Showing posts with label Page Turning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Page Turning. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Page-turning Links
As technology marches on, there may be one job that will become extinct: Page Turners. The ipad is sinking its claws into many a player, as I type. However, in the meantime, there will still be the need for those steely-eyed warriors who safeguard the page turn. Some links that I recently found:
An NPR interview of David Evan Thomas, who has page-turned for X, Y and Z.
Wall Street Journal's interview with Randy Knee, who turns pages at Carnegie Hall.
"All you never wanted to know about page turning!", an article written by Michael Hammer, also called A Page Turner's Survival Guide, offers several ideas on the subject.
WNYC has a couple of bits on the subject: Turn the page - if you dare written by John Schaefer, and It's More Than Just Turning Pages, an interview of Carnegie Hall turners.
An NPR interview of David Evan Thomas, who has page-turned for X, Y and Z.
Wall Street Journal's interview with Randy Knee, who turns pages at Carnegie Hall.
"All you never wanted to know about page turning!", an article written by Michael Hammer, also called A Page Turner's Survival Guide, offers several ideas on the subject.
WNYC has a couple of bits on the subject: Turn the page - if you dare written by John Schaefer, and It's More Than Just Turning Pages, an interview of Carnegie Hall turners.
Monday, July 11, 2011
A Brief Guide to Page Turners, Updated
Here is an updated list, built upon a previous post, of the most common kinds of page turners with corresponding identifiers for easy reference. Thank you to all who have contributed, again everyone feel free to add on.
Crowders sit unnecessarily close at all times (sometimes practically in your lap).
Danglers are those who wear cardigan sweaters, unclipped ties, lanyards, scarves, or other annoyingly fringed items while turning pages. These items create a constant distraction throughout a performance, often grazing the performer’s left arm with every page turn.
Destroyers turn with enough force to rip music or fling scores to the ground.
Elephants in the Room are obviously last-minute recruits, mainly identifiable by inappropriate clothing such as jeans and t-shirts. They occasionally wear all-black with white socks.
Hand Position Observers have been known to put off many a pianist in performance with their single-minded focus on the hand, wrist, and forearm position of the pianist whose pages they are supposed to be turning. These unusually dedicated students of piano pedagogy also tend to carry protractors backstage.
Heart Attacks turn the pages too soon or too late (sometimes two at a time . . .) They incite panic and frantic slapping of pages.
Helicopters hover with a hand on the music, regardless of incredibly slow tempos or flat-laying scores.
Human Obstacles attempt to turn from the bottom RH side of the music, blocking the view and inspiring thoughts of violence.
Music Civilians are mystified by the black and white dots scattered on the page and find what you do closely akin to magic. They are usually terrified of making a mistake and stare at you, unblinking and tense, for each nod. Oddly enough, they are one of your better options.
Participators will read the text of the singers and/or hum along with the melodies during performances.
Silent Critics are usually pianists of equal or higher chops. They're great at turning, but unfortunately also cause acute self-consciousness with every wrong note and bad fingering.
Songbird Heart Attacks are singers who are recruited as page-turners. They inevitably wait until the last word on the page has been sung, regardless of the difficulty of the accompaniment, how many times or how vigorously the performer nods, and the myriad of other small signs they send (throat-clearing, a nudge with the left knee, etc.) that it is beyond time to turn the frickin' page. In addition to inciting panic and frantic slapping of pages, they invoke very strong urges towards homicide.
Space Cadets are either caught up within the music or contemplating what to have for lunch as you turn your own pages. They may also forget to show up to the concert at all.
Terrifyingly Clueless tend to ask questions like, "Which side should I sit on?"
Totally Screwed turners are those faced with unattached Xerox copies, pocket scores, unfortunate spotlight placements, random air-conditioning mishaps and other situations which cause a formerly competent turner to be blinded, confused and utterly useless.
Two-Second Delay turners get up exactly two measures later than you are comfortable with, and turn two measures later than you'd like. They get the job done, but ultimately it feels like you barely made it through the recital. It helps to think, "Hey, it could be worse."
Walking Wounded are traumatized page turners who get lost in scores with extensive cuts, additions and revisions. If they turn the page too early and the pianist whips the page back, they cower in fear and humiliation, hindering any ability to be useful for the rest of the recital. Unfortunately, this is usually a close friend, resulting in tearful explanations or angry confrontations over difficulty of the score. A reconciliatory drink is recommended.
We applaud the:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Page-Turners are the ninjas among page turners, and sit completely out of one's peripheral vision. They rise with smooth motions approximately 1-2 lines from the bottom (depending upon tempo), turn the page lightening-quick and retreat back to invisibility without a whisper of sound. Their non-presence allows you to focus on the performance instead of on enabling someone to allow you to perform music.
Just for fun, here is A Page Turner’s Bio:
(The following program notes are found randomly on the internet and are from an unidentified piano recital.)
Tonight's page turner, Ruth Spelke, studied under Ivan Schmertnick at the Boris Nitsky School of Page Turning in Philadelphia. She has been turning pages here and abroad for many years for some of the world's leading pianists.
In 1988, Ms. Spelke won the Wilson Page Turning Scholarship, which sent her to Israel to study page turning from left to right. She is winner of the 1984 Rimsky Korsakov Flight of the Bumblebee Prestissimo Medal, having turned 47 pages in an unprecedented 32 seconds. She was also a 1983 silver medalist at the Klutz Musical Page Pickup Competition: contestants retrieve and rearrange a musical score dropped from a Yamaha. Ms. Spelke excelled in "grace, swiftness, and especially poise."
For techniques, Ms. Spelke performs both the finger-licking and the bent-page corner methods. She works from a standard left bench position, and is the originator of the dipped-elbow page snatch, a style used to avoid obscuring the pianist's view of the music. She is page turner in residence in Fairfield Iowa, where she occupies the coveted Alfred Hitchcock Chair at the Fairfield Page Turning Institute.
Ms. Spelke is married, and has a nice house on a lake.
And, an Amusing Infographic by ToneDeaf:
Crowders sit unnecessarily close at all times (sometimes practically in your lap).
Danglers are those who wear cardigan sweaters, unclipped ties, lanyards, scarves, or other annoyingly fringed items while turning pages. These items create a constant distraction throughout a performance, often grazing the performer’s left arm with every page turn.
Destroyers turn with enough force to rip music or fling scores to the ground.
Elephants in the Room are obviously last-minute recruits, mainly identifiable by inappropriate clothing such as jeans and t-shirts. They occasionally wear all-black with white socks.
Hand Position Observers have been known to put off many a pianist in performance with their single-minded focus on the hand, wrist, and forearm position of the pianist whose pages they are supposed to be turning. These unusually dedicated students of piano pedagogy also tend to carry protractors backstage.
Heart Attacks turn the pages too soon or too late (sometimes two at a time . . .) They incite panic and frantic slapping of pages.
Helicopters hover with a hand on the music, regardless of incredibly slow tempos or flat-laying scores.
Human Obstacles attempt to turn from the bottom RH side of the music, blocking the view and inspiring thoughts of violence.
Music Civilians are mystified by the black and white dots scattered on the page and find what you do closely akin to magic. They are usually terrified of making a mistake and stare at you, unblinking and tense, for each nod. Oddly enough, they are one of your better options.
Participators will read the text of the singers and/or hum along with the melodies during performances.
Silent Critics are usually pianists of equal or higher chops. They're great at turning, but unfortunately also cause acute self-consciousness with every wrong note and bad fingering.
Songbird Heart Attacks are singers who are recruited as page-turners. They inevitably wait until the last word on the page has been sung, regardless of the difficulty of the accompaniment, how many times or how vigorously the performer nods, and the myriad of other small signs they send (throat-clearing, a nudge with the left knee, etc.) that it is beyond time to turn the frickin' page. In addition to inciting panic and frantic slapping of pages, they invoke very strong urges towards homicide.
Space Cadets are either caught up within the music or contemplating what to have for lunch as you turn your own pages. They may also forget to show up to the concert at all.
Terrifyingly Clueless tend to ask questions like, "Which side should I sit on?"
Totally Screwed turners are those faced with unattached Xerox copies, pocket scores, unfortunate spotlight placements, random air-conditioning mishaps and other situations which cause a formerly competent turner to be blinded, confused and utterly useless.
Two-Second Delay turners get up exactly two measures later than you are comfortable with, and turn two measures later than you'd like. They get the job done, but ultimately it feels like you barely made it through the recital. It helps to think, "Hey, it could be worse."
Walking Wounded are traumatized page turners who get lost in scores with extensive cuts, additions and revisions. If they turn the page too early and the pianist whips the page back, they cower in fear and humiliation, hindering any ability to be useful for the rest of the recital. Unfortunately, this is usually a close friend, resulting in tearful explanations or angry confrontations over difficulty of the score. A reconciliatory drink is recommended.
We applaud the:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Page-Turners are the ninjas among page turners, and sit completely out of one's peripheral vision. They rise with smooth motions approximately 1-2 lines from the bottom (depending upon tempo), turn the page lightening-quick and retreat back to invisibility without a whisper of sound. Their non-presence allows you to focus on the performance instead of on enabling someone to allow you to perform music.
Just for fun, here is A Page Turner’s Bio:
(The following program notes are found randomly on the internet and are from an unidentified piano recital.)
Tonight's page turner, Ruth Spelke, studied under Ivan Schmertnick at the Boris Nitsky School of Page Turning in Philadelphia. She has been turning pages here and abroad for many years for some of the world's leading pianists.
In 1988, Ms. Spelke won the Wilson Page Turning Scholarship, which sent her to Israel to study page turning from left to right. She is winner of the 1984 Rimsky Korsakov Flight of the Bumblebee Prestissimo Medal, having turned 47 pages in an unprecedented 32 seconds. She was also a 1983 silver medalist at the Klutz Musical Page Pickup Competition: contestants retrieve and rearrange a musical score dropped from a Yamaha. Ms. Spelke excelled in "grace, swiftness, and especially poise."
For techniques, Ms. Spelke performs both the finger-licking and the bent-page corner methods. She works from a standard left bench position, and is the originator of the dipped-elbow page snatch, a style used to avoid obscuring the pianist's view of the music. She is page turner in residence in Fairfield Iowa, where she occupies the coveted Alfred Hitchcock Chair at the Fairfield Page Turning Institute.
Ms. Spelke is married, and has a nice house on a lake.
And, an Amusing Infographic by ToneDeaf:
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Article Repost, turn the page
Although violists and bassoon players have long argued over who gets the least respect in the music world, orchestras and ensembles of all kinds depend on the skill of a utility player so overlooked, he or she doesn’t even rate a mention in the program book. Today, a look behind the scenes – and behind the pianist – with LACO resident page turner, Daniel Stott (article by Michelle Weger).
How did you get into page turning? Was it a dream from childhood or something you just stumbled into?
Well, aside from the fantasy I always used to have about standing eerily close to Rick Wakeman while he was taking a blistering Moog solo, I didn’t give page turning much of a thought as a child. My first experience was in college (Isn’t everybody’s?!). A trombone player who was a friend asked if I would turn pages for his accompanist on his junior recital. I agreed to do it because I figured it beat the heck out of actually just sitting through the trombone recital. Just kidding. So, I apparently did a good job. The piano player played all the right notes at the right time and I didn’t get my head caught in the piano lid so it was a resounding success. After that, people seemed to figure out that I am either good enough at reading the music to be okay at it or I am too stupid to be scared of messing up. Now I get the best seat in the house for a concert.
Tell us about your particular technique.
Grab Page
Wait for nod
Turn page fast.
Wait for nod
Turn page fast.
No, no I’m just joking. As you can probably imagine, turning pages is a fine art. The first aspect that requires special attention is the chair in which you sit. You are going to be getting up and out of it often so it better be sturdy and well oiled because nobody likes a squeaky page turner, NOBODY. Secondly, the only other thing to watch out for is that you need to grab the page with your left hand instead of your right. Now, I have never been a “Northpaw” (Is that even the opposite of a “southpaw?”) as a page turner and I have never heard horror stories about this either, but I bet that somebody somewhere has been knocked out by a flailing right elbow to the face. That would be embarrassing. Lastly, always remember to tell the performer “nice job” or “we’ll get’em next time.” They like to hear that and positive affirmation will give them renewed confidence to get back on that stage again.
Do you have a special regime you follow to stay in prime condition for the job?
Oh yes, I pray frequently.
Etc, etc etc . . .
Etc, etc etc . . .
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A Brief Guide to Page-Turners
Amid the crunch of recital preparations, many pianists forget to secure a page-turner, leading to last-minute recruiting from friends, friends-of-friends or from random strangers in the recital hall. Unsurprisingly, when the only real qualification is 'warm body', using potluck volunteers often has mixed results. The most common kinds of turners, both good and bad, are listed below* with corresponding identifiers for easy reference.
Crowders sit unnecessarily close at all times (sometimes practically in your lap).
Helicopters hover with a hand on the music, regardless of incredibly slow tempos or flat-laying scores.
Human Obstacles attempt to turn from the bottom RH side of the music, blocking the view and inspiring thoughts of violence.
Music Civilians are mystified by the black and white dots scattered on the page and find what you do closely akin to magic. They are usually terrified of making a mistake and stare at you, unblinking and tense, for each nod. Oddly enough, they are one of your better options.
Crowders sit unnecessarily close at all times (sometimes practically in your lap).
Helicopters hover with a hand on the music, regardless of incredibly slow tempos or flat-laying scores.
Human Obstacles attempt to turn from the bottom RH side of the music, blocking the view and inspiring thoughts of violence.
Music Civilians are mystified by the black and white dots scattered on the page and find what you do closely akin to magic. They are usually terrified of making a mistake and stare at you, unblinking and tense, for each nod. Oddly enough, they are one of your better options.
Space Cadets are either caught up within the music or contemplating what to have for lunch as you turn your own pages. They may also forget to show up to the concert at all.
Destroyers turn with enough force to rip music or fling scores to the ground.
Silent Critics are usually pianists of equal or higher chops. They're great at turning, but unfortunately also cause acute self-consciousness with every wrong note and bad fingering.
Participators are a category I have never experienced, but a colleague of mine once worked with someone who liked to hum along with the melodies during performances.
The Best Page-Turning Award goes to:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Page-Turner. The ninjas among page turners, they sit completely out of one's peripheral vision. They rise with smooth motions approximately 1-2 lines from the bottom (depending upon tempo), turn the page lightening-quick and retreat back to invisibility without a whisper of sound. Their non-presence allows you to focus on the performance instead of on enabling someone to allow you to perform music.
And let's not forget:
Terrifyingly Clueless with questions like, "Which side should I sit on?"
*Please feel free to add any suggestions from your own experiences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)