The bassoon player to my left is incredibly tactful. I'm not.
Yesterday, he stuck his hand up and asked the conductor, "Can we play that section at a different speed, to see if it will work better?"

At the previous rehearsal, which he couldn't attend, I'd asked the same question. Difference was, I phrased it as, "Can you please tell the orchestra whether you'd prefer us to play in tune, or in time? I don't think you're going to be getting both."
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 0:45, 4 replies)