ensemble work

[ludwig]

  I have commited myself to several ensembles next semester, just wondering what do you consider a good performer in an ensemble performance wise. thanks for all comments...

[Mandy]

well, there are the obvious things to think about like: showing up to rehearsal on time (it really ticks me off when people are late or dont' show up at all), being prepared with your music, and being prepared to offer good musical criticism to the ensemble in a tactful way.

Are you accompanying? in a trio? duets?  These all have very different things you need to pay attention to.  The most important thing to do is to listen very carefully.  You have to be able to listen to yourself and everyone else all at the same time to make sure everything is working.  If you are accompanying, you should know how the other person's instrument/voice works-while you aren't their coach, often I find you learn alot from their lessons and can help them out when they are stuck.  

I think you should always know the other person/parties music.  At the very least taken a look at it-it will be useful to you to know exactly where all of their difficult sections are, where you are the melody and they the accompaniment.....etc.  You will of course figure this out in your rehearsals but I find it saves a lot of time in rehearsal if you have already figured it out.  

Have fun-ensembles are great and very rewarding when everything falls into place.

[ludwig]

I was thinking more musically important, such as is a good tight beginning better than a good ending? Or is it more important to move together, musically, or is the way the balance is tset up, and how carefully one listens during chamber music, is helping out and suggesting dynamics or bowing or fingering or rall or whatever when its not marked on the music? Actually I'm just happy to be playing in all of them at the moment. Yes, I'm playing the piano part of a quintet, a duet, some accompaniments, a trio and probably a quartet soon... Chamber music is cool..

[Mandy]

well, in order for the ensemble to produce music, everything must be refined, but if push comes to shove, I would aim for a better ending!

I also think that in order for the ensemble to work well, you as a musician need to and should be allowed to make any musical comment you so choose-if you feel like a spot in the music should rall, then by all means voice your opinion-chances are someone will also feel that way about that spot of the music.  one of the neat things about ensembles is that you can argue about all of these things and you have to come to some sort of agreement in order to keep it all together.  Unless the other musicians ask you for specific help with bowings, fingerings, etc, I might hold back from saying anything-some people take that really personally.  

The most important thing to do in the ensemble is to listen-  Unless you have a faculty advisor at every rehearsal to make comments, you need to be able to comment on the balance, how the emotion came through, if you were together, if some parts need to come out more, etc....If an emsemble member can't listen accurately enough, they won't be of much help to you when making "big" decisions.  

I'm really envious that you are getting to play in all those ensembles-I didn't have much time for that when I did my undergrad and it doesn't look like I'll have much more when I go to do my masters in the fall.  Chamber music is really cool-I totally agree

[ludwig]

thanks for the advice. I am a little sensitive at giving comments, because I'm not so sussed out on ensemble work. Yeah, we have a lecturer who comes in once in a while to give us comments and suggestions. The problem is that in some cases, there are members who don't listen to others, therefor its a bit frustrating. But hopefully they'll hear the difference it makes when people are "playing together" than playing by themselves, just in a group. I'm actually really happy too that I'm in so much ensemble chambers.

[martin_s]

Breathing together and Listening to each other, yourself and to the whole, all at the same time. That should do it!
The breathing bit is ridculously simple and crucially important, I think. Not only will it solve your ensemble problems (starting and stopping together), it does make the music breathe and flow organically, and takes tension away from ones own playing.

[ludwig]

yeah, we do breath to let each other know of our starting points and phrasing. We just had a concert on friday and it was good. Although probably a little rough, more than we liked, but it was overall fine. and I played a solo too..hehe.