Well, my teacher has decided that I need to learn "Fantasie and Variations on The Carnival of Venice" by Jean Baptiste Arban. His reasoning being, it is an instrumental standard and I'm ready to learn it. I've spent a lot of time in the Arban's book, but my oh my, I've never tried to play a piece as difficult as this. Especially variation 4.

Could anyone who has played this song give me some tips on playing it?

Hey,
This is a great piece! once you get it down youll love to play it. All i can really do from here to help you out is reccomend that you first listen to as many different recordings as possible and then begin to practice it. This will really help for the phrasing on the intro and theme. Make sure you really pay attention to the articulation. Before you start var. 1 go back and practice double tounging for a while make sure you take the entire piece slow at first. This will make everything so much easier. Pay attention to the dynamics. On var. 2 practice triple tounging and really emphasize the accents as much as possible for practice. Play as lyrically as possible on var. 3 and really work on just getting down the articulation for the 32nd notes. for the last variation make sure you go back in the book and really practice the studies on the turn starting on p. 91. That will help a ton. Its really all there for you in the book. When you see something that needs work Arban has given you everything you need earlier in the book. Use it.

Good luck.

thank-you

I recently finished mastering Bugler's holiday. So my double-tonguing's gotten some good practice.

yea, what trumpetfool said. He seems to be beating me to everything. Remember to practice with a metronome. Every variation should be at the SAME EXACT tempo as the theme. The variations shouldn't be any slower or faster. If you get faster then all the variations get faster making it harder. Watch the articulation, be sure to place every slur where the slurs and the tongued notes where the tongued notes are. Otherwise, just take your time and you'll be fine. Remeber, practice makes permanent.

Hey if any1 has got the piano music for it, cud u PLEASE send it to me? d.cromhout@webmail.co.za I can play the piece now, only need a piano part so I can perform it live now xD

Thanx a million fellas!
Euphonium ftw!

That is a fantastic piece. I can guarantee that you will love it once you have mastered it. Trumpetfool seems to know the piece very well and has given you fantasic advice. I will only stress that you take your time in learning the piece (32nd notes)and practice your tounging so as to get the notes as clear and crisp as possible. Good LUCK