When the Part Is Too Hard
Every orchestra rehearses music somebody cannot play yet. Twelve triage rules for what to thin out, in what order, so the section never notices, on one free card.
Print it and it lives in the front of your folder; save it to your phone and it is there at the rehearsal break. It is free, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Download the PDFWhat is on the card
Keep the count, whatever else you drop. Rhythm before pitch. Play the frame of a fast run: first note, last note, the notes on the beats. First beats are sacred. Ornament goes before structure. Thin quietly, under the section rather than over it. Divide the labour with your desk partner. Do not rush the hard bars; hurrying is the loudest mistake there is. Never stop; rejoin at a landmark. Mark what you thinned, because that is the practice list. Drop the octave, not the note, where the line is doubled. And practise starting anywhere, because rehearsals never start where you practised from.
Related
This card pairs with the free practice guide for your instrument — all twelve are on the Guides hub — and with the other reference cards on the Cards hub.
Triage carries you through Tuesday; slow practice with the orchestra around you shrinks the list for good. On MaestroMeet you play your part with the score scrolling in front of you and the rest of the orchestra around you, so what this card teaches has something real to land on. MaestroMeet is opening soon — join the waitlist to be among the first to play.
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Please pass this card on. It is free, there is nothing to sign up for, and every musician it reaches is one more reason to keep the music flowing.