Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [rehearsal]

Questions about the practice or preparatory performance of a musical piece for later public performance to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared.

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Keeping track of problems during rehearsals

As a mostly untrained conductor, one problem I've always had is keeping track of problems with a piece as we work through it. Something will stick out and I'll want to go back, but all I could manage was a slash or other simple mark that isn't…
derekerdmann
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Teaching Bandmates to Count

I started out as a classically trained guitarist and spent my high school years playing bass in a (school) jazz ensemble, so I have some (limited) formal musical training. Playing rhythm in Jazz required me to be able to hold tempo/count/etc. do…
crasic
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Preparing for my first jazz gig

My first jazz gig is coming up (in about 45 days) and rehearsals start tomorrow. We are a quartet consisting of Bass, Drums, Guitar and Saxophone. I am used to playing with the rhythm section - drummer and bassist are close friends with a rock…
Costagero
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How to sing better in a band situation?

The singer in my band can sing very well. When he is singing by himself playing an acoustic guitar he sounds great. However when put into a situation where he is singing with a full band (ie: studio or rehearsal), his singing is nowhere near as…
Craig Curtis
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Getting a youth band to look up

Tomorrow I'm standing in for the conductor to lead a rehearsal of my "training" band. This is effectively a school group: most of the players are fairly new and still have trouble reading music, though there are some much better ones, and some of…
Dan Hulme
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Finding bandmates in a new city

I'm a young drummer that moved to Los Angeles. How do I find bandmates? I've tried posting and replying to ads on Craigslist and am going in circles. Most, not all, have been flaky or are into a very different style of music that I'm interested…
wwwuser
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Caffeine / Alcohol Before or During Rehearsal

I have been rehearsing an average of once a week most recently. We have a decent stock of songs, but are continually adding new candidates. I find that on the days where I have been drinking coffee, that I tend to overplay / vamp on my parts. …
Jason P Sallinger
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Rehearsal Letters: Skipping I, J, O?

Sometimes in orchestral scores, rehearsal letters I, J, or O may be skipped. For example, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 does not have a rehearsal letter J. What is the reason?
user53472
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How to conduct rehearsals in a small band?

We have small band of four people(vocals+guitar, bass, drums and trumpet). It is our hobby, if it matters. I am trumpeter and the most recent(half a year) member of a band. We rehearse every week and our typical rehearsal is: repeat 15 songs, that…
DoctorMoisha
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When working on a excerpt that is difficult for one section, what should the director do to not waste practice time with the rest of the sections

When MDing, if a section has an excerpt of the music that is quite difficult and may require 10-15 minutes of work in order to build understanding of that section, what should the Music Director do so that other sections don't lose interest in the…
Eyrk Weir
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How to hear yourself better at the rehearsal studio?

In most rehearsal studios I play, I often face the same problem: the amplifier (even sometimes being a half-stack) is laid directly on the floor, and there's not much space for me to stand except right in front of the amp. This means that my ears…
Rafael Almeida
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Overcoming the "we're not good enough" syndrome in amateur choirs

I've seen this in pretty much every amateur choir I've ever been in; the director will avoid putting certain pieces in front of the full choir (or any of them), the major reason being some sugarcoated version of "you're not good enough to sing this…
KeithS
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Is dictating a score from memory a good way to test if the piece is memorized?

My RCM ARCT Performer's Piano exam is one week away, and at my last lesson I had trouble memorizing Mozart's Sonata in B-flat major (K 333). As you may know, memorization is compulsory for the ARCT exam. But my teacher told me I keep getting notes…
Andrew Lau
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Prepping to conduct an incomplete score

When I studied conducting at the conservatory, we always had, well, scores to work with. I got very good at reading, understanding, and working with full scores for many sorts of ensembles. And when I work with a band, orchestra, or chorus, these…
Ben I.
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What type of soundproof setup would I need to have band practice without bothering the neighbors?

I need to be able to play at loud volumes any time day or night. Is it necessary to have a house, or can I accomplish this in a condo or townhouse? If I need a stand alone house, how far must it be from the neighbors, assuming it's soundproofed…
TomahawkPhant
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