<p>Hey guys, this is my first post. I have a couple of questions regarding my prescreening recordings. I don't know if these questions have been asked before, I did search but I couldn't find anything.</p>
<p>What is the norm/standard procedure when recording (for prescreening purposes) classical works with repetitions? Many classical sonatas have repetitions in the first mvt, and some movements are in "theme and variations" form which have several repeats. Is it the norm to record all repeats? or not?</p>
<p>Also because it rather expensive to book a studio with a good piano, and my piano is not in very good condition, I'm wondering if it's recommendable to do the prescreening recording using VSTis. I have a Yamaha DP and Synthogy Ivory which combined can produce a recording that is indistinguishable from a real piano. I've recorded with these before and I've had people ask me what piano I recorded on because it sounded so good. So, I'm not really worried about sound quality but I'm more concerned if the admissions committees will fret about the recording not being done on an "acoustic" instrument.</p>
<p>I would really appreciate and advice you can give me, and I'm sure others will find this useful as well.</p>
<p>It would be a much better idea to call the schools directly than to ask these kinds of questions here. For one thing, the answers may be different at different schools. For another, the answers may be different at a school this year than they were at the same school a year or two ago.</p>
<p>That said, I would not be surprised if schools wanted everything performed on an acoustic piano. Good piano technique involves not only playing the correct notes but also the ability of the player to create different colors and timbres by using the mechanical action of the keyboard to best advantage. When you are using a sampled or synthesized keyboard, a fair amount of that work has been done for you by the people who did the sampling or who created the patch, or by algorithms post-processing the sound. You need to demonstrate that you can make a beautiful sound without that kind of help.</p>
<p>On a theme and variations where the variations are all different from one another, you would surely not want to skip any of them unless told to do so explicitly in the instructions given for what should be on the recording. The issue of whether or not to perform repeats can be a very thorny one that varies depending on the piece and the time period and style in which it was written. Again, better to call the school (and, if possible, the person who will listen to the recording) and find out exactly what they want.</p>
<p>I agree with BassDad that only an acoustic piano should be used for a recording for a piano admit. To my ear, the good non-acoustic is usually “too good to be true” (i.e. the tuning is near-perfect and the action and balance are just too perfect)–the ears at the better conservatories will certainly be much much better than mine and they almost certainly will not like a recording of a non-acoustic piano.</p>
<p>I suspect that most schools won’t care a great deal about repeats (although certainly one would never omit a variation, but I don’t think that is what you were implying), and in fact, my guess is that most profs listening to the recordings would prefer that you not repeat: they have dozens/hundreds of recordings to listen to and are unlikely to hear most of them in their entirety and therefore would prefer that you get on to new material. Obviously very short repeats (e.g. 4 bars) should be observed as should any repeat which is essential for conveying the structure, but I would be disinclined to repeat the entire 5-page expostition of a Beethoven sonata–it is unlikely to help the listener form a more accurate impression of your skills. [Caveat: If the repeat requires an entirely different interpretation, then I would include it. This is often the case with some Baroque works.]</p>
<p>In a performance or a recording for sale, one would, of course, observe all repeats, but the purpose of a prescreening recording is very different: you are trying to give an accurate view of your skills. In the live audition more time is probably taken to listen to you than is taken with your recording, but even here, the auditioning panel will almost certainly have you skip repeats.</p>
<p>BassDad’s advice about checking with the school is good. Please post their response if you get one.</p>
<p>“Also because it rather expensive to book a studio with a good piano, and my piano is not in very good condition, I’m wondering if it’s recommendable to do the prescreening recording using VSTis”</p>
<p>FxBeast, those are not your only choices. Look into using a church or school where not only the piano but the acoustics will be better in a live performance space. DD did her recording in a church sanctuary using their piano. Granted, it was voice audition, but the accompanist matters, too. Piano and overall sound were much better.</p>
<p>Talk about technology change - next year, you’ll be able to upload your pre-screening files to send them in at one school website I was looking at. That will be a great convenience when they all go that way.</p>
<p>Definitely use an acoustic piano for your recordings. The recommendation about using a church was a good one. Usually churches have grand pianos and good acoustics, and rental can be very reasonable.</p>
<p>I would second using a church for presceening recordings. My son is a high school senior going through the application process for vocal performance and he just did his recording at a local church (where he had sung with one of his school groups). They did not charge for using it plus they had just had the grand piano tuned. Everything sounded wonderful and the recording (both audio and video since the applications he is submitting included a mixture of both) turned out great.</p>
<p>Many thanks for all your advice!!
I agree that it is best to record on an acoustic. I looked at churches a couple of years ago because I wanted to record a few things and there were only a couple within a reasonable traveling distance that had decent grand pianos, and they wouldn’t hear of me playing secular works. I don’t know how it is in the States but here they were very strict about it. I will look and see if things have changed however. If I can’t find one though I’ll probably end up doing a few gigs so I have enough money for a studio.</p>
<p>I think I will omit the repeat of the exposition in my classical sonata, I agree that the people who listen probably want to hear the development more than the exposition again. I think I will also omit the repeats in the variations, especially since they don’t really change the structure of the piece. Of course I would never omit a variation!!</p>
<p>If you are unable to find a church that is free, then see if there are any schools or colleges with decent pianos. Usually if you talk to the right person and are flexible as to time, you can book a hall and piano for free. The recording studios that I am familiar with that don’t cost a fortune usually have mediocre or terrible pianos and are not acoustically designed for classical music–the technicians all want to add reverb to the recording which is a huge no-no on classical audition recordings. </p>
<p>If all else fails, I’m sure that your piano teacher should have a good piano and would probably be more than happy to allow you to record in his/her studio. Acoustics won’t be incredible but would probably be better than the sound-absorbing over-padded recording studios that are common.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’ll probably end up doing something like that…I’ll look to see if there is any school in my area with a decent piano. Thanksfor the tips!</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to do it at a professional studio and unless you are absolutely sure you can do a good recording, get the recording done professionally. I realize it is expensive, but a point that has been driven home time and again is that prescreening is serious business, that they aren’t just weeding out the obvious unqualified people, but looking for the highest level talent and the quality of the recording is as important as your playing. From what I have been able to gather they can turn down a lot more on the prescreen then they accept…conventional wisdom that I have often heard is you simply have to show you can play good enough, but I suspect that is incorrect.</p>
<p>We used a professional to do the recording, but we did it in the church. DD’s voice teacher insisted on the live performance space, not studio sound. They will come to you, too. You do not have to go to their studio to get professional sound recording. .</p>
<p>The unavailability of a church with a good piano which would allow recording of secular classical (vs. sacred) music made it very clear that OP is not from the US or Canada (and almost certainly not from the United Kingdom either). </p>
<p>From reading numerous posts made over the years here, I suspect that only a small minority of those whose prescreens were accepted made their recordings in a recording studio. However, a much larger percentage used either a professional recording engineer or a person with considerable recording expertise. If you don’t have good recording equipment and significant expertise, then hiring a recording technician/engineer is a good idea. You do want a good recording. </p>
<p>My son recorded half his repertoire in a church (the unaccompanied half) and the other half in his accompanists’s studio (not ideal acoustics there but the piano in the church had some slight tuning issues which we felt would be more disagreeable than the piano studio’s acoustics; note: book your recording sessions to occur no later than early November so that you can take care of the myriad of issues which arise like piano tuners unavailable on short notice). </p>
<p>We used the services of the local tympanist who as a sideline does most of the local classical recordings required for summer programs and college admissions. He had all the equipment (mikes, computer, . . .) and had significant experience recording classical music. All of the other professional options were experienced recording rock, pop, rap, jazz, country, commercial etc. which involves a very different set of skills!</p>
<p>The recording wasn’t perfect but it was good and my son passed all prescreens with it: Juilliard, NEC, CIM, and Colburn (chose not to do the auditions at NEC and Colburn after a knowledgable teacher said that all acceptances were quite certain). As well, he got one near full-ride on the basis of the recording with no live audition. We spent about $250 for a) the two separate recording sessions (each was about 1.5 hours and each required about 40 minutes of round-trip driving for the technician); and b) the burning of four different CD’s or DVD’s (each school required slightly different repertoire and a specific format). </p>
<p>Bottom line: having an excellent piano is essential; having a dependable experienced recording technician is advisable; using a recording studio as the recording space is not essential (and in many cases be a bad idea for reasons mentioned in a previous post).</p>
<p>I very much agree with what violindad says above. I would add that, in addition to the excellent piano, it is essential to have an excellent accompanist if you are not the one who will be playing it.</p>
<p>I just finished checking out the apps for summer vocal programs and some require CDs vs DVDs…Help!</p>
<p>I have successfully recorded D w/ DVD and although not professional quality, good enough to show her ability & potential (she is HS age). But, now there are some requests for CDs…do we have to go through the time and expense of getting a professional w/ studio equipment?</p>
<p>I’ve been looking at my options and so far I have found one school which has a nice concert hall with, I’ve been told, a great concert grand. Now, no one could confirm what brand/model the piano is, so I have talked to the administrator and will go check it out on Wednesday. He also said it was possible that I might be able to use the hall/piano for free.
I also talked to a studio which has a Steinway L, in good condition. I’ll go check them both out this week and I’ll probably make the decision based on the acoustics/quality of the piano.</p>