Orchestra Tips

[Ann Reid]

I’m STRONGLY seconding “KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT”.

Plenty of time to socialize once you’ve established yourself as a disciplined player, and whispered conversations rarely indicate discipline.

I ALWAYS counted rests, even endless ones, for at least a couple rehearsals.

Adjust your stand/chair so that you can comfortably watch the conductor, stop immediately when the conductor stops.

Always have a pencil available and NEVER mark a score with a pen. I used to write cues into long rests. A small notation ... “cla. meas. 36” can do the job as insurance that you’re counting accurately.

Stay alert.

ENJOY!

[The Brute Squad]

Someone mentioned being on time.

No, be early. Wayyyyy early, and here's why.

I've played in groups where the tuba shows up late or even close to on time, and has to drag that huge instrument through the already setup chairs and stands, making everybody accommodate him/her. They are blissfully unaware of how much hate that generates. You've got a large heavy instrument, maybe a music stand, tuba stand, your own chair, mutes, some people bring a cart, somewhere to put your case, etc. The strings are set up and they are frantically re-marking bowings for the umpteenth time, making an attempt to tune (sometimes pathetic, sometimes surprisingly good) and here you are doing material handling in the middle of it.

I'll second this, although in my orchestra, the strings are usually the ones showing up late/close to on time.

[Big Toot]

Much better tips than mine. Although, to be fair, I used to be a much shittier musician-type, even if I did play fairly decently. Looking back on it, I should have taken it much more seriously, considering how much it meant to me. But the hindsight being what it is...
Take those nuggets of wisdom that are being dropped.

[WC8KCY]

Someone mentioned being on time.

No, be early. Wayyyyy early, and here's why.

I've played in groups where the tuba shows up late or even close to on time, and has to drag that huge instrument through the already setup chairs and stands, making everybody accommodate him/her. They are blissfully unaware of how much hate that generates. You've got a large heavy instrument, maybe a music stand, tuba stand, your own chair, mutes, some people bring a cart, somewhere to put your case, etc. The strings are set up and they are frantically re-marking bowings for the umpteenth time, making an attempt to tune (sometimes pathetic, sometimes surprisingly good) and here you are doing material handling in the middle of it.

Tubas are not the only instrument guilty of that but just by sheer size they draw the most ire.

This. In one of my current gigs, we have a baritone saxophone player that is never early and has to traipse right through the tuba section to get to their seat. We all have to stop what we're doing, stand up, and move our tubas and music stands out of the way in order to let her through with her precious Mark VI Low A bari. I think she would be an ideal candidate to receive the world's first colonoscopy administered using the neck of a sax.

[2ba4t]

There's a man with experience!!

[timothy42b]

This is another personal opinion that I'm aware many don't agree with. But:

Never take precious rehearsal time to ask about a possible wrong note. (Was that supposed to be Gb or G#?)

Go look at the score on break.

[mikebmiller]

I think she would be an ideal candidate to receive the world's first colonoscopy administered using the neck of a sax.

I think you would have to take the mouthpiece off first to get the little camera through there.

[windshieldbug]

Never take precious rehearsal time...

yep...Let the music director do that...
- cracking dumb jokes to get the lady fiddle players giggling
- bragging about past encounters/collaborations (with all of the same people with which many of the players in the orchestra have worked)
- etc.

[mikebmiller]

Never take precious rehearsal time...

yep...Let the music director do that...
- cracking dumb jokes to get the lady fiddle players giggling
- bragging about past encounters/collaborations (with all of the same people with which many of the players in the orchestra have worked)
- etc.

We had a former community band director that would spend close to half the rehearsal yapping and telling war stories. I quit the band for a while just 'cause I got tired of listening to him talk. The guy was and is a great musician, but sometimes we would go 2 hours and only play 3 tunes.

[tbonesullivan]

I'll second this, although in my orchestra, the strings are usually the ones showing up late/close to on time.

Here's a THIRD for that. If you are the only one of any instrument, do not show up late.

Especially if you nearly knock over a ton of people with your tuba whenever you come in.

[mikebmiller]

Well, the tuba is generally in the back row, so crawling over people to get to your seat is not really problem.

[Big Toot]

Well, the tuba is generally in the back row, so crawling over people to get to your seat is not really problem.

Except that you might be upsetting the already-set percussion section. I am guilty of doing that in my community band all the time, and I know they hate me for it. Well, that and because of my aggressively unpleasant demeanor.

[luke_hollis]

Community orchestras are funny: the brass/winds are the best players in town, and the string players are the ones who are available or want to show up.

No truer words have been spoken. Brass players show up ready for the Olympics and the strings are there for a tetherball game.

[mikebmiller]

Community orchestras are funny: the brass/winds are the best players in town, and the string players are the ones who are available or want to show up.

No truer words have been spoken. Brass players show up ready for the Olympics and the strings are there for a tetherball game.

Around here, any half assed fiddle player can play in 4 or 5 part time professional orchestras easily. But it seems like about 6 trombone players have all the seats in these same orchestras. It' hard to even break into a sub list unless you know somebody. I did a sub list audition for an orchestra that plays 5-6 concerts a year a while back and was told that I passed the audition and was on the list, but they have never called me. And these seats NEVER open up. People take them for life.