Tag: ensemble etiquette

Music Ensemble Etiquette

Etiquette in a music ensemble can be somewhat of a mystery. There are a lot of unsaid rules and norms out there for how to act among other musicians. This article should help to solve some mysteries and help you make a good name for yourself among your peers.

I’ve only ever played in America – the Midwest and in the Pacific Northwest – so some of these norms might be different where you live.

General Etiquette

Let’s get some of the basics out of the way that apply to every group situation. It’s good etiquette anywhere, not just in music ensembles. You probably already know this, but someone might need this information.

  1. Be on time. On time in music world means 10-15 minutes early because it gives you time to warm up. It’s passive-aggressive to be late and awkward to be more than 15 minutes early.
  2. Never criticize, condemn, or complain. Thank you, Dale Carnegie, for writing this book and spelling it out for us all (not an affiliate link).
  3. Be lavish in your praise. Any time you see an improvement or you see an opportunity to give a compliment, do it. It will open doors to friendships and contacts.
  4. Practice Good Manners. Hold doors open, be kind, avoid taboo topics like politics and religion. If you have further questions, go read Emily Post.
  5. Practice Good Grooming. No one wants to smell you.

Music Etiquette

This list is more music-specific. Almost everything is unsaid, cultural norms.

  1. The Conductor/Leader’s word is law. It’s not up for debate. If your first chair or conductor says jump, you say how high. Be silent while the director speaks and try to keep eye contact when you can while playing.
  2. Do your five-minute warm-up. You arrived 10-15 minutes early (see #1 from the first list), so you have time to do your warm-up before you start running any parts.
  3. Greet Other Players. As other people come, or as you sit down, greet others within your vicinity. Stop your warm-up, look them in the eye, and say hi. If they want to chat, go ahead and chat for a bit. Otherwise, continue your warm-up.
  4. Own your mistakes. If there’s a crash and burn that’s your fault or you can’t hear whether you’re sharp or flat, apologize. It creates a good atmosphere.
  5. It’s better to be sharp than flat. When in doubt, go up. Other people are more likely to identify the flat person than the sharp person.
  6. Ignore the haters. Whenever I join a new ensemble, there’s almost always someone who instantly dislikes me. It’s instant and palpable, and it’s before I even have a chance to greet the other person. Still greet them, but otherwise ignore them and continue to be friendly with everyone else. They’ll either come around or leave. Another option that works occasionally is to ask advice, even if you already know the answer.
  7. NEVER practice someone else’s part. It can seem as though you’re out to get the other person.
  8. Put in your practice time at home. Rehearsal isn’t for practice, unless you’re running fingers or working on something before rehearsal starts.
  9. Clean your instrument. Taking the time to do this after rehearsal says a lot to the others about your musicianship and helps you keep your instrument in top shape. It also gives you a chance to chat with others while you put your instrument away.

Other Stuff

Here are some other things that I like to do that aren’t necessarily music ensemble etiquette, but make life easier.

  1. Talk to the Old-Timers. They will have cool stories and fabulous advice. Try to joke around with them to get them to open up.
  2. Ask Questions. Be a sponge. Others have a different background than you with different ideas that you can learn from.
  3. Try to Create a Relationship with the Leader(s). They’re in that position for a reason – they know more than you. See #2. Also, they might know about other gigs that are available to you.

Conclusion

When we all act with good etiquette, life goes smoother and everyone is more comfortable. When everyone in a musical ensemble is comfortable, they make better music. If you act properly among other musicians, you’re more likely to be asked to come back.

The Silent Practice Technique

The silent practice technique simplifies your practice in some ways by eliminating certain aspects of your playing. This helps you focus on certain aspects of your playing, especially your fingers. It can be done on any instrument.

Silent Practice on the Flute

This is taught to be done in band while the director is working with another section. It’s helpful for when you just can’t get those fingerings down. While sitting, you put the head joint on your left shoulder and rest the foot joint on your right knee. This provides a stable resting place for your flute while you run through just the fingerings.

Silent practice can also be practiced on a pencil. This is very handy for things like sitting in a waiting room or in a car for a road trip. Nice for when you don’t want to disturb others, but need to run through your piece.

Each of the silent practice techniques have their own purpose. The mechanisms take extra time to push down and allow to come back up, while the pencil doesn’t have mechanisms to deal with. Practicing with a pencil helps create faster fingers. Silent practice on a real flute helps your brain to process the extra time it takes to deal with the keys.

If you also want to practice your articulation, go ahead and create an air stream and do your articulations along with the fingerings. It’s still beneficial to not have to worry about your tone.

Etiquette Note: Some people like to run some air through their flute while they do this. Please don’t. It’s rude because sometimes you accidentally make a noise. It also creates embouchure confusion.

Silent Practice on the Piano

One way to do silent practice on the piano is to use an electric piano, turned off, or with the volume all the way down. I used to do this all the time when I was playing organ for church, during the sermon. I turned off the organ and ran through everything for the second half of the service. Sometimes I just ran through the harder stuff.

The greatest part of this is that you’re not worried about sound or dynamics. It’s just your fingers. It simplifies your practice.

Another way to do this is to print out a keyboard. I found one here. Use it on a table top. This is much harder than using an electric piano that’s turned off because the black keys aren’t raised, but it’s still an option. Because it’s harder, it might be more beneficial, especially if you’re using the paper keyboard for mental practice (hearing it in your head while using your fingers to play).

Just as with the flute, each of the silent practice techniques have their own purpose. The keys take extra time to push down and allow to come back up, while the paper version doesn’t have keys to deal with. Therefore, practicing with a paper keyboard helps create faster fingers. Practicing on a turned off electric keyboard helps your brain to process the extra time it takes to deal with the keys.

Conclusion

As of this writing, playing an instrument is the activity that uses the most of your brain function. It’s powerful for your brain, but sometimes you need to simplify it before you can get the notes down. That means taking certain aspects of playing out of the equation so that you can focus on the things that are giving you problems.