Welcome to the official blog of the Highstrung String Quartet!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Performance Tip #2

Make sure you have your music. Then make sure you have the right music. Then make sure you have the right copy of the right music. Then make sure you have all the pages to the right copy of the right music…

7 comments:

j said...

Something tells me you know from experience...

Bisceglia Family said...

You now know why I commit my music to memory for performances whenever possible. I then get to relax right before the gig while those who use sheet music wildly try to figure out if they have the right stuff. And I love not worrying about flipping pages! :)

~the Fourth Rose
P.S. I'm not about to admit that there's been a few times where I -right before the gig- am wildly trying to finish committing to memory a certain piece, while the others with their right copy of the right music tell me to "just use the music." :) For better or for worse, I tend to be determined....

David said...

One of my favorite things to do to Elizabeth was to play a gig for an hour or so, then reach under my chair and pull out my music notebook. That really annoyed her.

Of course, when music fails and memory fails, then you can always ablib. Sometimes Josh would ask, "Are you making that part up?" To which I responded, "If you can't tell, what difference does it make?"

Bisceglia Family said...

Very funny David!
This is completely off subject but I just wanted to thank you for referring Tiffany to me. I do not want to be an orchestra harpist (for the very thing that is happening for this show: 3 hours = 1 song), but I have always wanted to have an orchestral experience. It is amazing my schedule was free these next two weeks so I think God had it planned :)
~ Janna

Bisceglia Family said...

Haha! That's quite funny! (Don't worry, this isn't Janna.) There's nothing like playing spontaneously by ear!

I was hired to play along for a special song at a gig we did once, and afterward I was rather amused when the pianist asked me if I studied improvisation! I guess he was impressed with my part!

~the Fourth Rose

Anonymous said...

also remember you're instrument, and bow...

josh would know nothing of which i speak.

-steven (cello)

ps the word verification to post this says "holybs" hahahaha

Anonymous said...

Right on with the whole post! David, tell me your not my bro Matthew in disguise!?! The thing about you annoying Elizabeth, that is SO a Matthew thing, he does it all the time! You male Viola players are alot alike! LOL! WOW, the last part, that is so one of us four when we're going to have a quartet "practice"..which quite often leads to some sort of gig hoedown between us four, we make up our own parts..'If you can't tell, what difference does it make!'
~Elsie Devine