JAVS Fall 1999

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V. OTHER SuGGESTIONs FOR DEVELOPING Goon RHYTHMIC PERSONALITY • The logical, emotional, and physical all intersect in rhythm. Preparation of all three is key to good rhythm. 1. Take time to mentally visualize the pulse and the pulse pattern. 2. Take time to hear the whole musical score (idea) and notice the emotional response it evokes. 3. Take time to relax, balance your body, feel the pulse physically, and cue through breathing. • Be a leader. Whether in exercises or music, be in charge of how energy moves. Visualize and lead rhythmic spacing and phrasing clearly enough that a third grader could follow you. You will be able to pace your own musical impulse better if you notice how others are reacting. • Adopt a relaxed, open (sense of discovery), appreciative (relish each event) attitude. • Looseness, especially in the joints, is a virtue. Information about sub-pulse is transmitted here. Conductors that are easy to follow have flexible joints. Those who are stiff are often more difficult to follow. The physical relaxation of a jazz musician is a useful model. • Hear the whole score; be aware of how your part fits within it. Awareness of multiple pulse levels (pulse, sub-pulse, and measure) is key to linking all the parts together. If you are playing • Play freely, exaggerating the qualities of sub-pulse and pulse. Notice when it is appropriate to play on front or back side of the (metronomic) beat. Enjoy exploring the strong-weak relationships inherent in Baroque and Classical periods. • Tempo seems slower if the beats are felt softer; tempo seems faster if the beats are felt harder. Experiment. • Practice a phrase with separate bows for each sub-pulse, feeling the direction of each sub pulse clearly. Then play the phrase with normal slurs but with same directional awareness to building the phrase. For example, practice the following excerpt, playing 16th note bow strokes; play every 16th with convincing musical direction. Then repeat the passage with your regular bowings, but with your bow arm feeling the same musical direction. a monophonic part, invent other imaginary parts-drones, rhythmic ostinatos. • Always subtly conduct yourself, using your bow hand and bow as baton.

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Example 15-Hindemith, Der Schwanendreher, I. Langsam

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• At unstated pulses-dots or ties-release your body by relaxing your abdomen and head joint to assure that you will be spontaneous in discovering how the energy moves. • Tempo can easily wander at transitions. Focus on consistency of pulse and sub-pulse at these points, preparing the upcoming relevant pulse level. • Fast notes after slow notes are often too fast. Check to see that they are spacious enough. Slow notes after fast usually are too slow. Make certain they flow sufficiently. • Tape yourself As you listen to the playback, do you like the way the music unfolds? • Practice using the metronome. • Practice scales and arpeggios in rhythms, always visualizing the meter. • Use Hickman, Music Speed Reading, 3 lessons 11-21 to improve how your eye perceives groups of notes. The purpose of these exercises is to train the eye to perceive a measure at a time. Note heads without beams are given; the rhythms must be grasped from assessing the spacing of the note heads as they are arranged berween the bar lines.E

3. David Hickman, Music Speed Reading, may be purchased from Wimbledon Music, 1888 Century Park East, Century Ciry, CA 90067.