Online Rehearsals: The Experiences of the Guitar Orchestra of CGSV

After only managing to have two rehearsals we could attend in person in 2020, the Guitar Orchestra of the Victorian Classical Guitar Society switched to online rehearsal sessions.  After rehearsing online together for almost two months, here’s what the members of the orchestra had to say about the experience:

There was a unanimous support of the process because it allows us to socialize, and find out new things about each other – as member Bill Sp. said, “it keeps us together”.  Another member Linda said that it was wonderful to see “Lots of untapped talents there too and kindness” 

The rehearsals are being shared by artistic director Ben Dix and guest conductor for 2020 Meredith Connie.  We have played with format a bit – some work all muted but playing at the same time, some repertoire work, some rhythmic exercise work, warms up and technical challenges/questions, and also time to play solos for each other.  Meredith says:  “Playing with the format and adapting is important as we see what is a good fit – the rehearsal process feels a lot more democratic this way!”

We all agree there are limitations – as member Sammy said, you need to have a techie in the group to help, but we are in good shape there!  The disadvantage of not being able to play together is a big one, and as our techie help says, member Rick: 

“Sound quality is variable - internet speed and other variables make it a bit hit and miss.”

As a temporary solution, the positives do seem to outweigh the drawbacks.  We are all looking forward to playing together in person again, but as member Bill S says, it “will help us to get back to face-to-face rehearsals and live performances with minimal loss of momentum”. Member Andrew adds: “Even though we can't play together and hear each other we've still been able to usefully work on the pieces. Last week's session was particularly good re. building up the parts one by one” 

Other advantages lie in shifting the focus of a rehearsal, because we can’t just play together.  John sums it up by saying “the virtual space had to provide value in other ways; and it has! The opportunity to focus on technique, auditory skills, practice routines, relaxation strategies novel pieces that everyone brings, has been fun, educational and refreshing.” 

And, of course, the other advantage is the mute button, as member Bill O. shares: “When I get really annoyed with someone, I can mute my audio and video, and voice dire deprecations at the screen and wave my arms around at the camera”.  And then we can all laugh with our mute buttons on too

In asking for comments from everyone the positivity, generosity and gratitude of everyone in the group was so wonderful to see and receive!  It’s a privilege to work with this ensemble.  I’ll sum it up by quoting member Weiyu:  “the GO are the key to great guitar times on Zoom :D”  Oh, and we also got to see a Balloon animal.

The guitar orchestra is run through the Victorian Classical Guitar Society, under the baton of Ben Dix, found here: https://www.cgsv.org/guitar-orchestra.