5 ms·

Indeed, it just makes sense to have roughly the same conditions for performance as for rehearsal. But, having played conducted music (double bass), there's ano

Indeed, it just makes sense to have roughly the same conditions for performance as for rehearsal. But, having played conducted music (double bass), there's another reason. What seems like a fine tuned machine on stage conceals a lot of chaos, and the orchestra may be barely hanging on by a thread. For one thing, at any performance, probably 5 to 15 % of the musicians are substitutes, due to a variety of circumstances. For some commercial gigs, 100%. Those subs rarely attend more than one or two rehearsals, and sometimes none if it's an emergency. Of course there's a cadre of musicians who specialize in that kind of work. I do it but in typically in a jazz setting. Still, I've experienced looking at some hastily e-mailed PDF's of bass parts, a day before a performance, and saying to myself: "I'm screwed unless the conductor gets me through this."

AlbertCory 4y ago
In fact, I'm friends with a French Horn player, who's subbed with almost every orchestra in the Bay Area. I'm pretty sure he doesn't get a rehearsal.
- cperciva 4y ago
  It depends on the rep. You're playing Don Juan? No problem, know it like the back of my hand, just tell me when to show up and I'll watch for the tempo changes in all the usual places. We're doing Boheme? No way I'm doing that without a dress rehearsal. Every opera singer screws things up in their own special way and I need to know what to expect. We're doing anything by Stravinsky? I'll take every rehearsal I can get.
  - AlbertCory 4y ago
    Cool, I'll have to ask him next time I see him.
  - JasonFruit 4y ago
    Except, real talk, we only know the parts of Don Juan that show up on auditions. The rest we sorta fake.
    - cperciva 4y ago
      Meh, there's no point worrying about getting all the notes when the brass is drowning us out anyway. As long as the violin section looks busy we're fine... ;-) When I played it as concertmaster I felt that it was my duty to ensure that at least one person was hitting all the notes though. Never practiced so much for a concert as that one... and that's why even many years later I feel ready to show up and play it on a moment's notice.
      - JasonFruit 4y ago
        You're one of the good ones, then. (Though there is something to, "If I can't hear me, they can't hear me.")

AlbertCory 4y ago

In fact, I'm friends with a French Horn player, who's subbed with almost every orchestra in the Bay Area. I'm pretty sure he doesn't get a rehearsal.

cperciva 4y ago
It depends on the rep. You're playing Don Juan? No problem, know it like the back of my hand, just tell me when to show up and I'll watch for the tempo changes in all the usual places. We're doing Boheme? No way I'm doing that without a dress rehearsal. Every opera singer screws things up in their own special way and I need to know what to expect. We're doing anything by Stravinsky? I'll take every rehearsal I can get.
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  Cool, I'll have to ask him next time I see him.
- JasonFruit 4y ago
  Except, real talk, we only know the parts of Don Juan that show up on auditions. The rest we sorta fake.
  - cperciva 4y ago
    Meh, there's no point worrying about getting all the notes when the brass is drowning us out anyway. As long as the violin section looks busy we're fine... ;-) When I played it as concertmaster I felt that it was my duty to ensure that at least one person was hitting all the notes though. Never practiced so much for a concert as that one... and that's why even many years later I feel ready to show up and play it on a moment's notice.
    - JasonFruit 4y ago
      You're one of the good ones, then. (Though there is something to, "If I can't hear me, they can't hear me.")