Rehearsal Update: Elliott Carter and the Mind Meld

In our most recent rehearsals, we've been focusing a lot on playing truly together. We've found that although we have rare moments when we are all on the same page, we often are four good clarinettists playing at the same time, but not with the same intent. We have been focusing creating a single energy and a single mindset while we play. This sounds very mystical and new age-y, but its been working for us. We all think about "plugging in" to a quartet brain that will play the piece. It is really an abstract way of listening while we play that puts the focus on the other three players, and allows you to hear the other three very clearly. So far, this has been working quite well for us, and is solving many issues like tempo, balance, and articulation differences. To practice this, we've been using the 2nd movement of Carter's Canonic Suite, which allows us to address many of these issues directly.

Right now, we're calling this a "mind meld." According to Matt, this is inspired by the Vulcan Mind Meld of Star Trek; if you're unfamiliar, you can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_%28Star_Trek%29#Mind_melds