Category Archives: Camp History

Audio waveform next to sheet music, with markers to show where the sheet music aligns with the waveform.

Play Along with Past Camps

The RSSC Galleries and the LYCO Bandcamp Page contain half a day of music. Have you ever wanted to play along with one of them? For just a few pieces, we have synchronised the notation with the concert recording, so you can do just that.

Or if you have ever just wanted to listen to a string orchestra while following all the parts in the conductor’s score, this is also the right place for that…

Jig Set: Blackthorn Stick / Rakes of Kildare (RSSC 2012)

Corelli – Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 7 (RSSC 2012)

5. Vivace

Handel – Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8 (RSSC 2013)

Of these three movements, we recommend starting with the 6th (the easiest) and ending with the 4th (the hardest). Ironically, out of these only the 5th movement has concertino parts, normally a distinguishing feature of a concerto grosso.

4. Grave

5. Andante (Siciliana)

6. Allegro

How to See Most of the Music

You may find that the page of sheet music leaps around faster than you can read it. This is easy to fix:

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Violinists playing while lying flat on the ground in the Camp Clayton Dining Room, with tutor Joanna Drimatis. Caption in Impact Typeface says "RSSC 2016 Freycinet First Violins Hard at Work".

Practice Like an RSSC Tutor

For those of us unfortunately at home this week, here is some of the best advice we have received from RSSC Tutors over the first 31 camps. If you remember others, please let us know in the comments.

Joanna

Play while lying flat on your back, to get used to how your spine feels when it is properly straight.

[Recommended for violin and viola, may present a challenge for ‘cello and double bass.]

Willem

Sometimes you need to play vibrato, but you are playing on an open string.

Cello part with a semibreve to play on the open C string and the technique instruction "molto vibrato".

Place your finger where on the next string up where you would play the note an octave higher than the one written. [In this case, a C on the G string.]

Or place your finger on top of your head and play vibrato there, that works too. [Works for ‘cello, challenging for other instruments.]

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“No ‘Claytons’ String Camp” by Rose Grant

String Camp arrived welcoming old and new faces,
Violins, violas, celli and of course basses.
The promise of music, friendship and fun
Brought Tasmanian players and more than one
From Victoria, South Australia and St Paul,
Escaping winter ice and summers’ cauldron
On our first rehearsal, a wild ride
Through novel scores, trying to hide
Mistakes, and rests where none were written.
The music bugs had come and bitten.
But never mind. Tomorrow will be fine,
With supper, a sleep and practice time.
And so it happened, with a week’s rehearsing,
Sectionals, tutorials, our trouble reversing.
We tuned, we rosinned and did what we ought, to
get notes and dynamics from ppp to forte.
We’re almost ready for our concert together,
All ages, all stages, all bars or ‘measures’.
String Camp’s given us so much more
Than music as written in a score.
So to every conductor, we say THANK YOU,
To all the tutors, big ‘thank you’s too.
To our camp parents, thanks for the kindness you bring,
To the committee and Jan, thanks for everything.
Playing together is what we seek.
There’s nothing ‘Claytons’ about this week.