Practice, Practice

Practice, Practice

Tight rehearsal time is nothing new, but what is your list of groomed-for-zoom strategies?

Written By

Carl Stone

Once again, the deadlines loom. Unlike 95 percent of my music which is composed for me to perform myself, this piece is for a quartet (three musicians plus Carl). With the four players coming together from the far flung corners of Europe, Asia, LA, and New York, just a day or two before the performance (which includes a lot of new music for them), I am able to get the assurance of two hours to run through the piece I am writing for them. And that’s it.

Unlike the music I compose for myself, where rehearsal time is typically not an issue, in this case it most certainly is. Luckily for me, they are all superb musicians and we have good relations all around, so I can count on their dedication and tenacity. Still, I’m nervous. This issue is, of course, nothing new to the many of you who compose for ensembles routinely or write for orchestra. I have never met a composer who told me, “Gee, they gave me too much rehearsal time.” But what’s your solution when you know going in that it is going to be tight? Dumbing things down isn’t the answer. I’d be very keen to know any tips or tricks you might want to share. And I promise to let you know how it all turns out.