| Author |
Subject |
Laura
Wichers
Moderator
(2/6/01 4:44:52 pm)
Reply |
Quartet
rehearsals...
My quartet has 3x/wk two hour
rehearsals, and while we are usually *fairly* productive, sometimes
it is difficult to decide what to work on, how to work on it, and
stay focused the whole time. Any suggestions for string quartet
ensemble exercises and rehearsal techniques? We've started to record
ourselves (with mind-boggling, eye-opening revelations following);
that's about the extent of our rehearsal exercises.
We're
playing Beethoven Op 18 No 4, in case you're
interested.
Laura, Spaz Cellist
|
Steve
Drake
Registered
User
(2/6/01 11:38:56 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Quartet rehearsals...
In every quartet I've been in that
has had the luxury to rehearse, chat time was the most important
thing, with actual rehearsing taking a definite second place. So if
you have 3 times a week, at 2 hours each, you should expect to get
about 2 hours of actual practice time per week. It'll seem like
that, anyway, even if you actually get more practice time. I
wouldn't worry about ensemble execises and such - just try to get
your repertoire covered if you can. Just remember that you all need
to be open with each other about problems - you should be able to
bug the violist about being late in a certain passage, and you need
to be able to take the same kind of criticism. The usual stuff -
focus on problem passages, try to find the problems. And don't
forget the non-musical stuff - stage deportment, clothes, entrances,
bows, exits - these are important too.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage
|
zambocello
Registered User
(2/7/01 1:13:56 am)
Reply |
Quartets
Isn't it amazing how little can get
done at a rehearsal? Long ago (in a land far, far away?) I played in
a quartet as part of my duties with my regional orchestra. It was
not unusual for us to not even get our instruments out at
"rehearsal!"
|
Stefan79
Registered User
(2/7/01 3:27:23 am)
Reply |
Re:
Quartet rehearsals...
We rehearse about 2x/wk for three
hours every time. I think it's difficult to think of something to
work on all the time. I guess it's because we don't get as many
chamber music lessons as we should... Well, you just reach a point
where you have absolutely no idea of what to do. We have been
playing since October last year and we've only had two lessons (!).
We're having our third lesson tomorrow...playing Schostakovich #8.
Recording the quartet must be great. Of course, nobody in the
quartet have anything to record ourselves with...
We have
decided to start working really hard on intonation in the ensemble.
I guess it was that lesson on Haydn (g minor, op 74) that made us
want to do that...  Have you
ever played a fast Haydn movement in a slow tempo? It's sooo hard to
get a good intonation! One of the teachers at our school said that
he would come to our rehearsal today and give us some exercises.
I'll tell you more about it later. Du you have any good intonation
exercises for the quartet?
- Stefan
|
sarah
schenkman
Registered User
(2/7/01 5:41:25 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Quartet rehearsals...
Have a good idea of what you want to
do and make everyone else listen to you! What do you think it is- a
democracy?
Just kidding, Laura
|
Paul
Tseng ICS Staff 
Administrator
(2/7/01 5:49:14 pm)
Reply
 |
Ice
Cream!
Team building is very important in
any setting (ensemble or corporate). Never forget that your greatest
asset is your personnel! Team morale is very important.
So
once in a while go out and get some COLDSTONE icecream together and
do some really goofy NON-musical things (if you can find the
time).
You probably already know all the musical things you
need to do (and I'm glad you've adopted my mantra 'musician, record
thyself!') I feel that if an ensemble has very good communication
(non-musical) and trust, personally, it can only help them when they
work on music. It's a lot better making music with beloved friends
than with strangers (unless the strangers are MUCH better players,
but it would still be different).
Paul Tseng
My Website
MP3!
|
Corrina
Connor
Moderator
(2/7/01 6:13:02 pm)
Reply |
playing
with friends, or not
I must say that playing in any
chamber music session with people whose mutual hatred of each other
is the only thing shared in the group is VERY productive. You
arrive, instruments out, 'from bar 63', 'OK', play, 'again',
'OK'...
the hours just fly buy.
When on the odd occasion I
play with people that I like, the tea break takes about 40 minutes,
while we all discuss what kind of "Old Ma's Cookies" we like best,
then the exact percentage of milk in the tea.....then we
play....then we need to visit the bathroom, then we gossip about the
interesting conversation we over heard in the changing room at the
Town Hall, then we play a bit more.....
We do have a great
time though. I'm not sure whether the friendly approach is better
than the 'Oh, here we are again approach'.
On a more serious
note (B## maybe?), a beneficial excerise is play only two parts at a
time, i.e.:
Vln 1 & Vln 2
Vln 1 & Viola
Vln 1 &
Cello
Vln 2 & Viola
Vln 2 & Cello
Viola &
Cello.
That way the other players can do serious listening,
and it helps to fit tricky parts together very well. Also, this way
you can use a metrenome, if necesary, and be able to hear the clunk.
The listeners can mark the score if they want......
Another
fun thing is to play the piece once pp, then the next time FF, or 3
people playing pp and one playing FF.
The advantage of this
type of rehearsal is that it goes really fast! Then, TIME FOR
ICECREAM!
CORRINA
I should add the disclaimer that I
can't abide chamber music -I don't like the kind of person which I
become when I'm playing it.
|
Laura
Wichers
Moderator
(2/7/01 10:35:28 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Lasagna!
We're planning on getting together
next weekend for a lasagna-making fest. Yum.
Laura
| |
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