helpful hints
I had a round of rehearsals this morning that were rather disastrous. The details of the whole fiasco would make a great blog post, but to write about it would be unprofessional and in really poor taste, so instead I'm just going to make a list of some tips, helpful hints if you will, that may come in handy should you find yourself in need of an accompanist.*
1. If you are meeting in a place where your pianist has not been before, be sure to give him/her the address and ask if driving directions are needed. Sometimes google maps is wrong.
2. It is your responsibility to get the music to your pianist. It is not the pianist's responsibility to come to you for it, especially if you are located in a different town. This may require you to spend a little money on postage. Trust me, this will be money well-spent.
3. When you do send the music, make sure your pianist has the right music so he/she doesn't waste time learning the wrong piece.
4. If you expect your pianist to play an orchestral reduction at lightning speed, you should get him/her the music at least a week ahead of time, if not more. One day is not a reasonable amount of time.
5. The music may be easy enough to sight-read. The pianist may have played the music before and doesn't need to practice much, if at all, to prepare for rehearsal. However, this is for the pianist to decide, not you. It's best to play it safe and get the music to your pianist well in advance. Most of us prefer to come to rehearsal prepared.
6. Most pianists prefer the other musicians to come to rehearsal prepared as well. It saves time and anxiety.
7. Please pay your pianist promptly. For many of us, this is a living, not a hobby.
*Not everything on this list is an indication of what went wrong this morning, just to be clear. Just a few things prompted this post.
1. If you are meeting in a place where your pianist has not been before, be sure to give him/her the address and ask if driving directions are needed. Sometimes google maps is wrong.
2. It is your responsibility to get the music to your pianist. It is not the pianist's responsibility to come to you for it, especially if you are located in a different town. This may require you to spend a little money on postage. Trust me, this will be money well-spent.
3. When you do send the music, make sure your pianist has the right music so he/she doesn't waste time learning the wrong piece.
4. If you expect your pianist to play an orchestral reduction at lightning speed, you should get him/her the music at least a week ahead of time, if not more. One day is not a reasonable amount of time.
5. The music may be easy enough to sight-read. The pianist may have played the music before and doesn't need to practice much, if at all, to prepare for rehearsal. However, this is for the pianist to decide, not you. It's best to play it safe and get the music to your pianist well in advance. Most of us prefer to come to rehearsal prepared.
6. Most pianists prefer the other musicians to come to rehearsal prepared as well. It saves time and anxiety.
7. Please pay your pianist promptly. For many of us, this is a living, not a hobby.
*Not everything on this list is an indication of what went wrong this morning, just to be clear. Just a few things prompted this post.
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