Last night, there were some more new members to the orchestra. I now have a stand partner who is a sophomore in high school. The string section is a bit small so I suppose there must have been some heavy recruiting efforts last week to fill it up.
Stand partner, C, is really nice and seemingly quiet...until she pulled out her cello and exploded with some runs from Saint-Saens A minor concerto to warm up. WOW. I recognized what she played because I gave that movement a go for a couple of weeks before deciding that I was not ready for it. This girl is GOOD. She'd only been playing for 5 years. In fact, it later came out that some of the students who joined the orchestra last night were students who did not make the big youth orchestra in town. I can only imagine what kind of nuts are in this youth orchestra if she didn't make it. Scary!
Now the cello section is really good...2 high school students (both really good!), 2 veterans from the orchestra and.....me. Unfortunately, I can barely keep up. My teacher says that I am really lucky to play with people far better than I am but I feel really uncomfortable with this group right now. We all know what lack of relaxation does for cello tone........ :(
Maybe I need to have a glass of wine before each rehearsal ;)
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HI I remember those feelings well - and in fact still get them! But it gets better and is definitely worth keeping going even if you can only play notes/passages here and there ! : )
That sounds like my town <g>. Hopefully C also reads music and plays well in ensemble - skills that don't always accompany the technical ability to play and memorize a concerto, believe it or not. It's great that you will have a chance to play next to someone with great tone, and it's also nice that she will have a chance to sit next to someone with lesser technical skills but great love for the instrument who is playing at an age she can't really conceive of yet <vbg>. Community Orchestra is a big world, and everyone has a part to play.
p.s. The wine might be fun, but I'll bet you find that as you develop a relationship with C and focus on making music the nerves will take care of themselves.
First and foremost, congrats on at least getting to a point that you are playing with others – especially within an orchestra. Keep hacking away at it – as long as you know there is room for improvement and you keep on trying – they should embrace you and begin to respect you. The wine suggestion sounds good – a good strong Chianti!
Thanks for all the advice! I will stick it out this year and hopefully get over the discomfort.
I too remember all of those feelings, but getting intimidated by playing with people who have been playing for decades, not years. Hang in there; it does get better, and you'll get better faster by playing with people who have some skills that you don't have, yet.
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