but in the event that during a performance, music falls off the stand, or your end pin takes a break...what is the right thing to do? Re-arrange with as little fuss as possible, pick up the music when you can and apologize to your fellow players / conductor as soon as practical? What if your instrument breaks or a string breaks, what then, do you try and play on regardless or, if you can't, you just have to stand/sit there like a shot duck, until the performance is over?
Has anyone actually ever been in this or similar situations? I'll put my hand up for music off the stand...
Thanks for reading!
Totally depends on context. What is the issue, and where is the issue happening?
I've played exactly one gig with an orchestra where we had to stop playing. It was an outdoor show, no tent, and it started raining like nothing else. That was just bad planning on the organizer's part -- there should always be some covering provided. Other than that, an orchestra will not stop playing just because you have a problem which only affects you.
You have to assess, fairly quickly, if the problem is something you can deal with. Can you keep playing, even if it's not comfortable? If not, can the situation be fixed quickly and quietly?
This is also important: How crucial is my part here? In an orchestra, there are at least six or seven other guys covering your part. If you have to drop out, it's not a big deal. In solo and chamber music, your part isn't doubled at all and everyone will know you're just sitting there.
I've seen strings break on stage a few times, and it was always handled professionally. In orchestras, the players will continue to play as much as they can with whatever's left. I once saw the violist in the Emerson Quartet break his C string just a few bars into a piece. He and his colleagues stopped, he shared a little laugh with the audience, he apologized, walked off stage and put on a new string. I don't remember if the rest of the group shared some jokes with the crowd, but it would have been appropriate.
And then there's bugs:
