Rehearsing For A Performance

Rehearsing for a performance is practicing with a very special goal. As in any other practice, it is useless to go over and over your music, especially the troublesome bits, with no attempt to address problems. Especially if a part is giving someone a problem, nothing will be accomplished by repetition except to drive in more deeply the troubles that already exist.

An individual's rehearsal work and a group's work are similar in many ways except that the group's time is more closely bound. An individual can rehearse at will, but a group must work round every one's schedule and may be hard-pressed to find time beyond the normal rehearsals. A group usually depends not on adding extra practice time but on starting early enough to get the work done. Each group will discover the right number of rehearsals needed for a concert or performance. Too few means a sloppy, insecure, demoralizing performance, but too many makes for boredom, resentment, and a loss of enthusiasm.

To keep up morale and use time efficiently, ensembles may need to schedule sectionals so that small groups of players or vocalists can go over their work. It's common for orchestra to split up into strings, woodwinds, and brass for at least one rehearsal. A sectional can be led by an experienced player so that several sectionals can go on simultaneously without requiring the conductor or leader to be present. A lot can be accomplished in a good sectional in a very short time. It's valuable enough to deserve the first twenty minutes or so at the very beginning of a rehearsal. It's not usually a good idea to hold a sectional at the end of a rehearsal when attention is beginning to wane.

An unconducted ensemble or an individual working alone might consider using a coach at some point during performance rehearsals. A coach is ideally a very good teacher with a clear knowledge of the kind of music you're getting ready. It is not someone who instructs in basic technique but rather someone who will help you build dimension into your playing, to bring it off the stage and into the audience.

One good time to bring in a coach is fairly early in your preparation, after you've learned your parts and are ready to break the music down for detailed work. You can get some ideas about developing and doing your best work, getting over the hurdles with room to spare, and using your instrumental skills to best advantage. The other good time for a coach is when you are ready to put the pieces back together. The least productive time for coaching is at the very end, just days or hours before the show. At that point it can feel a bit too late to everyone, especially if the coach has very many basic suggestions to make.

You will naturally think about the acoustics of the performance space, but if you have a choice, think about the acoustics of your rehearsal space as well. Consider challenging yourself and rehearsing in a "dry" environment, one that lacks resonance, that is what musicians call "dead". A resonant space gives richness to your overall sound, but it also conceals your mistakes and makes you sound much better than you actually are. It can be downright dangerous to rehearse in a live hall and perform in a dead one.