CLASSICAL MUSIC ARCHIVES: Students Tip 7

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Students Tip 7
RHYTHM RULES

Dear Friends,

Let's say you and your friends hear a new song - it's good, but not great.

Would you say what my friends did back in the 50's? "It's ok, but you can't dance to it." We meant the music didn't pop, had no beat, and didn't make us get up and dance.

"You can't dance to it" - it was the kiss of death.

But almost any kind of music with a solid beat creates the infectious energy that makes you want to move! Truly, Rhythm Rules!

Here is the key to singing and playing so that, even if folks don't get up and dance, your rhythm is so hot it makes them want to: SUBDIVIDE!!!

It's almost impossible to keep the rhythm going and the music flowing without subdividing. What's subdividing? It's simply counting - mentally - the shorter notes (and rests) contained in longer ones. For instance, there are four quarter notes in a whole note; two quarter rests in a half rest; and three eighth notes in a dotted quarter.

You might say, "Well, duh!" but not too many young musicians have learned the power of subdivision. Take a look at this:

It's the opening of Where E'er You Walk, the beautiful aria from Handel's oratorio, Semele. "But it's so easy to sing or play - what's the problem?" you say. Wellllll, let's see…

First, put your metronome at quarter = 60 and sing or play it. OK, now put your metronome at eighth note = 120 and do it again. Listen carefully to hear if you're right with the clicks. I'll bet you weren't! Here's what usually happens:

I'm sure you didn't think you'd be off in those ways (if you were) when you first looked at the music. If you were, it's no big deal - it's just the first step to becoming aware of the importance of subdividing.

With the metronome at 60, most of us would do ok, but at 120, we can really hear if the notes are in the right places. It's like with a microscope: at a magnification of 2X, things look one way. If you double the magnification to 4X, you'll see a lot, lot more. In fact, whatever you're looking at will look like another thing completely.

Same thing with rhythm - if you listen to it at 60, it's one thing; at 120, you discover a whole new world. Now, if - under the powerful magnification of 120 - we find we're just a little off, just imagine what happens in an ensemble. Right! There's no way the music can be strong and engaging.

Thinking Subdivision will help keep us right in time. All we have to do is:

Think of the values of the following shorter notes while we're singing/playing the longer notes before them.
Keep thinking subdivisions during rests.

That's all there is to it.

OK. Before we tackle the Handel excerpt, let's do a few short warm-ups:

First, let's start off with an easy one to get the idea. Set your metronome for quarter = 60, sing or play the top line, and think the bottom line.

Do it a few times until you get it right and you're comfortable with the idea. Then move on to this warmup:

When you're ok with that one, move on to this one - it's a bit tougher:

I'll bet you had a few surprises! It may not have been so easy to get such "simple" rhythms just right. It might help to play just the eighth notes first - that way, you will feel the rhythm in your body (see Tip #1 to review the importance of getting the feel of things). Then sing or play this last warmup again - I'm sure it will be more accurate.

OK. Let's go back to the Handel. But first, let's get into the subdivisions, so sing or play it like this a few times:

Now you're thinking subdivision! You're singing or playing the correct - really correct - note values.

Finally, here's the Handel again, this time with the actual music on top, and the subdivisions TO THINK WHILE you're singing or playing the normal music.

Try it a few times. Remember to THINK!

I'm sure it was much, much better than the first time you did it!

If you'll apply this way of thinking to everything you play, you'll find you're playing with really propulsive rhythm. Imagine if an entire ensemble played that way!

When your rhythm is more solid, you'll produce a much better sound! That's because you'll be thinking about the entire note - beginning, middle, and end - not just the beginning.

Here are a few more Tips that can really help:

Be aware that time is typically lost: when there is a change from longer notes to shorter ones; after a dotted note, and; after a rest.
Dance whatever you're singing or playing; that's right, get up and dance the music. Getting the rhythm into your body is an enormous help; it's also fun.
When wind and brass players breathe and string players re-take: make sure to end the note early before the breath/re-take. Otherwise, you'll be late on the note after the breath/re-take. If, for example, the note before is a dotted quarter, don't play the value of the dot - use that time for the breath or re-take. And, of course, keep subdividing mentally.

With All Best Wishes,

David Barg, Learning Center Director
The Classical Archives, LLC
email: david@prs.net

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