We are getting so close to committing our music to video, it gets a little frustrating when we have to go over and over the same basic concepts each week – if you haven’t marked your scores with the dynamics, or aren’t consciously aware of what the levels are that we are playing at, then it’s overdue and must be done now.
I make no apologies for being blunt and forthright when it comes to players attending, committing to rehearsal and paying attention to details – we started this journey with your consent and many members have put in a huge effort to learn and embrace the challenge we set ourselves, we are so close to achieving success that I don’t want anything to jeopardise or compromise our chances. Both Harold and myself have spent hours learning the scores, the parts, negotiating the best possible opportunities for us and I know that has been easily matched by the majority of our team, evidenced by the high standard we have achieved.
Recording from the middle of the band last night highlighted a few areas where we simply aren’t starting the note together. This shows a lack of preparatory breathing and being prepared well before the entry occurs – if you have 7 bars rest, in reality you have only 6 bars rest and one bar of preparation, which may become longer the faster the tempo. The other thing that became evident is the release fo notes also affects the togetherness of the following phrase – just because you have a sustained note, don’t stop counting: know the exact duration.
The last word of today is one spoken every week in every band and it’s:
DYNAMICS
Observe them, practice them, mark them, play them.
Don’t forget, we start at 7pm next week, with a drop in session from 6pm if you need rehearsals.
Murray