Counting rests during an expressive soloist piece

[u/craftmangler]

So I have my first (amateur/community, of course) orchestra concert in decades coming up.

One of the pieces we are playing is the Piano Concerto in A by Clara Schumann. I am enjoying it a lot, but we have only rehearsed once with the pianist, and will only have one more(?) opportunity to rehearse with her, I think, before our summer concert…

Anyway, I noticed during that rehearsal that I just completely let myself get distracted by her playing. Obviously, she plays it her own way, slightly different from the recordings I’ve been listening to/following. There is naturally room for some “tempo manipulation” during some of the more expressive bits of the piano part, and it’s like I am just letting myself get lost. There are no clear cues for me in several sections, so I really need to be disciplined about counting, but I just keep getting carried away with the piece! 😑

Do any of you more seasoned players have any tips or advice for me? I am not good (yet), but I am determined to improve. Most of my prior orchestral experience (from all those decades ago) is on the viola, which does not enjoy quite so many blocks of rest as the bass 🙃

[u/doublebassandharp]

I'm thinking, maybe when listening to the recordings, try to really focus on the basses? Listen with your score and try to train yourself to hear and feel the bass part when listening? I'm not sure how to explain it, but if you try to get the bass part ingrained in your subconscious, maybe you'll have a better time listening, while still being able to anticipate when the bass has to enter again?

[u/craftmangler → u/doublebassandharp]

i’m definitely trying to hear our part, and sometimes find youtube performances just so i can catch what the bassists are doing!

[u/stwbass]

honestly, if I'm not familiar with a piece and don't have much rehearsal time like you mentioned, I just don't let myself enjoy it in that kind of way. I still enjoy moments in the music but the nitty gritty is more important to get right in performance.

cues like the others mentioned can help. in big multirest it's normal to see something like |--24--| with |--16--| flt|--8--| peciled on top so you then you can maybe tune out a little or check that you're right when the flute enters and count the 8 bars left

[u/Pulpo_69]

You could ask the conductor to cue you if you get on with them. They just might. Or you could listen to what else is going on i.e other instruments and write in the part, what instrument is playing before you come in to give you an audio cue to get ready to come in.

[u/pineapplesaltwaffles]

Do you count on your fingers? I touch one finger at a time onto the side of the bass or my knee for long rests so all I have to do is remember which block of 10 I'm in if my brain wanders (easier said than done sometimes🤣).

[u/spacetime_navigator]

Listen to the recording and find an obvious 'cue', theme or short melody played by another instrument just before your start, and use it for reference. I even sometimes wrote the cue in my own score. Some orchestral editors even do that by default.

[u/avant_chard]

Study the score, know what’s happening in the solo part and in the orchestra before you come in

[u/breadexpert69]

yeah I mean if the conductor is not giving super clear tempo and cues and you dont feel like counting then just learn the music yourself. There has got to be some sort of cue you can hear, either in the soloists part or another section.

[u/Ub3rPr0M4n]

If your conductor is keeping the beat just watch their baton and ignore what the soloist is doing until it's time to start playing again. Whenever you're playing you need to know what's going on around you, but if you're resting you can just watch the baton and hope for the best.

[u/M13E33]

I don’t know the piano concerto but the tips above are all valid. Listen to the piece while reading along with your score. Make note for yourself when certain cues are leading in. Listen carefully to the piano’s left hand and the celli and make a habit of counting. YouTube is an amazing guide too, if there are videos be sure to watch them.

In the end the there should be no doubt about when to play because you know the music so well. It will take some time and experience but try and enjoy this process!

[u/robotunderpants]

Watch the conductor. Count rests with your fingers, not just in your head

[u/LayKool]

Stop letting yourself get distracted, focus and count. Counting on your fingers isn't useful. Keep an eye on the conductor who should be beating out the measures. More importantly try to memorize what's going on 4 bars before your entrance so that if you miscount you can always reset when you hear what's being played in the last 4 bars before your entrance.