How to become a good orchestra player - Step 1

I thought we had a good, productive rehearsal yesterday. No we didn't get to rehearse Les Toreador, but we did get through the whole Spanish Dance (kind of) :) And we did get a lot done with that piece. Good fundamental stuff that can be applied to all other pieces like how to catch the tempo, feeling the beats within, etc. etc.

The difficulties we face when playing in an orchestra is quite different from those of when playing solo. In fact, it is much more difficult. Not only do you have your notes to worry about, but also you have so many other things you have to be concerned with. Not only do you have to know your notes perfectly, but you have to be able to play them perfectly together with your section and the rest of the orchestra like a huge synchronized swimming team. Not only that, but be able to play your notes in a very particular way so every stroke, every breath, every attack, every release, every tone color, and every pitches sound as one. That is our goal anyway.

How can we manage all this? The very first step is to listen. People who have studied with me in the past might be sick of me saying this again, but I cannot stress this enough, you must listen. You must listen to your colleagues, so you can match each other's sound and timing - you must listen to professionals play as often as possible so you have those great sounds pounded in your head, so you always have a goal within your sight - and lastly, listen to yourself very carefully to see if your sound matches to those of your colleagues in orchestra, or those of your favorite performer(s). Music is something one listens to, therefore it is only logical to start there.

You cannot even begin to pronounce a word in a foreign language if you've never "heard it" before. So if you start visually, how do you know if your notes "sound" right? Music is one of those arts where reference must be at your core. Without references, you will be lost like a tiny boat drifting in the middle of the Pacific ocean. And the references come from listening.

Music is an art of sound, as you know. We must shift our focus on to our ears. Not our fingers, not our brains, and definitely not our eyes. Listen carefully to the smallest details. That is how to become an excellent ensemble player, and and a superb musician.

Practice your listening skills by watching the video I posted of the Spanish Dance in the previous entry, and this: