Specific quintet passage, where to breathe?

[Worth]

Our quintet is playing an excellent Jack Gale arrangement of selections from West Side Story. One place giving me issues is this section in Prologue, specifically where to breathe. At 8vb, the air goes quickly even if I tank up in the first few measures. At tempo, once getting into the 8vb portion, all hell breaks loose and my best solution is to selectively skip a note here and there to breathe. Either that or seriously cheat on the trailing edge of select notes. I'd appreciate advice as to what a decent strategy is (aside from not taking it down) at a tempo of 128 (or slightly more if folks get crazy) to keep it all together. Something's gotta give....

[MikeMason]

Limited options. Pick a couple notes to make into a sixteenth note and sixteenth rest with breath on the rest or leave out a couple eighth notes.

[The Brute Squad]

I'd leave out an eighth at a regular interval and leave out the same one each time (probably the and of 1) so it sounds intentional.

[Worth]

Thanks very much to all for the help. I've tried the sixteenth trick, and a sixteenth rest isn't enough to get the volume in I need. If I leave out three select eighth notes (great suggestion, on the "and of one") it CAN sound intentional for sure. I'll look at the score and make it consistent in stone, and as intentional sounding as possible. This arrangement keeps me on my toes for sure and I have to stay on top (or just ahead) of the beat consistently to keep it tight, especially in this movement and America. No percussion until two practices before our three planned performances in August (so I can be stingy now, but less so once percussion is in place). I'll take your advice and woodshed it as you described. Watching this come together has been great fun and a real challenge, I'm privileged to have such great players to play alongside.

[Worth]

More great suggestions. I think it comes down to individual breath capacity, conditioning and chops re one technique vs. the other. Lighting up the room with that first F is certainly key before settling in and taking it (as I see it) light, easy and clean, clean being the objective. I just came back to edit this and now think that this is genius. Seriously, it's very easy to envision a catch breath before every Bb. Wow.... I'll work on it all but thanks again for great stuff!

[Worth]

You did catch that the *feel* of the piece does not match your part, which is groups of seven eighths at a time in a number of bars.

Can you please elaborate because I'm not sure I completely understand. Would this affect which notes to selectively drop?

[Worth]

I'm glad I admitted my lack of understanding because I now do understand. Serious thanks for taking the time to impart this nolij (as Bloke would say), it's much appreciated.

[Worth]

Teaching styles, we were talking about that in another thread. As I work on this and think in sequences of 7 notes each, I "get" what Bloke was saying in the beginning about catch breaths before the Bbs at the start of the thread. Surely he identified the repeating sequence, something which comes through experience. It took the Elephant to realize I hadn't picked up on it and break it down for me to understand. Now I can look forward to taking it to rehearsal and performance. I'll try to get a look at the score this week if our Quintet leader has it with. Thanks to all