Yes to this. I think that dependability is at least as important as instrumental proficiency. When it comes down to it, music ensembles are still made up of people, not just instruments, and being able to work with other people pleasantly and dependably makes for a much nicer experience.Radar wrote:I do think there is one thing bloke left out regarding being an important characteristic of a pro: dependability and reliability (although not a playing characteristic). There are players in our area that are more instrumentally proficient than I am, but I've been told that I'm above some of them on call lists because the director knows if I agree to do the job I will be there well before the down beat, I'll be warmed up and in my seat prepared and ready to play, and I won't blow him off because a higher paying gig came along after I committed to his.
We've all been around musicians who are very good at making music and knowledgeable about their craft -- but who are just a bear to work with. Their characteristics include not showing up on time, talking too much during rehearsals, complaining about the rest of the group, talking back to the director (or, if they're the director, talking down to the group),... and then they turn around to execute the music at a positively stellar level.
I'd rather work with a pretty good player who's chill and dependable than an excellent player who's aggravating. Yeah, it's nice to end up with flawless recordings later, but I want to look forward to driving to rehearsals, too.