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Play Well With Others

© Chris Mindel

Most musicians, especially early in their career, want to play a solo. To stand out from the rest of the ensemble is seen as being a result of better musicianship. Though solos are very helpful and useful in singular expression, playing with an ensemble builds many important skills.

To play with an ensemble (especially a small ensemble) is a great experiment in compromise. Where phrases are and where they are going (which can be a very personal decision) must be decided on as a group. This involves such aspects as: dynamics - how loud is loud enough? how soft is pianissimo?; length of notes - how short should each staccato be?; where breaths should be taken; and the main meaning of the piece itself - is it telling a story? or just relating a picture, or emotion? Also, vibrato has to be taken into consideration. Some instructors teach that vibrato in ensemble is to be avoided. Others find vibrato acceptable in small ensembles, where only one instrument plays each part. And if vibrato is to be used, then each player must synchronize their vibrating. Otherwise the shift in pitches (even though they are slight) can cause havoc in the ears of the listeners by interrupting the intonation of the ensemble.

And this last factor, intonation, is perhaps the most challenging aspect of playing in an ensemble. When playing completely solo, you must remain in tune with yourself. This is difficult, as most instruments are not made to be played by a human. [When saxophones are made, a machine blows air through the neck that approximates the breath of a human. The saxophone is then tuned by machine to this robotic air pressure. When we play an instrument, our various face shapes and embouchure differences make constant adjustment necessary. Also, the fingering system used on the saxophone has sacrificed intonation for ease of fingering.] Many instruments have certain notes that tend to go out of tune in certain directions. These vary according to instrument, and then vary more according to musician. So, in practicing alone, we learn the intonation idiosyncrasies of our own instrument.

Once we enter an ensemble, however, we must work with many people who are battling their own intonation demons. Keep in mind one thing during ensemble playing, and this is something I have a problem with: Have confidence in yourself, and your instrument, to play in tune. When I have played in ensembles and heard intonation problems, I would assume they were caused by me and I would adjust. But my saxophone and I have played together for nine years, and I know how pretty well how to keep each note in tune. So many times, I was not the problem. But by assuming I was, and changing my intonation, I would only compound the problem. An easy way to check, other than periodic ensemble tuning during rehearsals, is to play a little softer or louder. Not much, but enough to separate your sound from the others for a small amount of time. Then listen to see if it really is you. Intonation problems can only be worked though with lots of practice with the ensemble.

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