EYE GOT RHYTHM. EWE?
(It was the best of times . . .)
(It was the best of times . . .)
Some folk use "time" and "rhythm" interchangeably – or use one to the exclusion of the other. I draw a distinction between time and rhythm: time is pulse; rhythm is duration. But they are two sides of the same coin and must coexist precisely. Count rhythm – but feel pulse – it is somatically tangible! A student can have trouble with one or the other – or both.
Rhythm is 90% of sight-reading. Rush or drag and your colleagues will notice, A missed pitch may go unnoticed, but play in a rest and everyone will notice!
The metronome is a tool to work on time. Its downside is it can become a crutch. Practice with a metronome – but not exclusively – about 30% of the time is good. Time Guru is a phone metronome app that, among other things, allows beats to be randomly dropped – from 0% to 100%. This forces actual time keeping – not just beat following. Time Guru is available here: Android or iOS
The best way I’ve found to work on rhythm is verbalization (counting aloud). There are several systems for this. I prefer THIS. There are several reasons:
1. The vowel "eee" should be reserved for playing high notes – hence "a" (or "uh").
2. "An" is easier to enunciate than "and," and the "d" should be reserved for the last 16th,
which frequently gets swallowed up when performing the dotted eighth-sixteenth
rhythm and can use a little extra kick.
3. And . . . that's what I was taught. YMMV
Only say what you would play; i.e., for a whole note, just say "one." Conduct or tap beats while you count – feel the pulse!
Conducting yourself while you count or solfege is a powerful tool. When studying solo repertoire, listen to recordings of great artists while looking at the score, and conduct along. Internalize pulse! Unify tone, tune, and time!
Rhythm is 90% of sight-reading. Rush or drag and your colleagues will notice, A missed pitch may go unnoticed, but play in a rest and everyone will notice!
The metronome is a tool to work on time. Its downside is it can become a crutch. Practice with a metronome – but not exclusively – about 30% of the time is good. Time Guru is a phone metronome app that, among other things, allows beats to be randomly dropped – from 0% to 100%. This forces actual time keeping – not just beat following. Time Guru is available here: Android or iOS
The best way I’ve found to work on rhythm is verbalization (counting aloud). There are several systems for this. I prefer THIS. There are several reasons:
1. The vowel "eee" should be reserved for playing high notes – hence "a" (or "uh").
2. "An" is easier to enunciate than "and," and the "d" should be reserved for the last 16th,
which frequently gets swallowed up when performing the dotted eighth-sixteenth
rhythm and can use a little extra kick.
3. And . . . that's what I was taught. YMMV
Only say what you would play; i.e., for a whole note, just say "one." Conduct or tap beats while you count – feel the pulse!
Conducting yourself while you count or solfege is a powerful tool. When studying solo repertoire, listen to recordings of great artists while looking at the score, and conduct along. Internalize pulse! Unify tone, tune, and time!
AND . . . Louie Bellson's Modern Reading Text in 4/4 and Odd Time Reading Text are both excellent.