… fellow musicians say hi to me, or give me a nod or a smile in my direction when I enter the rehearsal studio. This is important to me, and probably every one else, because it means that my presence is important to the rehearsal; and that I, like everybody, is essential to the music making process when it happens at rehearsals.

I feel happy when I see that the attendance is good, especially when everybody is present. This signals for me, that I will be able to experience the full ensemble sound, something that ought to be consistently heard during at the preparatory stages towards making a successful concert. Being present shows your respect for fellow musicians, and the acknowledgement that it is a logistic challenge to gather sixty-odd musicians in one room at the same time for making music together.

I will be delighted to know that all my fellow musicians are punctual. Often, too little time is available to work out every detail in the music that we play. Therefore, every second counts. Being punctual means that I, together with everybody can make full use of the three hours of rehearsal. We do not have to waste time waiting for tardy people, shortening the music making experience we can get. It is even more delighting, when I hear fellow musicians doing individual warm-up routines before the actual rehearsal begins. Warming up helps us get into the best state for a good rehearsal. Making good sounds from our instruments, with good intonation, with good sensitivities is possible only through proper warming up.

The conductor takes the podium, and begins the ensemble warmup. It is during this time, we get adjusted to other musicians, weening out the intonation differences and attempting to ease into an ensemble pulse, melding into one organism called the band, or orchestra. Twenty minutes should be all it takes for every musicians to sync with one another, achieving good blend, good balance and good ensemble-ship.

The first notes of the music begins. We run through the music. It is heartwarming to know that my fellow musicians have prepared for the rehearsal. We have studied our rhythms, our notes, the dynamics, the different articulations, considered the stylistic nuances, worked through difficult fingerings, eliminated most intonation problems, and we try to bring our own interpretations to the music. Yes, the ensemble may not sound musically united at this point, but everybody is trying to play the best that they can. We present our musicianship to the conductor, who can now direct our efforts towards his interpretations. The music begins to take shape as we work out the balance, blend, interpretations, phrasing, style under the conductor’s directions. Where the painter paints with his colors on his canvas with various strokes; musicians paint with sound as our color, with time as our canvas, and our unified interpretations as the strokes. This is music making at its best! Everyone is paying attention, not only to their own parts, but to others’ too, figuring out the ways they can maximize the effectiveness of their own parts to build the great works that composers have written for us.

After three hours of pure music making especially when we end off with some epic grand finales, we will be tired, both physically and mentally. It’s time for the musicians to mingle around. Compliments are mutually exchanged, congratulations on a good rehearsal is exchanged, doubts are clarified with the conductor, suggestions and advices are exchanged, a little more individual practicing happens here and there to work out the stubborn parts, and some will group together to play some chamber pieces before everybody packs up. An after rehearsal meal will generally be a sweet way to end of the day before we head back to our own businesses.

Through this sharing, I hope to encourage musicians in Singapore, and perhaps worldwide, to fight for good rehearsals, and to experience music making at the highest levels possible. When it happens, the experience is simply exhilarating.

Yim Chee Weng

jEnNy(:
breaking the MUSIC.
1:07 AM