Master Class: Becoming a Soloist

Carole Dawn Reinhart’s Masterclass “Becoming a Soloist” was a tremendous inspiration to all in attendance. Ms. Reinhart began with remarks about solo playing. She strongly encouraged memorization of solo works as this helps a performer to truly know a piece of music. She related her impression that audiences tend to take soloists more seriously when they play from memory. Brass players are often not as prepared to play from memory as are violinists, pianists, and vocalists, and Ms. Reinhart suggested it would help their cause to memorize solos when possible. Ms. Reinhart also stressed that it is important to get solo experience wherever one finds oneself. She suggested that any opportunity would do: Lions Clubs events, Rotary Club events, etc. Ms. Reinhart emphasized exaggerating extremes when playing stating: “You’re an actor/actress – beautiful isn’t enough.” She added that intensity, energy, and articulation must be there too.

About her career, Carole Dawn Reinhart said that she did not plan to be a soloist – it just happened. She explained that performing solos has been very rewarding for her, but also very lonely and stressful. As an example she mentioned that when on tour one always needs to fit a warm-up into the travel schedule, and one is often on one’s own. In performing solos, she stated that breathing well helps to control nerves and results in more musical playing.

Tubist, Dan Burdick, gave a beautiful performance of a lyrical selection for Ms. Reinhart who encouraged him to “play down” during ascending lines stating: “Don’t go after the notes – bring them to where you are.” Her suggestions added yet more life to Mr. Burdick’s performance. This led to a discussion of breathing in which Ms. Reinhart recommended taking in air with the throat open and allowing one’s back to expand. To get air moving, she suggested keeping the shoulders down and using the body to push down. She explained how this creates compression which is a necessity for both loud and soft playing. A final breathing tip from Ms. Reinhart was to get the back of the tongue down when inhaling. She added that if a player can hear herself breathe, the tongue probably needs to come down so that she only hears a “whoosh” upon inhaling.

Finally, Ms. Reinhart addressed the topic of tonguing specifically describing what she termed “Viennese tonguing.” This very sharp tonguing, basically fp, which she said sounds “like a diamond into a pearl” is effectively used in works by Mahler and Bruckner. Her demonstration of this tonguing in parts of the first movement of Hindemith’s Sonata for Trumpet and Piano showed how much this style of tonguing can add to selected literature.

Submitted by Cathy Leach, Principal Trumpet, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Professor of Trumpet/Director of Graduate Studies University of Tennessee