What to Prioritize in a Short Rehearsal?

International Collaborative Pianist

To play.  Seriously, if time is limited, I rely on colleagues just to play, and play with focus and intent, so that I can hear what they want to do.

Communicate with your sound, with your heart and silent brain. 

No time to get into a long discussion, please don’t get stuck in the weeds and the minutiae when the clock is ticking. 

And no need to stop and analyze every moment that isn’t quite together on the first reading; we are professionals listening carefully to each other, we heard the discrepancy, we’ll adjust to each other on the next pass. 

And when we do talk, it’s much better to spend a sentence or two on your general spiritual response/approach to the work than to pour over the first theme with exhaustive analysis and suddenly we’re out of time before we’ve examined even the exposition.

It should be mentioned that when rehearsal time is short, the deeper each musician knows the other musicians’ parts, the whole score, the better and more efficiently the rehearsal will go, and the better the final performance can be. 

The best musician I’ve ever played with always knows my piano part at least as well as I do after I’ve obsessed over and practiced it to death.

One of the most exhilarating and daunting tasks we encounter as collaborators is crafting a convincing performance with someone we have just met in a limited amount of rehearsal time.   

My number one priority in these circumstances is to play through the piece to establish a common ground regarding overall tempos. 

Creating a unified rhythmic pulse can immediately build a wonderful musical trust and rapport.

Once a natural flow is felt we can begin to fully listen and react musically to each other. 

One thing I would always caution against—don’t get bogged down in discussing minutia. 

Always remember the big picture!

A successful performance is magical. With limited rehearsal before a performance, my priority is an attitude of joy and honor. Confidence born of adventure most often puts my partners at ease.

These situations are generally competitive, and the role of the pianist is to be supportive, though with the accomplished they understand how to Ride The Wave.

The camaraderie of working together to accomplish a goal is a task, as such not complicated.

There is no time for ego, nor didactics.

To teach the less experienced to be demonstrative of their needs to persuasively play to each other, our communication persuades our audience. 

Technically, it isn’t issues of tempo, but fluidity.

Through breathing, there is an exploration of coloration through timing.

The goal is to bring out the best of my artists, virtuosos, scholars, painters, even brutes!

In our limited association, there is never haste, as Our Time is in The Now.

In discussion of our playing to note issues of misunderstandings in points of departure and arrival, of presence and recess, builds trust.

New England Conservatory Faculty Member, Pianist 

 My top priority as a collaborative pianist is to enable my musical partner to play their best - and to feel as free as possible to express themselves.

Even within a short rehearsal, it’s possible to establish a mutual trust - which is so important on stage and will make for an inspiring performance.

 And then … LISTEN!

Carlos Avila

Juilliard School Studio Pianist

I’m sure this will be reiterated by everyone, so ... know the piano part and be open to things that may be different from what you’re used to.

Be aware that much of the time, your pianist may have ten times more experience than you with the piece you’re playing

Having limited rehearsal time is part of the norm of a professional musician.

 As a collaborative pianist, it’s wonderful being able to juggle multiple projects at a time, however that does not always allow for optimal rehearsal time, especially if your musical partner(s) has a full performance schedule.

It becomes paramount to make every minute in that limited time count before your one performance, or if you’re lucky, before you go on tour.

Although I can’t read our partner's mind, the overall goal is to eliminate as much of the guesswork as possible and to feel as comfortable and solid in my own musical choices before our rehearsal. 

My primary goal is to be able to sing, phrase, and interpret my partner’s part from start to finish of the program.  

Although it adds some stress, I raise the stakes for myself pretending that I am scheduled to give my own (wacky) solo concert.  

If performing with a singer, I want to have a deep understanding of the poetic text, not only so that it is reflected in my playing, but so my partner and I are on the same page, communicating the same idea.

Equally as important, I will try and play through as much of the program every day to build muscle memory, coupled with quiet studying.

 A teacher once told me that as collaborative pianists, sometimes we settle for an elevated level of sight reading. My goal is to have the program not exactly memorized, but close to it.

I will make a point to go through the most difficult passages (almost) every day, cranking the metronome up, until I can play it about two clicks faster than the actual tempo.

Not only does this help instill technical and rhythmic security, but it helps me stay focused on the task at hand so that there are no moments of panic in rehearsal or performance.

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