I
have watched all these files many times, through them all, there is one major
thought he emphasizes in all his teachings: “Let
the music be your motivation”.
He
has told this story many times and it has made a huge impression on me: From
the time he was a student at The Curtis Institute of Music, which he entered in
1930 (he was 15) he used the music he heard in his own musical environment as
his personal study material; when he heard something he thought was beautiful,
whether it was played on string instruments, woodwind instruments or voice, he
would learn it on the tuba and try to imitate the qualities that made it
beautiful. It worked.
In
Arnold Jacobs’ formative period there was very little study material for tuba
compared to today. We’re blessed today with wonderful instruments, great
teachers and abundant methods and study repertoire. Even so, the benefits of
playing familiar material, listening to why it’s beautiful and imitating, are
huge. Whether whole melodies or just melodic fragments, whether the music of
Bach, Brahms or Michael Jackson, whatever key, whatever way, can play a very
important part in the development of our personal musicality.
Enjoy
playing music the way you want it to sound, let the tuba be your voice.
Roger
Bobo, July 8, 2012, Tokyo