Ensemble & Section Playing | by Nick Councilor
Rehearsals are not for learning your own part; they are for learning everyone else’s part.
Performing in a large ensemble, such as a concert band or symphony orchestra, is hard work! This sort of performance is very different than solo playing and requires a different set of skills. Here are some quick thoughts about performing in a large ensemble. I hope these might help you develop the skills used in section playing.
Tuning process: Most rehearsals begin with some sort of tuning process, usually with the principal oboe playing a concert “A,” followed by everyone else joining in. This tuning process is very important, as it will determine how well you and your colleagues playing in tune for the rest of the rehearsal. Here are some guidelines to follow during this tuning process:
After the initial “A” is sounded, wait 2-3 seconds before joining in. The oboist’s pitch is likely to change after their entrance and waiting a few seconds will allow everyone to properly hear the tuning pitch.
Play only the “A” and the either of the fifths around it (D or E; our written E and F#). You may also check the octaves of the “A.” 

Don’t noodle around. The tuning process is not the time to practice your scales or solo passages. Playing other material is distracting to those around you.
Listen very carefully. Be sure to match the “A” that is given. The tendency is to come in sharp and then sustain the sharp pitch. 

After you have adjusted the pitch, you should adjust your instrument. 

Don’t sustain the pitch for longer than 3-5 seconds. There’s no need to sustain the pitch 
after you’ve completed the tuning process. 

If you aren’t sure whether you are sharp or flat, try going in either direction to see if it 
gets better or worse. 

LISTENING is the most important ensemble skill. I think the majority of ensemble issues result from a lack of listening. Here’s my suggested hierarchy of listening: 1) neighbors 2) section 3) woodwind family 4) full ensemble. Â
What to listen for:
Balance

Are you playing louder/softer than your neighbors?
Are you playing louder/softer than the principal part? Know your role.
Are you the accompaniment, a supporting melody, a countermelody, or the primary melody? This will inform your performance.
Bring out “solo” and other important lines.
Keep the “pyramid of sound” in mind when considering balance. (More low sounds, less high sounds.)
Blend
Goes hand-in-hand with balance.
Are you matching timbre (sound quality) of your neighbors?
Are you sticking out of the texture? Try to fit your sound into your neighbors’ sounds. If you can hear yourself above the others around you, then you are not blending.
Great blend is achieved when a group of similar instruments sounds like one.
Intonation

Be very picky about this. Most often we can get close to being in tune, but not exactly.
Eliminate any waves in the sound.
Listen down to the lowest instruments to match pitch.
Defer to the principal player’s pitch. This includes principal 2nd and 3rd players.
Remember that no one is “right” when two (or more) pitches are out of tune. It is everyone’s responsibility to play in tune.
Know which part of the chord you have. Remember the fifth of a major/minor triad needs to be slightly high and the major third needs to be quite low.
Know your instrument’s pitch tendencies. With the exception a few notes, the clarinet’s tendency is to be sharp.
Listen to the entire ensemble for pitch. It’s not enough to just be in tune with your stand partners. While you may in tune with your neighbors, you might be out of tune with another section. Again, the clarinet’s tendency is to be sharp.
Technical accuracy
Are you and your neighbors playing together?
Are you playing with the rows in front and behind you?
Articulation

Are you matching note lengths?
How is the sound entering?
How is the sound ending? Is it clipped with the tongue? Is it lifted with the air?
Defer to the principal players.
Auxiliary Instruments: Remember these are solo instruments. Play out when appropriate. These are also extensions of the clarinet section. Balance to the entire section. This often means more bass clarinet and less e-flat clarinet.
I hope you use these questions and guidelines as “food for thought” for your section playing. In case there is an uncertainty of what makes a “good” ensemble musician, here is a generalized list of DOs and DON’Ts.
DO:
Play in tune 

Listen 

Prepare your part before rehearsal 

Listen 

Bring a pencil to rehearsal 

Listen 

Warm up before rehearsal. No one wants to hear your first notes of the day.
Match articulation, dynamic, and tone quality of the principal players and those around 
you. It’s the principal players’ responsibility to monitor these 
elements and make requests. 

Listen 

Be a good colleague. Shuffle for a well-played solo.
DON’T: 

Ignore those around you 

Be unprepared 

Refuse to adjust an out-of-tune pitch 

Turn around or look at soloists 

Play after the conductor has stopped 

Laugh at mistakes that occur in rehearsal 

Make facial expressions towards yourself or others 

