Author Archives: Michael

Audio waveform next to sheet music, with markers to show where the sheet music aligns with the waveform.

Play Along with Past Camps

The RSSC Galleries and the LYCO Bandcamp Page contain half a day of music. Have you ever wanted to play along with one of them? For just a few pieces, we have synchronised the notation with the concert recording, so you can do just that.

Or if you have ever just wanted to listen to a string orchestra while following all the parts in the conductor’s score, this is also the right place for that…

Jig Set: Blackthorn Stick / Rakes of Kildare (RSSC 2012)

Corelli – Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 7 (RSSC 2012)

5. Vivace

Handel – Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8 (RSSC 2013)

Of these three movements, we recommend starting with the 6th (the easiest) and ending with the 4th (the hardest). Ironically, out of these only the 5th movement has concertino parts, normally a distinguishing feature of a concerto grosso.

4. Grave

5. Andante (Siciliana)

6. Allegro

How to See Most of the Music

You may find that the page of sheet music leaps around faster than you can read it. This is easy to fix:

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Violinists playing while lying flat on the ground in the Camp Clayton Dining Room, with tutor Joanna Drimatis. Caption in Impact Typeface says "RSSC 2016 Freycinet First Violins Hard at Work".

Practice Like an RSSC Tutor

For those of us unfortunately at home this week, here is some of the best advice we have received from RSSC Tutors over the first 31 camps. If you remember others, please let us know in the comments.

Joanna

Play while lying flat on your back, to get used to how your spine feels when it is properly straight.

[Recommended for violin and viola, may present a challenge for ‘cello and double bass.]

Willem

Sometimes you need to play vibrato, but you are playing on an open string.

Cello part with a semibreve to play on the open C string and the technique instruction "molto vibrato".

Place your finger where on the next string up where you would play the note an octave higher than the one written. [In this case, a C on the G string.]

Or place your finger on top of your head and play vibrato there, that works too. [Works for ‘cello, challenging for other instruments.]

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Residential Summer String Camp symbols with years 2003 and then 2005 to 2016.

Recording Update

RSSC recordings dating back to 2005 exist, but for many years we didn’t have room on the website to store them all. We also had problems trying to provide formats suitable for all browsers. To avoid these problems, RSSC recordings are now stored on the specialist music hosting service Bandcamp. To hear or download them, go to the Galleries and select a year from 2005 onwards. We also have 2003, but the 2004 concert was not recorded. Can you find the piece that has been performed three times since then?