It is amazing how many people don't do the two basic things which would drastically improve the quality of their ensemble. These are:-
1. Watch the beat: It's not hard is it? Play the right rhythm, at the right pace, and together with the people around you. The only hope you have of doing this, is to watch the guy in the middle waving the little stick. I was listening to a recording of a band I play in, and the trumpets were loud everywhere, as usual. But worse than that, as a section, they were just not in sync. It absolutely ruins the effect of a big band swing number, to have people not playing in time. Even a slight discrepancy can spoil things.
2. Listen: I can't tell you how many times I've sat next to trombonists who don't play in tune. With an instrument which has infinitesimally fine control over dynamic tuning, it should be possible to get every note smack on, with relation to the people around you. The fact that so many times, players don't get tuning right, leads me to conclude that they aren't listening to what's going on around them, including the person sitting right next to them. It actually gives me a headache sitting next to someone who has poor tuning and doesn't listen. It just grinds me down.
So what I'm saying is, players should stop playing in their own little bubble. Concentrate less on their own sound (or volume), and just divert a little bit of attention to a) the conductor and b) other players around them. This I feel, would improve the quality of most ensembles I play in. But hey, I'm not in charge
True, and where would we be without people misinterpreting, reading things into what you've said, or generally getting the wrong end of the stick.
