Quick Fix Friday: Don’t “Rest” During Rests

Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced that awkward moment when you spend so much time practicing and preparing the notes that you forget about the rests….and miss your entrance.

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have experienced this at some point during our musical careers. There is a quick and easy two-part solution:

Study the score.
Don’t rest during your rests!

It’s so easy to relax and lose concentration when we’re not playing (especially during super-long rests), but it’s important to continue your inner pulse. This is crucial, whether you are playing chamber music, band music, orchestral music, and even unaccompanied music (yes, rests are still important even if you are the only one playing). My middle school band director used to call rests “silences” to remind us to be quiet but alert when we weren’t playing. (Fun fact: Rests are actually called “silences” in French!)

Bottom line: don’t get lazy during your rests!

Happy Friday, and happy practicing!