Correct Term Usage "Circle" "Rehearsal Number" or?

Dorico
1

Maybe a dumb question. I am curious as to what conductors in your experience say in rehearsal to start at a certain rehearsal number. Most in my experience say “Circle” as in “Circle 78”, even though the actual figure is a box. What is used most often in your experience? Thanks.

2

Most would say something like “let’s go from 3 before 12”. But it might depend on whether there are also bar numbers in parts. Modern scores usually have bar numbers and use Letters (rather than numbers) for rehearsal marks. I’ve never heard Circle 78 used.

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3

I’m not natively English-speaking, but in my experience, a conductor would ask for ‘number so-and-so’, except when there’s only bar numbers.

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4

It depends on what is in the music.

If rehearsal letters are used, I typically hear “start from letter O”.
If rehearsal numbers are used, it’s “start from 2” or “square/circle 2”.
If measure numbers are used, it’s “start from measure 65”.

Also, if the parts are cheap print outs from IMSLP where the left/right side of the parts may be missing due to poor copying, OR if the work is older than dirt, OR if this is the first rehearsal (where none of the orchestra has even had a copy of the music before rehearsal) the conductor will announce to start at measure 396, and the whole orchestra looks dumbfounded because there are no measure numbers in the piece at all.

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5

Thanks all. Now I’m clear.

6

The community band I played horn in always got a chuckle at rehearsals when the conductor would say, “go to L.” :grinning_face:

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7

(Sorry. It’s always bars here in the UK :grinning_face:)

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8

And in Australia.

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9

Long live the Commonwealth and people who drive on the correct side of the road.

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10

One must admit, though, that “64th note” is more efficient and conveys more information than “hemidemisemiquaver.” :grinning_face:

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11

The circle vs. box issue come from the fact that a lot of music, and specifically band music, printed prior to the 80s had circles for rehearsal marks in the score and squares in parts, and vice versa.

Not sure why publishers did this, other than as a joke, but it was common.

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12

In my world:
“… from 7 in April” or “… before Boat” or any word that starts with the letter we want or, in case of numbers “…from 7 before cipher one” etc.

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