Fiddler On The Roof (And a mandolinist in the pit)

[Mandylan]

Hey everybody! I'm a long time lurker, but this is my first time posting here. I am playing the mandolin part (which also doubles on guitar and lute) for my school's production of Fiddler On The Roof. I wanted to know if anybody here has had experience playing in a pit orchestra and could give me some tips for playing in one. No tip or trick is too small, this is my first time doing this and I'm looking for any help I can get.

P.S. The chord progressions in this music are absolutely insane, so any tips regarding playing tricky chord progressions would be much appreciated.

[Louise NM]

Well, first of all, you're in a pit, and it's just what it sounds like. The last one I played in was so cold we sat with blankets over our laps and legs. Yours may be cold, it may be hot. Dress in layers, all black of course. It needs to be dark, so if they don't supply stand lights, make sure you have a good one, plus plenty of batteries or an available electrical outlet.

You can't let your attention flag for even a second. Actors forget their lyrics, they leave out a verse, they skip the bridge and plow right on through, then insert the missing bridge towards the end. The conductor has to keep everyone together, poor soul. Just because it went one way last night doesn't mean it won't go the other direction tomorrow. Be ready for anything, and be as prepared as you can. Make sure you have a pencil with an excellent eraser to mark changes, cuts, etc.

There's never enough room. Be prepared for close quarters, and don't take cases or other extraneous objects into the pit. Be respectful of everyone's space, and pleasantly defensive of yours. Be very careful with your instrument and equally cautious about others' gear. The final rehearsals can get long, and tempers fray. Do your best to be patient, stay cool, and let the directors hash it out.

Pit orchestras can develop great camaraderie, and it can be a lot of fun. There are some gorgeous moments in the Fiddler score, although I'm not familiar with the mandolin part. Enjoy it!

[Nevin]

I only played in a pit once so nothing on that but on tricky chord progressions, simplify. Playing a four course instrument you are unlikely to be able to hit all the chords exactly anyway so simplify. Go for the triads when things get tough. if you know enough theory you may find some chords are substitutions of simpler ones. Use them if you can. For chord work on the mandolin you aren't going to be heard all that much against an orchestra so relax.

[mrmando]

Dang, I ran the soundboard for a production of Fiddler three years ago, and the guitarist just played guitar all the way through. I had no idea there was any mandolin part in the score at all.

[bratsche]

There's a part for mandolin? Who knew? I've played that lots of times (on viola or violin), and it never had one. You learn something new every day!

bratsche

[Bruce Clausen]

I've played guitar and/or mandolin on a number of Broadway shows, operas, etc. Most common problems for fretted players in an orchestra setting come from plain inexperience. Orchestra players need to read their part, watch the conductor, and listen to the whole ensemble constantly. If you're not used to watching a conductor, learn your part so well that you're able to play it without ever taking your eyes off him or her. Tuning is another area to focus on; you need to be right in tune on each instrument every time you pick one up to play, and you won't often get a chance to check. As far as chords and rhythm playing go, three or even two-note voicings are usually better than big chords that are hard to grab-- main thing is to nail the rhythmic groove that the score requires at each point. Hope this helps.

What are you using for a lute? Didn't know the part called for one.

[Mandylan]

Thanks for the advice everybody, I have a little over a month to learn the music so hopefully not being familiar with it won't be a problem. The part about using simpler voicings Bruce and Nevin mentioned should come in handy during some of the quicker changes. As for the lute, we don't have one as of yet but the current plan is to see if we can rent one for use in the show. The part does call for lute but it is a minor part, it is only used in Do You Love Me?, the crossover to act two, and the very last measure of Tevye's Rebuttal.

And for those who didn't know about the mandolin part, it is actually used quite a lot, over half of the 35 songs in fact. It is very well written, and while most of the part is rhythm, there are a few songs where the mandolin gets to play some really nice tremolo melody lines. Maybe I will post some recordings of me playing a few songs from it on here some time.

[Bob Clark]

Maybe I will post some recordings of me playing a few songs from it on here some time.

Please do. I love the music from that play and have never heard it performed with the mandolin parts. Although I may be a slight bit biased , I think mandolin would really add something special to these songs.

I hope you have a lot of fun with this. It sounds like a great opportunity.

[Beanzy]

In terms of getting your head & ear in the right place I’d recommend listening to the Ugo Orlandi / Claudio Mandonico CD of Raffaele Calace works with orchestra. It really is a lesson in how to make the mandolin work in those situations.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/calace...a-mw0001368524

[DavidKOS]

Please do. I love the music from that play and have never heard it performed with the mandolin parts. Although I may be a slight bit biased , I think mandolin would really add something special to these songs.

The mandolin functions to give the music a Russian "balalaika" flavor.

I played it decades ago...and you can do the lute cues on guitar, no one can tell.

[DavidKOS]

There's a part for mandolin? Who knew? I've played that lots of times (on viola or violin), and it never had one. You learn something new every day!

bratsche

Who knew? It's because music directors mistakenly leave out the mandolin/guitar part for budget reasons.