Rehearse Direct and Play 978-0951721438

Musicians hate wasting time. Of course we can all think of countless occasions when we meant to practise, but instead spent hours half-watching TV or staring out of the window or dismantling the instrument - anything to avoid getting down to work. It happens all the time, but at least we know there's only one person to blame. What musicians really hate is someone else wasting their time for them. How often have you sat in an orchestra fuming because the conductor doesn't have a clue what to say to make the music work better? How often have you felt like screaming at the drummer who still can't get round a simple fill which should have been practised at home before the first rehearsal? How often have you spent half the session waiting for the keyboard player to set-up and find a plug for the amp before anyone else can do any playing? All these irritations get in the way of productive music making & yet all could have been avoided by some simple preparation. Ensemble music - whether for a 4-piece rock & roll band or a symphony orchestra of 80 - is primarily about people and how they respond to each other.

The purpose of this short book - 64 small pages - is to help you plan an ensemble performance from beginning to end; what to play; how to set up the rehearsals; what to say and do to get the best out of the musicians as you rehearse. In this way everyone will approach the eventual performance with the feeling that the whole process has been enjoyable and worthwhile.