Sigma Alpha Iota

lessons in listening Table 1 Time Signature 1Time Signature 2 Beat remains constant Kind of note 2/4 4/4 Macrobeat Quarter 4/4 2/2 or Cut time Macrobeat becomes microbeat Quarter 2/4 6/8 microbeat Eighth 3/8 x/8 microbeat Eighth 6/8 3/4 Microbeat Eighth/Quarter RHYTHM continued from page 19 without any syllables. There are recordings of patterns available (see the Notes at the end of the article) or you could make your own. Record rhythms in a piece you are working on. Start by chanting patterns that are four macro beats long on a neutral syllable like "bah" or "tah." Leave four empty beats after each pattern. After recording about eight patterns, listen to the patterns and echo the pattern in the blank space. Then, try to echo the patterns with rhythm syllables. Do not worry if you get tongue-tied, especially if this is your first time using the patterns. This will become easier with practice. Play these patterns on your instrument with a single pitch. During another practice session, improvise patterns that are different from those you just heard. First improvise using a neutral syllable, then use rhythm syllables. Remember to improvise on your instrument using a single pitch. For more information and demonstrations, see the Notes below. Reading Rhythms with Comprehension To read rhythms successfully, listening and speaking are prerequisites. The steps outlined above will help you to read and perform rhythms more accurately the first time. Here are tips to overcome unfamiliar rhythms while practicing: 1. Speak the rhythm with a neutral syllable and then rhythm syllables. Remember to move your body. 2. Play the rhythm on your instrument with a single pitch. 3. Improvise rhythms that are similar. 4. Write the time signature and rhythm on a flashcard to review later. 5. Compose similar rhythms in the same key signature and write them on flashcards. Flashcards can assist with grouping. Seeing the pattern as one rhythm as opposed to many 20 PAN PIPES FALL 2011 sai-national.org Speaking, naming, and improvising rhythm patterns aids with memory, recall, and performance. Grouping rhythms into patterns, instead of single notes, facilitates better reading. notes aids reading. I use this technique in my classroom regularly. When working on music with multiple time signature changes, it is important to recognize which beat (macro/micro) is changing. Unless specifically stated by the composer, follow the rule of common denominator. Table 1 demonstrates common transitions and the consistent beat. When practicing, set your metronome to the beat that remains constant and remember to move and speak rhythms before you play. Then practice the rhythm on a single note before you attempt the passage. The time signature 6/8 can pose more problems. Mostly, 6/8 is performed in triple meter in which the eighth note is the microbeat and the dotted-quarter note is the macrobeat. However, 6/8 can also be performed the same as 3/4 in which the quarter note is a microbeat and the dotted-half note is the macrobeat. Some Latin pieces are written this way because three- example is The Classical Underground, an album by Imani Winds. The techniques explored in this article are based on the theory that music is learned like language: through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Rhythm has an extra element in that it has to be performed in time. Adding movement to your practice routine or the music classroom will vastly improve common problems of rushing or dragging. Speaking, naming, and improvising rhythm patterns aids with memory, recall, and performance. Grouping rhythms into patterns, instead of single notes, facilitates better reading. Writing rhythms completes the learning sequence and allows for a greater understanding of elements that come before. I hope you are excited to explore new rhythmic challenges in your practicing, music classroom, or studio lessons. Please see the notes below for more materials, and please feel free to contact me with any questions. Notes Gordon. E. E. (2007). Learning Sequences in Music. Chicago: GIA Publications: Inc. This book is a detailed description of Gordon's Music Learning Theory. Music is learned in a similar way to language by developing vocabularies: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Rhythm syllables are more thoroughly discussed in Chapter 4: Tonal Solfege and Rhythm Solfege. against-two occurs throughout. Recordings One example is the 1994 woodwind quintet "Aires Tropicales" by Paquito D'Rivera. Movement IV, Vals Venezolano, is written in 6/8 for all instruments. The bassoon and horn perform in a two feel, and the upper winds perform more in three. For a successful performance, all instruments must be aware of the two and three feel at the same time. A great D'Rivera, P. (2005) Aires Tropicales: Vals Venezolano [Recorded by Imani Winds]. On The Classical Underground [CD]. Koch International Classics. Grunow, R.F., Gordon, E. E., Azzara, C.D. (2010) Tonal and Rhythm Skills Development [CD]. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc.

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