Performance team rehearsal

A Tuning the Air Journal

Saturday, October 22, 2011 – Performance team rehearsal

All present and accounted for today.

The first hour was detail work on the B Minor Prelude. We worked it section by section. We are at the point with this piece where we can really begin to hear the individual lines within the piece, even as we have our attention on our own parts. At the very least, this means that dropping out or missing notes is no longer a cause for panic. At best it means that we can really begin to connect with the flow of the lines, which is where we need to be. The work in rehearsal on this can be grueling, and sometimes involves long side trips into the minutia of such things as the articulation of individual notes, but the results are tangible as the Music emerges.

On to “Connecticut Yankee”, again focusing on detail work and musical matters. For this piece, that primarily boiled down to 2 areas: 1) dynamics, and 2) the techniques employed to get the sounds out of the guitars that the intro demands. The first of these is pretty straightforward. Nigel had been pretty explicit about dynamics, and now that we have a command of the parts we just needed to readdress these and make sure that we are all following the same score.

“Larks’ Tongues” on the table. This was primarily about tempo. We have been performing it a little slowly, even though there is a sense of pushing ahead in some parts. We looked at some of the technicalities surrounding this, including details like clarity in the count off, and sharpness in the articulation of the Stravinsky chords. Several runthroughs with the metronome. Precision, with no sense of urgency, is the quality we aim for in this piece.

“I Am The Walrus”, again largely work with the metronome, aimed at clear articulation and coordination of the parts, and the spirit of the piece. This piece has been a highlight and source of much audience feedback at our first 3 shows, and there is the sense that there is yet another level awaiting us. A bit of discussion of ways to play a cello part on the guitar; picks are not bows, and there is no way to pretend they are, so the question is how to play a guitar part that honors the writing for cello. Details, details.

“Fallout”, again with the metronome, and again digging deeper into matters of dynamics and phrasing.

Ended with a mini-set of “Little Red Truck” – “A Minor Circulation” – “Space Circus”, largely without comment. Our circulations on Thursday were much improved, although we still haven’t quite captured the spooky esp that is characteristic of our circulating when we are really on our game.

Ended a little early in order to have a “practicalities” meeting for the Tuning the Air retreat that takes place beginning next week.