So, What About Orchestral Dynamics?

After subbing in the ASU Sinfonietta (see the previous post) a number of the mostly younger horn students in the section commented on my dynamics in the group, as in how loudly I played at the loud spots. The reaction was somewhat unexpected.

First let me say that I did not feel I was playing especially loud. I could play a lot louder if I wanted to. I was just playing the dynamics that seemed right for the works being played in that hall with a good sized orchestra. They were full dynamics very much like I was accustomed to playing in the Nashville Symphony. I was not even close to the “loud, you want loud!” dynamic that is saved for special occasions. But I will admit that my peak dynamics were louder than any of my students in the section were using by default.

This reminds me of a horn teaching story told to me years ago. I will leave the names out; many have probably done and experienced the same basic thing. This was told me by the student in the story.

A student was skeptical that the dynamics a teacher was demonstrating in a lesson were in fact the dynamics they actually used. The teacher was irritated a bit, told the student to come to an orchestra rehearsal with the orchestra they performed in and to do two things. First, sit behind the horn section and hear how loud the horns sound up close. Then go out in the hall and listen again, keeping in mind that they would be playing at exactly the same dynamic. For the student this caused a light bulb to go off, now they got it. In the section it sounded like too much but out in the hall it was just right.

There are times when you are required to play loudly in a space much bigger than a practice room and you have to learn how to do it. In lessons I often tell students to play louder in the loud spots and softer in the soft spots in orchestral and solo works, and I often ask for bigger contrasts in etudes. It is not because I am going deaf (I had my ears checked last year! They are fine). It is because we all must master the production and control of the full range of dynamics as a key element of reaching a high performance level on the horn.