Despite the inclement weather, we had a fantastic rehearsal turn out, which bodes well for our upcoming concert.
I still have issues with dynamics, particularly in the lower section of the band – we have safety in numbers in those sections, yet at times we are still overblowing our parts, leading to an imbalance… To be honest, I’ve run out of ideas to help – I’ve talked, yelled, pointed and indicated, yet there are numerous moments where the direction is ignored as we plough on. Please don’t keep frustrating me! If you see me indicate, then yes – I am indicating to you personally!
The second concept of playing we need to be completely across is that we are playing a solid 50 minute set. This means we need to pace ourselves all the way through – if you share a part with another player, make sure you share the playing and take a break every now and then when you don’t need both of you to play! And always back each other up on the bits that need it. A classic example is trumpet 1 – if you hold that chair, work as a team and don’t just stop because it gets a little high, etc. Maybe you can cover some of the low parts to give the person playing high a little rest.
Generally, however, the overall sound of the band is excellent, and the standard of performance is continually spiralling upwards. Thank you for all your hard work.
Remember, we only have one more session to get phantom right before we perform it and then lay it to rest – If that’s not an incentive, then what is?
Murray