Reason for Playing Classics

Reason for Playing Classics

Presented in the Friend Town No.14（1997/6)

　I think I am a jazz and popular music harmonica player, and I am thought to be so. But, I recently played classic musics in some stages. Actually, the title of the description could have been the "Reason for Not Playing Classics",. I just chose the positive expression.
　By the way, why I didn't play classics until recently. Yes, it's just because it is difficult.
　During my university student days, I purchased some music book for classic musics to look for etudes for chromatic harmonica. In these musics, there are many symbols such as slur, tie, staccato, those for articulations such as p and mf, and those for speed such as dim. and accel. I had no abilities to pay attention to these symbols as I started playing music only after I entered the university. But I understood I had to pay attention to them. I got be angry to myself. In the other hand, jazz or popular music does not include these symbols that much. The player can interprete the music freely. And in the university band, many player play the same part and I didn't need to pay attention that much.
　Thus I had not played classic musics for nearly 30 years.
　Recently some minus one CDs for practicing music instruments has been sold. The one for flute I bought contains popular and classic musics. It contains Menuet de"L'Arlesienne" which designate many slur and staccato in it. The flute player plays them completely.
　I tried to practice it with respectation to the player. I noticed I could pay enough attention to these symbols after playing chromatic harmonica for more than 30 years. I play it very good, also with my belly vivration.
　Since then I added classic musics to my repertoire. It is "revenge" , a word in fasion, in 30 years.
　Another subject to my own is to remember the entire music. I feel it very difficult not only to play melody, but also to pay attention to these music symbols in memory. I have never played classics on the stage in memory. I should challenge to it someday.