TromboneChat

So, I've had another yet another opportunity to perform with the band I've been working with. Since it's a sort of "church band", we get quite a few opportunities to play together, but given that the scattered locations of players, we can't really rehearse much together until we're AT our performance location.

But that's not the problem.

The primary issues we're experiencing are with player competence and being a band "unit", mostly.

The folks we gather together are generally quite decent players, but when it comes to "gelling together" as a band in terms of intonation/articulation and style, all that stuff seems to go out the window because people tend towards being concerned about playing the right notes and rhythms and forget that it's music we're trying to do here. But even once we get past making mistakes and come just over the top of being comfortable enough as a band to not have to worry about wrong notes or rhythms - things seem to stop up.

What kind of stuff can I do with this band to get us as a band to listen more closely to one another, as well as learn better to fit the style set by the lead trumpet player? How can I have my lead player LEARN to play in different styles (he's not quite there - he struggles the most with rhythm especially, and style becomes secondary when correct rhythms is an issue)?
I consider myself to be quite good at matching the styles of those around me - I try my best to fit into the sound of neighboring parts when I'm inside an ensemble. But that doesn't seem to be a skill that many people possess. It almost seems like a lot of people are pretty strongly held back by technique or note-reading skills.

I know I haven't pinpointed *so* much here, but I know many of you guys have a lot of experience working with bands. We're doing a sort of half-big band with 3 saxes, 2 or 3 trombones if we get 'em and 2 trumpets + rhythm section. This last time we did 2 of each wind and had one of the saxes on keys since we couldn't get a keyboardist in time.

Open the floodgates of knowledge!

It sounds as if you're asking seven or eight players to improvise parts.  For amateurs, that's just not going to work.  For a band this large, you need arrangements, and not just arrangements, but arrangements written for your particular instrumentation (or very close to it).  By this, I mean your group won't sound good if you're doubling up and playing arrangements written for only four horns.  Neither will it sound good if you're playing standard big-band arrangements but are using only seven or eight of the 14 horn parts. Having said all this, I must confess that I know of very few arrangements for seven or eight horns.  Six-horn charts are far more common. 

As for appropriate style, style is embedded in the arrangements themselves. If you can't rehearse as a group, you might make some progress by matching arrangements with recordings and making the group responsible for listening to and studying them.

Quote from: Arranger-Transcriber on Yesterday at 10:37 PMIt sounds as if you're asking seven or eight players to improvise parts.  For amateurs, that's just not going to work.  For a band this large, you need arrangements, and not just arrangements, but arrangements written for your particular instrumentation (or very close to it).  By this, I mean your group won't sound good if you're doubling up and playing arrangements written for only four horns.  Neither will it sound good if you're playing standard big-band arrangements but are using only seven or eight of the 14 horn parts. Having said all this, I must confess that I know of very few arrangements for seven or eight horns.  Six-horn charts are far more common. 

As for appropriate style, style is embedded in the arrangements themselves. If you can't rehearse as a group, you might make some progress by matching arrangements with recordings and making the group responsible for listening to and studying them.

Contrary to that point, AT, we DO use arrangements, and moreover are they often arrangements orchestrated for the group that will be performing. But now that you bring that forward, I think it may well be the arrangements themselves that are the problem. Many of the tunes we've been using are made by folks from inside the band - and are from a time long before my learning to play an instrument. That said, they're not pro-level at any rate.

But at the same time, when I go back and listen to recordings of our group from rehearsals and performances, even downscaled versions of popular arrangements sound plain BAD. Style really seems to come secondary when people struggle with counting rests and are looking all around the group for cues but not just using the music - which is essentially a spreadsheet/time chart placed in front of them telling them exactly what happens where. I'm sure style can be worked on, but when the basics don't seem to be in place - when folks are just relying on 'feeling it' and 'hoping' to play the right note at the right time, and not listening to the drummer, bassist, other bandmates, looking at their notes.. then things fall apart.

Perhaps I'm frustrated too easily, or have too big ambitions - or maybe we're just using too difficult arrangements! I think I just am particularly wondering what I can do as a director to 1) train my musicians ears to listen to one another and match in sound, volume, style, timbre, etc, and 2) get to playing with a greater level of precision when it comes to what's written on the page. 

edit: to go a bit deeper in on it, I'm no one's private teacher (not in this group, at least). Do I give tips on how individuals can improve? That to me seems like it'd be pretentious and high-minded, and I'm not certain of whether people would take kindly to me telling them what they cloud/should work on even if I know it'll improve how the group sounds overall.

You're right to be cautious about giving out playing advice or doing "pedagogical things" to improve the group. When you're in a group of social peers, unless everyone is engaging in those kinds of discussions, it's best to relax.

You could just play back a rehearsal recording to the group: "Hey guys, I recorded us. You want to listen?"

If they don't react with cringing and a desire to improve then you will probably have to reset your expectations and treat the group as a social group and not worry too much about the music.

Good luck!

You might want to try this: 

Choose two arrangements that from experience you know work and are not too difficult for the group and for which you have recordings (or links to recordings).  Pass them out at the conclusion of a rehearsal and tell your group that "these are the arrangements we're going to work on at the next rehearsal.  Listen to the recordings and practice your part.  When you get your part down, you'd do well to play along with the recording."  Then, at the next rehearsal, really concentrate on getting these two arrangements down pat.

If you're at a loss what arrangements to choose, perhaps I can suggest and possibly provide them.

You might want to try this: 

Choose two arrangements that from experience you know work and are not too difficult for the group and for which you have recordings (or links to recordings).  Pass them out at the conclusion of a rehearsal and tell your group that "these are the arrangements we're going to work on at the next rehearsal.  Listen to the recordings and practice your part.  When you get your part down, you'd do well to play along with the recording."  Then, at the next rehearsal, really concentrate on getting these two arrangements down pat.

If you're at a loss what arrangements to choose, perhaps I can suggest and possibly provide them.