Jon This is 100% on the money. Exactly what I have experienced, too.
“Is that a breathmark in measure 18?”
“Just play the ink.”
*several hours later*
It’s time to talk about rehearsal etiquette. If you want the tl;dr version - stop talking in rehearsal so much.
If you want the long version, enjoy:
If my father ever gave me solid advice as a kid which benefited my career, I can thank him for this nugget of wisdom “Don’t ask questions in rehearsal unless it’s a major train wreck issue, people will be annoyed by the know-it-all.”
It’s a double edged sword, certainly we want to make sure music is being made at the highest level possible...but young musicians listen up, there is a time and place for everything. We all have these two amazing satellites on the side of our heads called ears, and we can all hear when things are going wrong. Most times, it’s just better to remain silent. The fact is, the vast majority of the people in the band likely heard the issue and don’t need to be reminded of their mistakes. It will only make you unpopular and less people will want to work with you.
Let me play out a scenario for you. I was contracted into a horn section for a very well known Motown Group. During rehearsal an extremely talented, but too talkative, musician who graduated from a famous school of music started asking too many questions. The final one was “is this an Aflat because the bass blah blah blah...” the musical director responded “your paycheck says it’s Aflat.” Not only did his constant questions prolong the rehearsal, make the MD upset, but it looked bad on me for suggesting him. Lesson learned! Just play the Ink. You don’t always have to be right. You just have to play what is put in front of you. You also don’t have to announce when you found an error, just mark it and stay silent.
There is nothing worse than a one hour run turning into three because you just had to be right. Every moment spent over unnecessary questions in a disservice to the band. Found something that sounds contrary to the rest of the band? You have two options - play the ink, or adjust to what you hear. Either way if it is wrong the conductor will point it out to you if it’s a huge issue. Your main goal in these situations is to make the band sound as good as possible, not to be “right.” Announcing an error you found and corrected does you no favors, likely this MD has played this show thousands of times and doesn’t have time for your nonsense, just fix it and do your absolute best.
If you’re not playing lead/principal direct all of your questions to the lead/principal player. It is likely that they will give you an answer. If there is still discrepancy go ask the Md/Conductor on break to view the score or clarify things for you. The more you talk, the more you disrupt the rehearsal environment. Remember, it’s your job to make the ensemble sound good, it is NOT your job to always be “right.” No one has time for that. People generally tend to hire people they like being around, the rehearsal prolongers are generally not those people.
So much of what we do as musicians is dependent on the company we keep. Be the ray of light that enters the room and not the dark cloud over everyone‘s head.
In the words of Ron Swanson:
“ I once worked with a guy for three years and never learned his name. Best friend I ever had. We still never talk sometimes.”
Do what you must in rehearsal, but most of the time talking isn’t so necessary. Just show up and do your job. Your colleagues will thank you for it and you’ll be asked back for future work. The know-it-all’s are the least popular people in any ensemble. You’re never going to play better than your ears, so use them and stay humble. ... See more
