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Tight Squeeze by Alex Shapiro

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Composer Bio

Overview:

Key signature: None (uses accidentals) Dynamic range: mp - ff

Time signature: 4/4, 2/4, 3/4 Scoring: Adaptable Wind Ensemble

Tempo: Quarter note = 122 Because of the nature of the piece and

Grade level: 4 the electronic accompaniment, it will

Length: 3 minutes 15 seconds work with almost any combination of

Style: instruments playing their existing parts.

Electroacoustic 12-tone Techno Latin Bebop

Instrumentation:

Piccolo, Flute 1, Flute 2, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet 1, Clarinet 2, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone 1, Alto Saxophone 2, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2, Horn 1, Horn 2, Trombone 1, Trombone 2, Trombone 3 (Bass Trombone), Euphonium, Tuba, Electric Bass, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Vibraphone/Marimba, Suspended Cymbal/Cowbell, Tom-toms (3)

Special Considerations:

Alex Shapiro believes Tight Squeeze could be described as Arnold Schoenberg, Henry Mancini, and Charlie Parker walking into a techno rave dance club in Havana and staying for at least three minutes. The melody started out as eight pitches, which coincidentally did not repeat themselves. Upon realizing this, she decided to add onto the melody to create a twelve-tone row. The pitches first appear in a chromatic pattern in measures 7-10 and are subsequently used throughout the piece in different keys.

Tight Squeeze is an electroacoustic piece. The goal is for the ensemble to play along with the pre-recorded audio track and seamlessly create a unified sound. The electronic track drives the piece and should be played loudly. The piece comes with one version of the audio track in stereo mix for the performance (which will be heard by the audience and the ensemble), as well as a version with the click track, which can be used by musicians when they are practicing (on their own/at home) and by the conductor during rehearsal and performance (through ear buds/headphones). It will take practice on the part of both the conductor and the players to perform with the electronic track. Conductors should be prepared to spend time outside of the rehearsal (especially before rehearsals with the band begin) practicing how to conduct to the track, while being able to audiate the wind parts. The band should start to learn the piece by using a metronome. As they become more familiar with it, they should switch to using the click track, and eventually they can play with the electronic accompaniment without the click. The conductor should always use the electronic accompaniment with the click through earbuds (in at least one ear) or headphones. Additional technical information regarding the use of the electronic tracks can be found in the score and on Alex Shapiro's website.

Rehearsal Strategies

Musical Expression:

The most important musical element of Tight Squeeze is its sense of fun and adventure. Have the musicians focus on telling a story through their performance. Even though the piece has an electronic accompaniment track does not mean that the performance has to be mechanical or exactly the same each time it is performed. A story might be inspired based on Alex Shapiro's idea of Arnold Schoenberg, Henry Mancini, and Charlie Parker walking into a techno club in Havana. Another story could be inspired by the title of the piece, which developed when she saw a gull with a flounder coming out of its beak and the bird was desperately trying to figure out how to swallow the fish without losing it. The story could be entirely from the imaginations of the musicians. Bringing music to life in this way is essential to creating a situation where the conductor, musicians, and audience all feel engaged, rather than simply conducting/playing/listening to music.

Tonality/Intonation:

Because of the use of the twelve-tone row for the main melody of the piece, it is essential for musicians to know their chromatic scale and to understand enharmonic note spellings. Teach the chromatic scale by having musicians recite the letters of the alphabet (ascending in sharps and descending in flats). After they can do this for the range the piece requires (at a steady tempo, without making mistakes), have them recite the note names, while doing the fingerings/slide positions. Next, have them think the pitch names while playing the chromatic scale. Have them play their chromatic scale for one or two octaves, starting on each pitch in the Circle of Fourths (from Edward Lisk's Alternative Rehearsal Techniques-Creative Director Series). They can also do this alternating between ascending and descending. For example, start on F chromatic scale ascending and after playing the top F, go to Bb chromatic scale descending. Finally, have them read the chromatic scale on the staff after they have memorized it, so they connect playing and reading the pitches. Teaching musicians to learn and play the chromatic scale in this way ensures they will not have issues when they have to play it in the piece.

In addition to being able to play the chromatic scale, musicians need to know how to tune properly. Edward Lisk provides a thorough explanation of the hows and whys of the tuning process in many of his books, including The Creative Director: Conductor, Teacher, Leader.

It is best to set a pitch from either a drone or a tuba (or lowest instrument in the band). A drone is advantageous, if possible, because it provides a consistent pitch. Using the Yamaha Harmony Director HD 200 keyboard is also helpful for hearing chords (including cluster chords) in just intonation and tuning them accordingly.

Concert F is the best pitch for tuning almost all wind instruments because of the overtone series and where it lies on the instruments. The exception is Eb alto and baritone saxophones, but the benefits of F in all the other instruments outweigh this. After the winds have tuned to F, the drone or tuba should change to Bb and everyone should join the Eb saxophones in tuning that note. Start by tuning principal players. After the principal

euphonium is in tune with the tuba, they should continue to play and then the principal trombone player should join them. The process repeats through score order (ascending). Next, everyone else tunes by listening to their section leader. Only one person in each section (who has not yet tuned) should tune with the section leader at a time, so each musician can clearly hear themselves and identify if there are beats in the sound. Musicians

only need to listen for beats in the sound and do not need to worry about knowing if they are flat or sharp right away. If they are pinching the embouchure to slow down beats, they are flat and if they are relaxing the embouchure to slow down beats, they are sharp. Then they can adjust their instrument by moving the slide/mouthpiece/barrel in or out or adjusting the reed. After an adjustment has been made, they need to hear if the beats got slower or faster. Faster beats means to go the opposite direction on the instrument and slower beats means to continue in the same direction until the beats have been eliminated. When musicians are perfectly in tune, their sound is indistinguishable from the sound of their section leader. They should keep playing as the rest of the section tunes. In addition to blending within the section, each section needs to balance within the ensemble. In general, this means musicians should listen down to the tuba or lowest instrument in the ensemble or the instrument playing the lowest part.

After musicians have completed the tuning process, they can play unison pitches around the Circle of 4ths from Edward Lisk's Alternative Rehearsal Techniques - Creative Director Series. This allows them to hear and play in tune in all keys. Later, add perfect fifths and chords.

Pulse/Rhythm:

Even though Tight Squeeze is played with an electronic accompaniment track, it still requires ensemble members to have a strong sense of internal pulse. To develop ensemble pulse with my students, I introduce it as a game, based on Edward Lisk's internal pulse exercise (described in The Creative Director: Conductor, Teacher, Leader). To lead the game, hold your hands out with the palms up and count aloud 1-8 (at a tempo of approximately 60 beats per minute). Next, the musicians should count with you. Everyone should be counting with a crisp tone of voice and be focused on listening to the space between the beats. It is necessary for players to keep their bodies from moving during this time. The emphasis is on internal pulse, not on external elements like foot tapping, head bobbing, etc. After the pulse has been established, turn your hands, so your palms are facing down. When your palms are down, you and the ensemble members should switch to silently counting. During silent counting, everyone should keep their lips sealed, so no one is mouthing the numbers to themselves. Remind musicians of the internalization process or "thinking in your brain". Initially, only indicate one or two beats of silence at a time. As the musicians improve their internal pulse, keep your palms down for more beats. It becomes a fun challenge for musicians to see how long they can count silently and still come in on the correct number and with their voices exactly together.

After the musicians have performed the pulse exercise correctly, they should transfer it to playing around the Circle of 4ths. Start by having them play in unison on concert F on the Circle of 4ths for pulse 5. Ensemble members should be counting to five (internally) while they are playing for four beats, releasing on beat five, and then breathing and entering with the new pitch on the next beat. After they have played concert F, they should play concert Bb, then concert Eb, etc. At first, you can conduct a "one" pattern and indicate the entrances and releases. When the ensemble is secure in the internal pulse, stop conducting and let the musicians continue to play pulse 5 around the Circle. It is important to stop the ensemble when precision in entrances and releases is lost. Remind musicians to breathe together and play together. Whenever the entrances or releases lose precision, name a new pulse (for example, pulse 6 or pulse 3) and begin on a different note in the Circle (concert Bb, for example). Eventually, the internal pulse of the ensemble and precision of entrances and releases will improve. As this occurs, indicate pulses between 3 and 7 (or longer). Also, add rests. For example, pulse 5 rest 3 would be "play, two, three, four, release, two, three, breathe" and would be notated as a whole note followed by a whole rest.

Tight Squeeze is a jazz-based groove piece, so it is very important to Alex Shapiro

that once the players are comfortable with the rhythms they are encouraged to feel the pulse and the syncopated groove in their bodies. Suggest that they allow themselves to move with the music. This will achieve the lilt and musicality on which the piece, and the jazz genre it reflects, are based.

Throughout Tight Squeeze, there are different variations of sixteenth note rhythms that will need to be taught. In order to achieve rhythmic precision, teach musicians how to count the rhythms. After everyone can read, count, and clap each rhythm, have them think and play one rhythm at a time on a unison pitch (starting on concert F) around the Circle of 4ths. Everyone should learn how to read and play all of the rhythms (whether they appear in their individual part or not). Sometimes two or more different rhythms appear at the same time in the piece (for example the clarinet, bass clarinet, and alto saxophone rhythms in measure 63).

To address rhythmic precision, divide the ensemble into two parts. Have one group

play one rhythm on a unison pitch, while the other group plays the other rhythm in unison,

perhaps a perfect fifth away. After the rhythms have been played, the ensemble can rest for one measure and then play the rhythm again on the next pitch of the Circle of 4ths.

Then exchange parts so musicians are playing a different rhythm from the first time they played. After they can do this with rhythmic clarity, put the rhythms back into context, so all musicians are playing their part as it appears in the music.

Dynamics:

Tight Squeeze utilizes a wide range of dynamics, especially on the louder end of the spectrum. There are also many subito dynamics throughout the piece. To set balanced dynamic levels, I use one hand to indicate a dynamic level pianissimo through fortissimo, where zero is pp and five is ff. Have musicians play around the Circle of 4ths and cue each note at a different dynamic level.

There are many quick decrescendos and crescendos in this piece. Edward Lisk explains in his Creative Director Series books that musicians should count aloud the number of beats the crescendo or decrescendo lasts. If it is a three beat crescendo from piano to forte, have them start counting aloud softly at "one" and increase volume quickly, so their voice is forte at "three". If the crescendo is longer or shorter than three beats, have them

count to the exact length of the crescendo (for example one through nine for a nine beat

crescendo or one through two for a two beat crescendo). If the crescendo is only two or three beats, have players subdivide to eighth or sixteenth notes to truly experience how the volume is increasing. After they are able to do this with their voices, they should play

their instrument, while thinking the same voice in their head. The process is the same for decrescendos, except counting backwards (3, 2, 1) starting with the voice louder and quickly getting softer. Decrescendos are usually more challenging to do evenly at first, so continue to draw attention to making sure the voice is correct and then apply it on the instrument. With time, players will be able to play crescendos and decrescendos of various lengths. Remind players they should never be whispering or shouting because these do not represent good tone quality on the instrument. It is always good to frequently remind musicians to never play louder or softer or shorter than they can play with good balance, blend, intonation, and tone quality.

Articulation/Style/Phrasing:

Tight Squeeze frequently uses staccatos and accents and sometimes both at the same time, as in measure 37.

First, discuss with musicians the difference between an accent (one dynamic level louder entrance with some decay and full value note) versus staccato (detached) versus accented staccato (one dynamic level louder entrance with decay and shortened note value). Next, have them experiment with playing the three articulations as quarter notes on a unison pitch. Start slowly (quarter note = 50) and emphasize listening and matching note lengths and style. Then put it into the context of the rhythms in one measure of the

piece and keep the slow tempo. After they have achieved success with that, increase the tempo to performance speed (quarter note = 122). Continue this process and keep putting measures together until the musicians are able to play larger phrases and eventually the entire piece.

The phrasing and style of the piece is really based on the groove established by the electronic accompaniment track. The main job of the musicians is to maintain the energy and flow of the piece and focus on the nuances in articulations and dynamics. Beyond that, the three natural laws of musical expression, described by Edward Lisk in The Musical Mind of the Creative Director, still apply. Remind musicians that short notes look for long notes, low notes search for high notes, and high notes search for low notes.

Flutter tonguing/Glissando/Fall/Trill:

There are a few instances in Tight Squeeze where flutes are required to flutter tongue and glissando and fall. First, flute players will need to be able to flutter tongue. One way this technique can be taught is by having players roll their "r"s. The tongue should be further back in the mouth (away from the gums and teeth) and it requires a steady, focused stream of air to keep the tongue rolling. The rest of the embouchure should stay in the same position, but the position of the tongue with the air passing over it causes the "flutter" to happen. Another way to teach flutter tonguing is to have the players gargle water and notice how it feels in the back of their throats. Instruct them to imitate that feeling without using water. After they can do this, have them do the same thing while playing the flute. Start in the low register and when they can do that successfully, try it on higher notes.

In measure 6, they should flutter tongue on G and then A. After they are flutter tonguing on the A for approximately two beats, they should continue to flutter tongue and play chromatically descending until they reach the pitch indicated by the arrow. Sliding the tone between pitches will achieve the desired fall effect.

In measure 8, they should flutter tongue on the D for approximately one beat and then play chromatically descending. Again, sliding the tone between pitches will achieve the desired fall effect.

In measure 58, they should flutter tongue on the Bb for approximately half a beat and then play chromatically descending. Sliding the tone between pitches will achieve the desired fall effect.

In measure 58, there are trills for the oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, and xylophone.

The oboe trill can be accomplished without a problem, provided they remember to trill to a Gb and know the trill fingering.

The clarinet trill between E and F should be easy and does not require a special trill fingering.

The alto saxophone trill between B and C can be accomplished using the chromatic fingering for C.

The xylophone trill between F and Gb can be accomplished by striking the Gb close to the edge of the bar.

All instruments have a fall in measure 62. They can accomplish this by playing chromatically descending for the length of the fall. Sliding the tone between pitches will achieve the desired fall effect.