Tag: mistakes

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.

Fake Performance Practice Technique

Fake performance can be done in many different ways, and it’s vital for during the last few weeks before an actual performance. It helps you learn how to keep going despite mistakes and it helps get your jitters out before the performance.

Simple Definition of a Fake Performance

The simple definition of a fake performance it to play through a piece without stopping. This is so hard! We want to go back and fix the mistake. It’s a knee-jerk reaction, but try to fight it.

Play your mistake as if you meant to do it by extending the length of the wrong note, rather than changing it right away. For example, if the note is supposed to be a half note, then hold your wrong note for a whole beat before correcting it. If it’s a sixteenth note, hold the incorrect note for the entire time of a sixteenth, then move on to the next note.

If your mistake was an incorrect rhythm, just make sure that the number of beats equal the correct amount for the measure and move on. You get the idea. No one needs to know that there was an actual mistake.

Different Ideas for a Fake Performance

As I said before, there are several ways to do a fake performance. Here are several ideas. Each fake perfomance style increases the nervousness, which helps you get ready for being nervous for the stage.

Toys

I don’t care how old or young you are, perform for a stuffed animal or a doll. It will help you because you’ll see their eyes staring at you out of the corner of your eye. Toys are generally non-judgemental, from what I’ve noticed. 😉

Metronome

I know I didn’t mention it here, but I personally get a little nervous with the metronome. This helps with the gradual increase of nervousness that I try to build up before a performance.

The metronome forces me to not stop. I just own my mistake by playing it for the length of the note that I was supposed to play, then move on to the next note that I’m supposed to play. This is really hard. If you’re having a hard time doing that, try holding your mistake for twice as long as the note you were supposed to play – this gives you time to think.

Record Yourself

Recording yourself creates nervousness. Creating a sound recording makes me less nervous than a video, but you might be different. I’m not saying that you should do anything with the recording unless you want to, I’m just saying that creating a recording helps a lot.

Play for One or Two People

I am a very non-judgemental person, so those are the kind of friends that I have. I have been known to play for a friend and have them pretend to be judgemental, all the way down to the looks on their faces. It really helps me get the jitters out ahead of time.

Play in a (Somewhat) Public Place

Play your wind instrument outside. It’s not necessarily around other people, but someone could come along.

Play with your windows open. People might be walking past your house, they might not. You don’t know.

You can go to any public piano and start playing. No one will stop you (unless there’s a pandemic). No one might be there, but someone could walk by.

Ideas for public pianos? Movie theaters, nursing homes, churches, shopping malls, just keep your eyes open. You’ll see them. As I said before, don’t do this during the social distancing thing.

Conclusion

As you can see, the ideas for fake performance get harder and harder. This is on purpose. The whole purpose for fake performance is to practice performing. This way the real performance goes off without a hitch. Or maybe less hitches.