Julia Sherriff

I thought I’d say something at the outset about my aims in all of this: I’ll probably add to it as time goes on.

Let’s be clear right from the start: technical perfection is not one of them!! While I would love to be a virtuoso performer, I am well aware of my limits! Frankly, in places the intonation is pretty awful, but I hope that with practice it will improve. Indeed one of my reasons for starting all of this was to find new and interesting ways to practise. Obviously I hope that in time all of this will improve my playing (and for that matter my sight-reading) but that is not really the point.

My main reason for starting to record these videos was the sheer enjoyment and satisfaction of attempting to create my own versions of some wonderful pieces of music that I might not otherwise ever get to play. I would argue that that in itself is as much reason as anyone needs! Of course recording them meant being able to share them which, at a time when meeting up with family and friends was impossible, was a nice way to spread something positive. I hope that they make people smile and that they demonstrate what is possible. Perhaps they might even inspire others to have a go.

The technology I have used throughout is not complicated. The individual videos were recorded on my phone while I listened to a metronome beat via headphones. I then combined the videos sequentially using iMovie on my laptop. Those were useful things to learn, although I’m sure there are many tricks that I haven’t yet found! But my point is that if I can do it using just my phone to record and by learning as I go, then anyone can. Have a go!

Trying to play every part from a score is a fantastic way to improve some general musical skills and awareness too. I am learning all the time about different orchestration and different composers’ orchestral styles. My ability to transpose is improving thanks to clarinets, horns and so on, as is my ability to read the alto and occasionally tenor clefs. But it isn’t just a theory lesson: I get something rewarding out at the end.

I think it is a brilliant way of learning, practising and sharing music whatever your level and however simple or complicated the passage you try to record.

I’ll share more of the mistakes I’ve made and things I’ve learned as I go (or as they occur to me!). But what I will say now is that there is always a moment, usually 4 or 5 parts in, when suddenly it all starts to take shape and you hear a piece of music that sounds so familiar except that, instead of a full symphony orchestra, it’s being played by you! Even if the end result doesn’t always sound so good, I think that moment is pretty magical and worth all the effort alone…