Learn and practice the basic principles of running an effective music ensemble rehearsal. Techniques and strategies are applicable to a variety of ensembles, including bands, orchestras, choirs, and chamber groups.
Rehearsal Demos: Macro-Micro-Macro
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Del curso dictado por Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Chapel Hill
Fundamentals of Rehearsing Music Ensembles
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Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Chapel Hill
194 ratings
De la lección
An Introduction to Rehearsing
This week, Module 1, we’ll discuss basic philosophical issues such as: What we do in rehearsals, what skills are needed, and the idea of the conductor as “the composer’s advocate.” I will also introduce the concept of Macro-Micro-Macro, which serves as the overarching principle of rehearsals. Then we will move on to basic conducting technique.
Conoce a los instructores
Dr. Evan FeldmanAssociate Professor & Wind Ensemble Conductor
Music
[MUSIC].
Let's take a look at how some of these concepts play out in an actual rehearsal.
So, we are going to see specific rehearsal
techniques fused to the macro, micro, macro framework.
Keep in mind this is a very flexible framework, very
rarely do this happen exactly as we pre plan them.
We can choreograph and we should to some degree but
there is always going to be some flexibility in rehearsal.
So you will see sometimes we might be going down a path and we have to adjust a
bit, we might have to take a different approach,
we might have to extend the approach and that's okay.
Other times we might literally need to take a tangent, because some
other issue might reveal itself that needs to be dealt with right then
and there and we just have to adapt, and take a little
tangent off to the side, and then come back to our main plan.
There are certain times when you'll see there's something,
or hear that there's something else going wrong, and
we have to make a decision whether to completely
ignore it and say that's not our focus right now.
We'll circle back to it.
Or acknowledge it, perhaps recognize it, point it
out, but also tell the ensemble that's not going
to be our focus now we're going to continue with
this main plan and then circle back to it.
So there's always going to be a flexibility between following
our plan, and adjusting, and adapting based on what we're hearing.
Let's take a look at some examples.
This is measure 169.
[MUSIC].
Let's break this down a bit.
Can we hear just the melody at 169.
And let's freeze this a little bit with the sustained note, just
moving the dotted quarter moving a little bit towards the eighth note.
So we get a little bit of energy on it.
[MUSIC]
Yeah so a string player might add a little bit of
[MUSIC]
Where a singer might go
[MUSIC]
A little intensely vibrato.
For us, for most of us, there's going to be a little bit more
crescendo, not a, a, an obnoxiously obvious one, but just a, a blossoming
[MUSIC].
And then the pick-up
[MUSIC].
Pick-up belongs to the measure to the right, not to the measure it's in.
Let's try it again, just the melody, folks.
[MUSIC]
Just play the first concert F and make sure we get that in tune.
[MUSIC]
Good.
Try it again.
Trumpets are still very high.
Take the [UNKNOWN] off your mouth so we
can make sure we can remember where we are.
Now lets try it.
[MUSIC]
Memorize it where it is.
Go ahead and sing it.
[MUSIC].
Lets sing it again.
[MUSIC].
Sing
[MUSIC]
Go ahead and play.
[MUSIC]
Let's try that in context.
So in rhythm.
[MUSIC]
Can we just play beat four now.
[MUSIC].
Let's slow it down and get a good crescendo over the bar-line.
And three.
[MUSIC]
Yeah, so you really have to compensate for the lead.
So its not [SOUND].
But [SOUND].
So it sounds like it's one note away when it really is more than that.
Again?
[MUSIC]
Good, one more time.
[MUSIC]
That's very beautiful.
Let's play the whole two measure phrase here.
A little bit of energy going to beat three, and then the leap
[MUSIC]
That's
beautiful.
Let's try another layer here.
Can we try the folks who just have whole notes here?
I think, similar to what we're working on there, we
want to make sure that we connect over the bar line.
So even though it's sustained, let's push a little bit over the bar lines.
One six nine.
[MUSIC]
Lets, lets breath together, so that it's absolutely stable.
[MUSIC].
[MUSIC]
So for sure the quarter note pick ups over
the line have to have a little energy, yeah?
But even the ones that are just whole notes have to go
just a little bit of a crescendo and set up those harmonic changes.
Let's try it again.
[MUSIC]
Good, let's put those outer layers
together, so our whole
note layer, and our melody layer, let's make sure they play nice with each other.
[MUSIC]
Good.
So it works quite nicely
with just
these outer two layers but let's add the inner.
Just try those folks alone.
So here's alto sax, clarinet two and three.
Starting right at 169.
Same phrasing idea that we applied to the other two levels.
[MUSIC].
It's beautiful playing, it's just a little boring.
[NOISE] It's basically a whole note, that just happens to have a rhythm in it.
Lets try it again.
[MUSIC]
That's good tackle, breath together.
[SOUND]
[MUSIC]
Good!
Let's try
everybody
together.
[MUSIC]
[MUSIC].
Yeah.
Yeah.
Lets break down some of, some of these melodies here.
Can we go back to measure nine?
And just here, folks, of.
[MUSIC]
,.
Just those folks.
A little emphasis on beat three, [SOUND].
[MUSIC].
That's pretty good, let's, let's zooming on, on
the first first speed of the measure on.
[SOUND] and, and a little more.
[SOUND] just that much.
[SOUND]
[MUSIC].
Again, [SOUND].
[MUSIC]
It, it feels.
[SOUND] As oppose to a lighting match, [SOUND].
A little energy on the front of that beat.
[MUSIC]
again.
[MUSIC]
That's great let's combine it with the whole measure.
[MUSIC]
When we combine it we lost the energy of it.
Let's try just those first four, five notes
[MUSIC]
Again.
[MUSIC]
Good, let's try it in context, the whole measure.
[MUSIC]
Yeah, can we try beat two?
Actua, actually let's go to measure 11.
[MUSIC]
I think we need a bigger contrast.
I think.
[MUSIC].
They're not marked stacatto, are they?
Probably, probably they need to be, because other in
the ensamble are, so we'll make sure that's consistent.
So let's just try measure 11.
[SOUND] Just that much, just that speed for now.
And two and three and.
[MUSIC].
And two and three and.
[MUSIC].
[MUSIC].
Sing it, ready?
[SOUND] That's correct.
Just do the same articulation just using your instruments.
[SOUND] And two and three and
[MUSIC]
Good, one more time.
Two and three and
[MUSIC].
A little faster.
And two and three and
[MUSIC]
And we lost energy.
Two and three and
[MUSIC]
two and three and
[MUSIC]
two and three and
[MUSIC]
two and three and
[MUSIC]
lets try the whole thing for measure nine.
[NOISE] and two
[MUSIC].
That's pretty good, let's do it again.
And [SOUND].
[MUSIC].
Just not convinced of the [SOUND], that first downbeat.
I think maybe we maybe we grabbing at it a little
bit in our energy, in our effort to make the energy.
Keep ourselves grounded and make the articulation clean.
[MUSIC]
Good one more time just for consistency.
We got it once let's make sure
it's not a fluke.
[MUSIC]
[SOUND].
As opposed to [SOUND].
Just play.
[SOUND] Let's put a repeat on measure ten.
Just for now, a repeat on measure ten,
just so we can really practice the [SOUND].
One two three.
[MUSIC].
Good you kind of want to kick the phonograph so it stops skipping.
Lets try the whole thing together at nine.
And.
[MUSIC]
That's wonderful.
Do it again.
[MUSIC]
Great.
Here's everybody at measure nine, please.
And let's all see if we can copy
the phrasing we just worked on there, so [SOUND]
[MUSIC]
[BLANK_AUDIO]
[MUSIC].
Let's break this down a bit.
Can we have just the accompaniment here.
So it's anyone with quarter notes whole note
you got it, or any percussion including snare.
And Jim on snare stuff, the beat twoand beat four is a little more important than
you think because it kind of foreshadows that tom
and bass drum part later, happens on measures two and four of this phrase.
So going to get a little more deliberate with [INAUDIBLE] again.
Okay let's try this again.
We've got two measure, one measure starts mezzo forte and decrescendos pretty dramatically.
[MUSIC].
Just keep coming, yeah.
Just keep coming.
[MUSIC].
[UNKNOWN] that just, you know, kind of that very insistent.
It's even [UNKNOWN] we're just not letting [SOUND] [UNKNOWN]
just kinetic energy [UNKNOWN] unraveling [UNKNOWN].
Joe, we're going to find a slightly more articulate sound out of the snare.
We hear the rhythm, but we don't really hear it.
[SOUND] We'll just hear it, let's just try it.
On your arpeggio, go ahead.
[SOUND] Yeah, the sixteenth notes get swallowed a
little bit, maybe a different part of the drum?
[SOUND] It's a little better.
Try and see how crisply we can get it, even if the dynamic has to [INAUDIBLE].
>> I was playing one course of the red to keep the dia, angle up and down, but.
>> Yeah, we can sacrifice [UNKNOWN].
>> All right.
[SOUND].
>> Okay let's try it now, it's too strong context with that.
Okay let's have everybody play here at 48.
[COUGH] And for trumpets, flutes, first pitch.
Just be aware of the pitching.
Let's make the style a little more, more mar, parcato, a little bit more kind
of,
I'm going to say Marshalism, more ready to go into space.
Page 48.
[MUSIC]
[BLANK_AUDIO].
Hey let's isolate the accompaniment in measure 66.
This would be Trombones, Toms, and bass drums.
And we need to hear these as [SOUND].
Three, basically, three versions of the same instrument, as they [INAUDIBLE].
Alright, here's the 66 measure.
And 66, two, three.
[MUSIC].
Yes, but the tom's going to be a little more jingly.
So it sounds like a trombone or a base drum.
[SOUND] But that's, right now it sounds a little jittery.
>> Okay.
>> It's supposed to be [SOUND].
Okay folks, same place.
56, two, three.
[MUSIC].
>> Look [UNKNOWN] for the bass drum [UNKNOWN] can we just isolate that a
bit, make sure the second beat drum is just as muscular as the first.
So it's not [SOUND], it's [SOUND], okay?
>> Yeah.
>> Just try [UNKNOWN] bass drum 67 [SOUND].
Accent it ever so slightly the second beat.
Just a bit.
Maybe just a little less [INAUDIBLE]
[MUSIC].
Okay, let's get everybody.
66.
And if you're not [INAUDIBLE].
Horizontal.
Let's hear the rhythmic up to 66.
[MUSIC].
Into space, those are slurring, or it sounds like you're slurring from up here.
Same focus, same place.
[MUSIC].
[BLANK_AUDIO].
So, if we can jump back to 34, and we
can break, we're going to break this down into three parts.
Basically, melody one, melody two and accompaniment,
just to see how this is put together.
So can we try the downbeat of 34, if you have straight eighth notes?
[SOUND] Just those, folks.
Let's listen to how we fit in together here, articulation wise.
[MUSIC].
Good, so only the folks who have it in 34, so we can hear it separate.
Yeah, yeah exactly we'll break it
down.
So just the folks who have eighth notes on 34.
[MUSIC].
Yeah, and once we've broken it down now, we can
hear some inconsistencies, and use this opportunity to, to match everything.
[SOUND] With good accents on those eighth.
[MUSIC].
Good do it one more time, just keep
the tempo very steady, but the articulation's getting better.
One, two, [SOUND]
[MUSIC].
Yeah, the eighth notes, [SOUND], was pushing a bit, but for
now, let's move on and try the other part of that melody.
So this, if you, if you have that rhythm starting
in measure 35, now this is alto sack trumpet two, three.
And I'll one and two and.
[MUSIC].
So it's tampered a little bit because it's lower in the range
so it doesn't get the same brightness,so we have to compensate a bit.
So [SOUND] and let the first note be just as strong as their first note.
So here it is at canon.
One more time at 35.
[MUSIC].
Yeah and don't let forte mean rush.
Forte's the same tempo just a volume change.
One more time and one and two and.
[MUSIC].
That was, that wasn't forte.
And one and two and
[MUSIC].
Let's try both those melody parts together.
Just make sure they're equal in terms of their cannon.
And two and
[MUSIC].
Perhaps a lower voice, maybe we've over balanced it a little
bit, but I think we can compensate by making it lighter.
So it's not softer, just more.
[SOUND] shorter, perhaps.
Let's try that one more time and then we'll try our accompaniment.
[MUSIC].
Good, let's try accompaniment now, so no melody, folks, but just accompaniment.
And this volume here is mezzo forte compared to their forte.
So we do want to hear a distinction.
[MUSIC].
So if we didn't mezzo forte, can we still get fortissimo goofy?
Fortissimo.
[INAUDIBLE] I don't know the word.
Swaggy, hoedown style, but still mezzo forte.
It's an articulation issue.
Let's try it.
[MUSIC].
Yeah, good.
Good.
That's a whole lot better, and now it's a matter.
Yes, yeah.
It's a matter of making the tuba bouncier.
And I think the inverse of that is making the off-beats lighter and softer.
So we're going to get [SOUND].
[MUSIC].
Great.
Everybody 34, but JC maybe a little lighter.
Just a not, just a tad bit lighter.
We've got your back up dancers in good shape now.
So now the melody folks can dance forte.
Here's 34.
[MUSIC].
That was not giocoso on the downbeat.
It was giocoso on the second [INAUDIBLE]
[MUSIC]
[BLANK_AUDIO]
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