Posted by Michael Eastep on November 18, 2003 at 00:00:07:
In Reply to: Nut Cracker/tuba part posted by Tim Jackson on November 16, 2003 at 20:48:18:
For those playing this piece for the first time, you will spare yourself some wrong entries if you realize that what looks like silent preparatory beats by the conductor is always a rest written by the composer. This means that a lot of phrases begin on beats other than one. Just start counting when the conductor beats and trust your part to come out right. For instance, in the exposed section mentioned above, there is a whole bar of silence for the whole orchestra that is beaten by the conductor. This can cause just enough uncertainty to make a mess.