Practicing Successfully: A Masterclass in the Musical Art
148
Practicing Successfully: A Masterclass in the Musical Art
148eBook
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781622773275 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | G I A Publications, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 02/01/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 148 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
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CHAPTER 1
Defeating Monotony with the Rhythmic Motif
Practicing becomes one of life's most frustrating experiences when the hours pile up without positive results. Unproductive practice time can be attributed to several rather common causes:
• The performer's mind is not entirely focused upon the activity.
• The practicing is too, too, too fast, allowing mistakes to happen. A cycle of mistake correction, repeated a number of times during the practice hour, is habit forming.
• Good basic practice habits have not been taught early enough in the learning process.
There is a certain art to effective practicing, and there are fundamental principles to be understood and applied. Practicing can take many forms, but the activity itself begins with drudgery, slowly passes through stages of depression, moves to hopefulness and genuine interest, and finally comes to inspired commitment, a daily adventure.
Practicing is an adult activity. It takes mature determination. No wonder children view it with little enthusiasm! Practicing forces them to act in a grown-up manner — these young people who are full of excitement, of the spirit of motion itself, as they dash full speed ahead.
Practicing puts a harness on all of that. Why? Because practicing is essentially a monotonous repetition. But it doesn't have to be.
The first successful antidote to monotony is variety. Variety creates interest. Interest creates attention. Attention means that the senses (ears and eyes) are working and that the mind is focused, full power, on what is taking place.
When practicing arrives at the state of fascinated attention, the passing of time is no longer part of our consciousness. We have migrated to a different world — a higher plateau with an expanding view.
So this book explores variety in all of its connotations. A different path sometimes turns into a shortcut. Even so, at its least attractive moments, the view is new and different.
The rhythmic motif furnishes great variety — when to use it, how to apply it. First, we encounter these motifs in less demanding forms and, later on, in various levels of difficulty. In the process, we shall discover a certain development has taken place. In the eyes (sight), then in the ears (hearing), and finally in the mind, the rhythmic motif can solve the almost endless challenges presented by this manner of practicing. It should be a stimulating experience.
* * *
The simplest form of music is tone applied to a single pitch. Most basic in the technique of any instrument is tone. We explore it in all of its majesty: its personal qualities and its dynamic coloring, even if only on one note. Here, however, we are interested in the relationship between two or more sounds.
The smallest musical motif is comprised of only two pitches, an intervallic relationship. Beethoven chose a two-note motif for the opening notes of his Fifth Symphony. And he pursued it in his two-note rhythmic groupings until the last movement when the triad bursts forth in all its glory.
The simplest rhythmic figure, for our purposes, is also comprised of two notes: the dotted-eighth sixteenth. It provides instant variety because it can be reversed to sixteenth plus dotted eighth, thus giving an entirely different way to render the succession of notes (see Example 1).
Practicing with this particular rhythm forces the mind and eyes to prepare two notes at a time, the fast sixteenth and the dotted eighth that follows immediately.
When the fingers tangle while reading a difficult passage (a "run" or a series of "impossible" measures), it is time to choose a suitable practice rhythm. Fingers can tangle on the piano, the woodwinds, and the stringed instruments, but difficulties are less obvious on the brasses where three fingers on a hand can manage nicely.
In the following passage, the accidentals alone can cause enough trouble. Certain players invariably use rhythmic practice to conquer it (see Example 2).
There is a logical order for applying the practice rhythms. The first step is absolutely imperative:
1. Play the passage through very slowly, sustaining each note until the ear has it firmly in mind. (Strings should use separate bows with no slurs.) Nothing can be gained from rhythmic practice until the ear has first clearly established the sequence of the notes.
2. Apply the first rhythm, and repeat until you can play the passage with ease. This rhythm speeds the transition between notes two and three.
3. Reverse the rhythm to add speed between the first pair of notes.
The dotted-eighth sixteenth is usually the first choice because it has been around a long time and is quoted in many books. Try it, even if the troublesome passage is in triplets. What you are doing first is establishing the note sequence regardless of the original rhythmic setting.
There is still one more step to be taken for security. The conquered passage is not fully learned until it is reinserted into the composition and clamped into place with what precedes and follows it. It may be necessary to use the practice rhythms throughout the clamping process. You now have the general outline for applying rhythms to any difficult passage.
This type of practice focuses the attention because two notes must be prepared (read) ahead. This is the first step in what becomes a lengthy period of mental development. The time eventually arrives when the demands of the more difficult practice rhythms cannot be met unless the mental processes have likewise kept pace.
Finally, of premium importance, using rhythmic motifs can bring the student to the "threshold of discovery." The following remark has been heard more than once: "During my practice time I seem to be discovering things I had never noticed before." (Hallelujah!)
The rhythmic motif as a practice device: The use of the rhythmic motif as a practice device solves one eternal problem for the teacher: it slows down the student's practicing and forces the student to look at each note consciously and to group notes into combinations that are not printed on the page.
The dotted-eighth sixteenth is recognized rather universally as the basic motif (if any) to be applied. These two little notes, so often carelessly performed as a triplet, seem to have a special quality. They can be reiterated on a single pitch just to perfect their own accuracy, or they can be applied as shown in Example 3.
The first step is to drill the accurate rhythmic performance of each pair. Letter B, unslurred, becomes an articulation study. Letter C, slurred, is good for a series of repeated scale tones. D reverses the figure to conquer the passages in a new way.
At E, the addition of the sixteenth rest pushes precision still further. Take a slow tempo, speaking the "one, two, stop, four" very evenly and paying attention to the exact length of the notes.
In applying any of the rhythms, as in F or later on, the fermata-rest comes after the long note. The stop can be as long as necessary to prepare the next two notes. Mistakes are not allowed when the fermata-rest is used. Its main purpose is to prevent mistakes from happening. It provides time for the mind to think. Once the mind is secure in what the next two notes actually are, they are then played as fast as possible. This is where speed begins its development.
The first practice step is to play the troublesome passage slowly, listening to every note. The note sequence is inviolate. The ear must hear it accurately several times before any rhythmic patterns are applied.
In application, the first written note matches the first note of the rhythmic pattern; the second written note is the next note of the pattern as applied.
Using the reversed form, D, speed is created between the first two notes. Actually, the speed of iteration is greater than the player will need when the passage is reinserted into the composition. Ultimately, both accuracy and speed have been securely mastered when the rhythm is again inserted. When accuracy is achieved, it is not so difficult to play rhythmically.
It is imperative that the reinsertion of the passage into the composition be well practiced using several measures before and after the practiced passage.
* * *
This rhythmic pattern can be applied to an entire passage. Applied to any series of notes (regardless of the original rhythm), conquering the series with both forms of the pattern will build finger accuracy and ultimately more speed than actually needed.
For perfect results, start with the fermata-rest inserted. Allow the fermata- rest to govern. No mistakes, not even one, are permitted when practicing this way. Take enough time to get it right every time. Slow down the overall speed. Discard the fermata-rest when it is no longer needed.
The greatest benefit of all from the use of the fermata-rest is that the fast motion of the fingers is immediately followed by relaxation. Speed is built without constant muscular tension.
For the advanced player, the fermata-rest can be used rhythmically with the fast fingering coming immediately after the rest.
When accuracy has been achieved in the mind, the two notes following the fermata-rest are played as rapidly as possible. Then the next fermata-rest is used to prepare for the next pair of notes. The stop can be as long as necessary to ensure accuracy. Gradually, as skill matures, the fermata-rest disappears. Note: In this rhythm and in the difficult rhythms to be encountered in the following chapters, the fermata-rest (when used) occurs after the long note and before the fast notes. For complete mastery, each passage must be conquered using both parts of Example 4.
CHAPTER 2
Practicing in Threes: Broadening the View
There are certain facets of music performance that are common to all of us regardless of our choice of instrument. Except for the brasses, we use both of our hands in the process of turning the printed score into audible sound. For woodwind players and pianists, the fingers are note-conscious. But the pianist and the harpist are the only ones whose fingers actually make the notes sound. The rest of us turn to some other medium for creating the tone: a stream of breath for the winds and a bow for the strings. (The bow gets gradually shorter as the stringed instrument gets gradually longer.)
In addition, the bow needs rosin to make a sound, the clarinets and saxophones need a reed, and the oboes, English horn, and bassoon use a double reed. The only thing needed by the trombonist, in addition to the usual wind, lips, and mouthpiece, is a long right arm.
So here we stand, all of us, a motley crowd with our varied techniques, our preferences, our musical opinions, and, yes, our prejudices.
Fortunately there is one immutable thing that forces us to cooperate and ultimately to agree: the RHYTHM. It completely ignores our individuality. Rhythm is the one universal technique, so it is universally applicable as a practice device.
* * *
In Chapter One we dealt with the interval, a two-note relationship and a two-note practice motif. Now, as we add a third note to the group, we discover an anomaly: a two-beat motif can be adapted beautifully to a three-note (triplet) grouping. The first two motifs in Example 6 are comprised of two units: one long note plus a pair of short notes that are equal in value to the long note. This brings a faint suggestion of hemiola (cross accentuation). But the given motifs still preserve the basic three-note accent of the original excerpts. They are adaptable to three-note groupings for any instrument. This type of crossover becomes challenging as the difficulty of the motifs increases.
Example 6 shows a two-beat unit in A and B adapted to the three-note grouping. (Note: the fermata-rest is customarily not needed in this case.)
With the addition of the third note, the aspect changes. The rhythmic motif as shown highlights each note of the composer's sequence, giving a subtle security to the ear as the sequence progresses. Each variation (A, B, or C) should be practiced and conquered individually on whatever passage is being perfected. These rhythms are much easier than the dotted- eighth sixteenth.
As the practice progresses, listen for dynamic unity in A and B throughout the three notes. There is an ever-present danger that dynamic disunity may unconsciously occur. Build the skill first. Later, musical variation can be added as the passage requires.
Winds: All wind players spend a good amount of practice time improving the long tone combined with crescendo and diminuendo. When the basic dynamic control is good, then apply the dynamic changes to these motifs at a slow tempo. The two sixteenths can either lead toward a forte climax or become a first step in a long diminuendo when ending a slow piece.
Strings: Choose an etude that is all in steady eighth or sixteenth notes grouped in threes throughout. Apply A and B from Example 6. Use separate bows with no slurs and listen for dynamic evenness. This exercise is especially useful for the orchestral player. When sixteenth notes are played softly by a whole section of violins, the notes do not cut through the rest of the orchestra, especially not in the fortes. They are lost to the audience.
Now for Example 8, which uses motif C: this may be the first time some of the younger students have to deal with syncopation. Take an exercise that is in eighth notes or sixteenths and grouped by the composer into threes. Use the bowing as marked and accent the first two notes.
For C-1: Link the final sixteenth to the preceding eighth note (down, up, up). For C-2, measure 2: Lift the bow OFF the string after the first note and take a second down-bow for the accented half note. Pay attention to this. It is the standard orchestral bowing for a syncopated half note in forte or louder, unslurred. These two bowings are also good when applied to scale practice.
Have you noticed that you are now preparing the three notes in advance? Sight-reading is being given another subtle urge forward. Use the fermata-rest if you wish. Remember to place it after the longer note each time.
* * *
As a sidelight to the relationship of threes and twos, the passage in Example 9 from the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony is interesting. His brilliant climb to the thrilling climax note (it arrives at quadruple forte later in the movement) is so exciting that one is unconscious of the two-note writing in the melody. The musical drive is such that the breadth of two notes per beat is an absolute musical necessity.
Before moving on to the next chapter, let us examine what happens when we apply the dotted-eighth sixteenth to sequences of three notes.
Compared to the strong beats of a 6/8 rhythm, the accent has changed entirely. Each measure is no longer two groups of three notes; it has become three groups of two notes. The time signature itself has undergone a change, becoming 3/4 meter. This matter of accentuation plays a part as we approach the four-note groupings of the next chapter. It also has its place in building facile technique.
* * *
The piano: Very little has been said heretofore regarding the piano. The spotlight now shines fully on it as a vehicle to call attention to the variations in difficulty as the rhythmic practice motifs are applied to the different instruments. Certain techniques that are easy for some are difficult for others. Adaptations should be established where necessary, and intelligent choices have to be made. The player's level of technical proficiency dictates the choice.
The pianist and the harpist have a distinction that few of the others of us can match. They use the thumb in each hand as part of their fingering system. (The cellist and the string bass player use the thumb in the upper positions to saddle the string, shortening it.)
Fundamentally, the thumb is placed on the hand to enable us to grasp objects in order to manipulate them. But its wonderful flexibility allows us to align it with the rest of the fingers.
The thumb serves an important place in piano technique because it is shorter than the other fingers and can slip under them to play a note while the hand itself moves throughout the length of the keyboard (see Example 11, the one-octave C scale).
If the first of the motifs for threes is applied, the thumb instantly moves to its position beyond the third finger, ready for the following F.
(Continues…)
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Table of Contents
To the Reader: On Using This Book,
Reflections on Elizabeth A. H. Green by Rebecca Ericsson Hunter,
Foreword by E. Daniel Long,
Introduction by H. Robert Reynolds,
Prelude,
Part One: The Practicing,
Chapter One First Part: Defeating Monotony with the Rhythmic Motif,
Chapter Two Practicing in Threes: Broadening the View,
Chapter Three Practicing in Fours: The Four-Note Motifs,
Chapter Four Practicing with Cross Accentuation: Developing New Challenges,
Chapter Five Practicing Sequences, Scales, and Accentuations (Substitution Accents),
Chapter Six Practicing Modern Innovations: The Missing Technique,
Chapter Seven Practicing the Etudes: The Lengthened Attention Span,
Chapter Eight Practicing Sight-Reading: Why You Can't Sight-Read Easily,
Chapter Nine Practicing the Piano—A Stringed Instrument: Its Uniqueness,
Chapter Ten Practicing Double-Stops and Chords: For the Bowed Strings,
Part Two: The Instruments as Professionals See Them,
Chapter Eleven The Woodwinds: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Saxophone, Bassoon,
Chapter Twelve The Brasses: French Horn, Trumpet (Cornet), Trombone, Tuba (Euphonium),
Chapter Thirteen The Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass,
Part Three: Science and Teaching,
Chapter Fourteen The Brain and the Learning Process,
Chapter Fifteen Introducing the Child to Serious Practice,
Chapter Sixteen Summary on Teaching,
The Experts,
Acknowledgments,
Bibliography,
About the Author,