Chamber Ensembles are generally short-lived beasts. It’s pretty rare for a group to form, stay together long enough to “gel” and build a following playing concerts. Many, many groups dissolve long before they reach this point for several reasons- Not the least of which being poor rehearsal habits. The Knox Brass WorX Co is really lucky to have such experienced players who get along really well, share a great love for making music and are well-versed in good rehearsal techniques. The following are some rehearsal habits you can use to keep your rehearsals civil, productive and help you along the path of creating a great musical experience for yourselves and your audience.
First, there is an unwritten (maybe, maybe not) rule of diplomacy whenever you rehearse. When making suggestions, try your best not to single any one person’s playing out for being “God-awful”. Instead, make a constructive comment that can be applied to everyone in the group. Instead of “Joe, you’re really stinking it up at 32.” you can say, “Can we all be extra sensitive to counting at measure 32, especially around beat three?” Everyone has an ego, feelings and sense of musicality- And we all play better when we feel like ours are respected. Be flexible and be willing to try things a different way. Be open to other ideas of musical interpretation. Be willing to make compromises and keep the lines of communication open. Always remember: It’s not about you, it’s about the music.
A second habit (a biggie) of successful chamber music groups is they really know the score. Know everyone else’s part as well as you know your own. Play from the score when you’re learning a new piece. Write other people’s rhythms into your part to remind yourself what else is going on while you’re playing. Know what member of the chord you are playing at all times and adjust intonation accordingly. If you don’t have the melody, get out of the way. Build a solid sense of time. Subdivide, subdivide, subdivide and count like crazy. Listen, listen, listen. Match articulations, pitch, dynamics. Play everything on the page and then some.
Habit #3: Record everything you rehearse and listen back to the recording. Set up a microphone or video camera in the corner of your rehearsal space and forget about it. Go back and watch/listen to how things REALLY went. The tape never lies…..dun-dun-DUUUUN.
Habit #4: Start and stop together and know who’s responsible for giving the entrance/cutoff. It sounds simple enough, but you would be surprised how difficult a concept starting together is for some groups to master. The key is for whoever starts the group to take a good breath in time (the tempo of the music) and with the energy that particular passage of music requires. It is also important, though slightly less so, to give a visual cue to the group to visually reinforce the tempo indicated with the breath. The other members of the group need some sense of the tempo in order to come in together and a solid breath, taken in tempo is the key to togetherness. Cutoffs require more of a visual cue. Just an up/down motion will suffice. Making a circle in the air with your horn as a conductor would is often a wasted motion since most people in the group will only be able to see you from one side instead of from the front. Oh, and listen, listen, listen.
Habit #5: If possible, never sight-read the first rehearsal of anything. This shows respect for your colleagues, and let’s face it- It saves rehearsal time. Also, come to rehearsal warmed up and ready to play. I know, this seems simple, but it makes a huge difference. If you do have to sight-read something, make sure you play the right rhythms. Nothing ever comes to a screeching halt when you miss notes, but if you guess at a rhythm- Train wreck city.
Habit #6: Always have a pencil at rehearsal.
Habit #7: Most all successful brass groups generate their own music. Everyone in the group should get into the habit of arranging, composing, commissioning, etc new music for the group and bring it into rehearsal. An advantage to writing your own music is it gives you the ability to tailor your charts to the group’s strengths and tastes and it gets you thinking about music from the composer’s point of view. Audiences will enjoy hearing fresh repertoire, too. If you think you’re no good at composing or arranging, think again. Just do it. It’s just like anything else. The more you do it, the better you will get. Everyone has to start somewhere. All composers and arrangers turn out some pretty bad music in the beginning. It’s okay. I’m sure you were responsible for a pretty raunchy Bb scale at some early point in your development, too….. Have fun and make music.
Great post!
I love the premise of the piece. There definitely are many reasons why chamber groups break up and rehearsal habits are near the top of the list.
I too would list diplomacy first on this list. It is by far, in my opinion, the number one thing that can derail a brass quintet.
And I also believe that Habit #3, recording all of your rehearsals, can tie into diplomacy quite nicely. If someone doesn’t hear what you are, you can always fall back on my favorite line from your post: the tape never lies! In Boston Brass, we record every master class and every concert and I upload them to sendspace.com and email the link to everyone. Nothing better than hearing things for yourself.
Thanks for a great post!
Andrew Hitz
Thanks, Andrew! I’m glad you enjoyed it- You’re right on about the video recording. It speaks for itself.
Outstanding post, Sean!