class, communication, teaching, tempo | Leave a comment

Playing for ballet class tips #23: Watch the teacher

Posted on December 23, 2012 10:19 am by Jonathan Still

The advice to ‘watch the teacher’ is so obvious, it should have been one of the very first tips. But if there’s a reason I’ve hesitated so long, I think it’s because like many apparently simple concepts, ‘watching the teacher’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, Music, advent 2012, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, class | Leave a comment

Playing for ballet class tips #22: With harmony too, less is more

Posted on December 22, 2012 11:51 am by Jonathan Still

If you’re improvising or harmonising a melody, there’s a lot to be said for just sticking to simple harmonies, and avoiding chromaticism or excessive modulation for the sake of it. It’s not a competition to see who can fit the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, Delibes, Music, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, advent 2012, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, class, composition, harmony, improvisation, waltzes | Leave a comment

Playing for ballet class tip #21: Make friends with a notator

Posted on December 21, 2012 12:55 pm by Jonathan Still

If there’s one kind of person in the ballet universe who can really understand where you’re coming from as a musician, and where you need to go, it’s a notator, whether the system they write in is Labanotation or Benesh … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Benesh Movement Notation, Christopher Hampson, Dance, Labanotation, Music, advent 2012, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, choreography, choreology, choreomusicology, class | Leave a comment