Did the band really play till the end?

Lots of people say Titanic's band played till the end, but did they really? First, imagine yourself being one of the musicians. Now, imagine yourself trying to play a Cello, at a angle of 23 degrees, and listing 9 or so degrees to port. I certainly could not play a instrument like that! So, the band probably played as long as they could. Therefore, we should say "They played as long as they could."