✔ 最佳答案
First off, since this is solely intended for me, I think I have the license to flex my muscles. Regarding the edit on kimkim’s writing, I am on your side. Regarding your writing, you might notice that you missed a few “s”-es – such as “there are so many pianists and accompanists”. However, knowing you well, I believe that (and other inconsistencies in language/structure) was simply a slip-of-pen, not intentional. And on the same vein, that could very well be the case with kimkim. Beware: I am prone to massive slips …
Stepping back to the original question. Accompanying woodwind instruments requires a bit of experience. Two things come to mind: ensemble and tonal control.
Ensemble: Wind and brass players, unlike keyboard players or even string players, actually need to take time to breathe in-between phrases, at times even at the opening of a phrase. The pianist needs to be aware of that and to be constantly watching the breathing of his partner. For me, it takes one or two rehearsals to get use to a wind/brass player’s “breathing style”, so to speak.
Tonal control: Having almost nothing in common between the two instruments – one produces sound by moving air and the other by a percussive hammer pounding on strings, the sonic or tonal marriage between the two instruments is an odd one. In this case, the pianist may need to adjust his tone to accommodate his partner. Except for a few places, bluntness in attack or sharply picked articulations on the piano is best to be avoided. Sensitive use of the pedal combined with a sensitive touch will make the marriage more agreeable.
The first one or two rehearsals would be considered the courtship period between the two players where these two aspects are put to test. Never settle on one sound or one way of phrasing simply for the sake of adjusting to either party, but achieve this magical union with lots of experiments and creativity.
If you are serious about this, I would certainly advise a real pianist. Only a seasoned pianist is sensitive enough to all the subtlety of ensemble playing. Regardless whether he is a current student, a recent graduate, or a student of Liszt, the pianist needs to have enough command of the music to even offer musical suggestions to your Grade-6-level flautist (flutist?). The pianist should have an authority on interpretation too as he is looking at the master score with all the harmonies and everything else. If the pianist simply plays through the piece with you without making a single comment afterwards, chances are, he is standing on thin ice himself and could barely grasp what’s going on between the two (that or he is an identical twin to the flautist…). Or if you find the ensemble at breathing points or tonal balance still a noticeable problem by the third rehearsal, something is definitely mal-functioning.
At Grade 6, these two problems should be your main concern. Obviously, other musical aspects come into play too, such as control of climatic points, phrasing, etc.. Again, a real pianist should be able to tackle those with relative ease.
At the risk of sounding extremely vague, I hope I did made some important points as guidelines for you. I should also remind you that, this is actually a rather enjoyable commitment and your flautist should be having fun too!
2007-01-24 20:37:28 補充：
Merci très beaucoup for the rather undeserved flattery; for future reference, you should also seek advices from other esteemed members here such as hkbass and seasonshek. Good luck!
