That is the question.
Let’s first define a click track. It’s a pre-programmed track of beats that keeps the tempo for the musicians to follow. Sometimes it may be used for sound effects or certain voice tracks. In many situations, it can also be used to program lighting cues that happen in tandem with the music.
This may be confused with a metronome, which serves to keep tempo only. For our purposes, a click track can be any or all of the above.
If you don’t mind undressing a little bit of show magic right now, keep reading.
So, when should we use a click track in musical theatre? In practical use, it keeps the music very tight and helps navigate predictable tempo changes without confusion. It also allows the use of extra effects or parts, as was the case in “& Juliet” where, due to the orchestral reduction, some of the musical cues weren’t covered in any of the player’s parts so they became part of the track. There have been times where the click track seemed unnecessary, possibly because it was only used for three to four bars before stopping so the band could slow to the end. In my specific case, two out of something like twenty provided click tracks were unused.
Now it’s obvious that a click track isn’t necessary for every single piece in a show. Frequent tempo changes or a lot of rubato or tempo changes – no, the musical director should be able to follow the performer and keep the orchestra cohesive. Or perhaps better, the performer be able to follow the music director!
The times to use a click track are for very synth-y charts, those that rely on very specific moments for a sound or music cue, that depend on the orchestra being precise.
“Precise? But isn’t that ALL music?” I hear you ask. And, yes, you’re right, to a degree.
In the growing custom of conductor/keyboard books, a click track does take the place of traditional stick-waving, which makes it especially helpful for any size ensemble when the Music Director has their hands full of notes and their head in a book. That’s where a second piece of the puzzle enters – The MD microphone. On a personal note, this tool fills me with so much glee – and a sense of power not to be abused. Counting, cueing, cracking the odd joke about percussionists, all done through the MD headset feeding directly into the player’s ears. Also useful for correcting the inevitable slip-up. The only limitation being that it can’t be used in an open pit without being heard by the front row of the audience.
You might (and should) have talk back mics for other musicians, chiefly the drummer, who is often in a sound-deadening box to control their emotions outbursts volume and sound bleed to other mics. I recently saw an incredible production of “Stella” which had an on-stage orchestra but the drummer was in a separate room two floors above for the exact purpose of controlling the drum sound on stage. It’s nothing against percussionists – they are what they are. And what they are is…
Crucial to the soul of the orchestra, the musicians are some of the hardest working parts of a production. They’re expected to play, perfectly, after just a couple of rehearsals and know every cue and change. Of course it’s on the MD to be completely prepared and know the music inside and out, to be able to communicate effectively with the cast and musicians, every show flawlessly executed. It’s on the MD to cradle every bar to its satisfying resolution and when something goes wrong, whether or not it’s their fault, their responsibility is to get it back on track without an audience suspecting a thing.
So what if something goes wrong and the click track is now incorrect? Do you stop the click track or try to align with it? When this did happen to me, I stopped the click track we kept playing. In another instance, the click-track ended up a beat ahead and there were some sound effects that I decided in the moment were better left in and early, than not be there at all. And the audience and cast wouldn’t know whether any of this happened. This is why I think the drummer you book is the first correct decision you have to make, because they are your click track when something goes wrong…or right!
The current show I’m rehearsing uses no click track and an orchestra of 12 players. I will not be playing the keys, and not JUST because it’s a very difficult book with over 200 patch changes! The music relies on a lot more cue and style, and I particularly enjoy waving a stick at musicians. There is also the cast to consider, and how much they need me to be on the ball to cue them and follow them in turn. There’s something wonderful about working with a rehearsal pianist also. I really am so lucky to be working in this capacity.
So, click-track or no click-track?
The answer is: yes.
– Britteny Muso
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