LadyDpiano: rhythm

Showing posts with label rhythm. Show all posts

Easy Play Method

I'm back to teaching piano lessons this new semester. I like many methods of teaching. One approach I've been using is from Carol Tornquist. More specifically, her easy play method is about:

Notation - eventually reading 4 octaves (including sharps, flats and ledger lines)
Theory - necessary for a full understanding of making music (emphasis on intervals, chords, keys, and harmony)
Melody - beginning on 3 black keys (L.H. and R.H.), then moving to C position (5 fingers) and other key groups.
Rhythm - beginning with a simple meter (2/4, 3/4, 4/4) and an introduction of a compound meter 6/8.
Chords - introduced I, V7, eventually using major, minor, diminished, augmented chords (block and broken)
Keys - use of all major and minor key signatures, the order of sharps and flats.
Accompaniment - Use harmonic intervals, then 3 note chords.
Creativity - writing melodies, "questions"/"answers", harmonies for melodies.
Transposition - encouraged to help students think in "keys"
Technique - ear training exercises.

By Level 1 and 2, my students know some music definitions. Here's just a few:

D.C. al Fine - To go back to the beginning and play until Fine.
Forte - Loud
Transpose - To play in a different key
Mezzo Piano - Medium Soft

Many boys and girls have learned some Italian words to describe TEMPO. For example:

Fast - Allegro
Medium Tempo - Moderato
Andante - Slow

Level 1 Fundamentals

Introducing Patriotic songs for Level 1 students helps them to hear the interval distance. For example in the Key of F when they play America the Beautiful, students hear the first melodic interval, which is a 6th, from Middle C up to A.

So, kids have learned that an Interval is a DISTANCE between one note and another and that there are two kinds on Intervals: Learn Intervals

Melodic: 2nd (C to D), 3rd (C to E), 4th (C to F), and 5th (C to G)
Harmonic 2nd (C and D together), 3rd (C and E together), 4th (C and F together), and (C and G together).
An interval of a 7th is either: line to line (G to F) or space to space (F to E).

When students learn about half steps and whole steps, they start listening to tones. Many enjoy playing the Chromatic Scale at this time.

Half Steps - A Half Step is the shortest melodic interval there is on the keyboard. In other words, it's the distance from one key to the next... black or white... up or down. For example G to F#, E to F. C to C#, and E to Eb.
Whole Steps - A Whole step is a distance from one key to another, with just one key between them. For example G down to F, E to F#, C to D, and E down to D.

All ages on different levels like to practice scales, especially the C Major Scale. Every Major Scale has 8 notes grouped into a "pattern" of half steps and whole steps. Sliding your thumb under your 3rd finger on "F", play the C Major Scale from C to C (ascending). Then try it going down (descending) crossing your 3 rd finger over your thumb on E. One of the most well-known Christmas carols begins with the Major Scale descending, and that is "Joy to the World" by George F. Handel.

Many junior high students are writing their own songs using broken chords. In the Key of C, you play 3 major chords:

C Major (I) = C-E-G
F Major (IV) = F-A-C
G Major (V) = G-B-D

Children and adults enjoy listening to seventh chords, hearing how they are alike or different. Many play 3 Dominant Seventh Chords in Level 1. History of Seventh Chords

G7 (C Major) - BFG
D7 (G Major) - F#CD
C7 (F Major) - EBbC

When a chord changes from one to another, it's called a Chord Progression. To help with more improv skills, one must learn left-hand patterns and chord inversions.

Remember that the I chord is also known as the Tonic. C root position = CEG
Also, the IV chord is called the Subdominant. (FAC)
And that the V chord is also known as the DOMINANT. (GBD)

Subdominant Chord Inversions

Root = FAC
1st = ACF
2nd = CFA
Root = FAC

Dominant Chord Inversions

Root = GBD
1st = BDG
2nd = DGB
Root = GBD

The Dominant Seventh chord is formed by adding the "7th" above the "root." (GBDF)
Since the Dominant Seventh chord has 4 notes in it, you may leave out 1 note and still have a triad:
BFG.

Hope this helps. Keep practicing... I know I will!

Blessings!

-- LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

The Components of Music: Part One

Good morning, musicians!

I'm back to giving piano lessons to children and adults this year. I have some amazing students who really enjoy playing songs from Disney movies. Then there are music games to be enjoyed within the half an hour lesson. Lots of theory is covered in a 45-minute lesson as well.

I thought I would cover a great subject today, like music components in three parts. Here we go!

The Components Of Music

Rhythm

What is it that causes you to tap your feet or sway as you listen to some kinds of music? All music has rhythm. The rhythms of music consist of sounds and silences of various lengths. One component of rhythm is a strong pulse or regular accent.

The strong pulse of music helps people move together. For example, the LEFT-right, LEFT-right feeling of a march is created by a regular accent.

Sight Reading & Rhythm Every day

Meter in Music

Meter is the pattern of beats by which a piece of music is measured. The meter signature is merely a way of showing this pattern. 2/4 meter signature is an example of a duple meter (2 beats to a measure with the quarter note receiving 1 beat).

Strong pulse in music divides beats into groups of 2's and 3's, and combinations of such groups. This grouping of beats is called meter. In written music, a bar line is placed before normally strong beats. Bar lines group beats into measures. A meter signature shows what the grouping in each measure will be.

2/4 = 2 beats per measure. A quarter note gets 1 count.
3/4 = 3 beats per measure. A quarter note gets 1 count.
4/4 = 4 beats per measure. A quarter note gets 1 count.

2/4 is an example of duple meter. If the meter signature were 3/8 it would be a triple meter (3 beats per measure with the eighth note receiving 1 count). In the case of 5/4, it would be an irregular meter (5 beats to a measure). In order to mark off these metric groupings, bar lines are used.

Changing Meter

A changing meter can make a melody seem to have more freedom.

Irregular Meter

Most of the music you hear has a regular meter throughout the whole piece.

4/4 2/2 3/4

But sometimes music has an irregular meter. Irregular meter adds interest to music.

One of the most familiar meters in music is 3/4, or triple meter. This means that there are three metric beats in each measure. This meter is often referred to as "waltz time," because the waltz step is danced in triple meter.

Syncopated Rhythm

Some music has a syncopated rhythm. This means that accents in the music fall on notes that are not normally accented. Syncopation helps to make music more exciting. Syncopation is usually not identified by accent marks. The music is arranged so that the accents will fall in unusual places.

When the normal pulse of meter and rhythm is deliberately changed, syncopation occurs. Syncopation can be created in a number of ways: by shifting the accent to what are normally weak beats of a measure; by holding on over strong beats; by using rests on strong beats. In normal usage, syncopation occurs in one part only while the other parts stress the normal pulse of the meter. So, ties, short-long note patterns, and rests are ways of creating syncopation.

Triplets

The small 3 above a group of notes tells that the three notes are played in the same amount of time that two of the same notes normally receive. These groups of three notes are called triplets.

Music without Meter

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is an example of early church music. This was the most important type of music during the early Middle Ages (600 - 1000 A.D.). At that time, the written music contained a little indication of rhythm. It is a thought that the melodies took their rhythm from the rhythm of the words. In this kind of music, there is no metric beat.

Piano teachers and homeschool moms may want to purchase Music for Little Mozarts--Rhythm Speller. It's a fun book for beginners at the piano. For more intermediate to advanced players, you may want to look at Easy Latin Standards.

It feels so good to be back writing and sharing with you. May you be encouraged to share your musical, creative gifts right where you are.

Blessings,

-- LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Beginner Music Steps: Rhythm

Rhythm

Music is composed of pitch and rhythm. While there are finer elements that come into play later on, such as dynamics and expression, music can be made by knowing simply this: which note and how long to hold it. Without rhythm, people couldn't fully read music. For a basic understanding of note value, yYou can read a short article about Rhythm in Music.

Rhythm is music's way of setting the duration of a note. Music accomplishes this task by varying the appearance of the notes that sit on the staff. Different rhythms indicate different note lengths. To get rolling, you need to hear about an essential concept; beat. Have you ever noticed how everyone claps together in a steady pattern? Did you ever wonder how 30,000 people could possibly agree on anything? If you have been to a dance club, you may have noticed that there is always a steady drum beat or bass line, usually up-tempo, to drive the music along. Those are examples of pulse and beat in music. Rhythm is a primal element and pulse and beat are universal concepts.

Basic Rhythms

In music, changing the appearance of the notes indicates the rhythm. As you will remember, the location of the notes is fixed on the staff, which will never change. The appearance of the note varies, indicating how long that note should be held. For a more complicated look at rhythm, take a look at Syncopation-Workshop of Rhythm.

Now, let's go through all the basic musical symbols for rhythm.

Quarter Notes

A quarter note, which is signified with a filled-in black circle (also called a notehead) and a stem, is the simplest rhythm to talk about. Quarter notes receive one count; their duration is one beat.

Half Notes

The next in our series of simple rhythms is the half note. As you can see, the half note looks similar to the quarter note, except the circle is open and not filled in. Like a quarter note, it also has a single stem that points either up or down. The half note receives two counts; its duration is two beats. In relation to the quarter note, the half note is twice as long because it receives two counts.

Whole Notes

A whole note is a rhythm that receives four beats. It's twice as long as a half note and four times as long as a quarter note - count to yourself: one, two, three, four. It is represented as an open circle without a stem. The whole note is probably the single longest rhythmic value that you will come across. Whole notes are easy to spot because they are the only notes that lack a stem.

Eighth Notes

The smallest rhythm you have encountered thus far is the quarter note, which lasts for one beat. Chopping up this beat into smaller divisions allows musicians to explore faster rhythms and faster passages. Chopping the quarter note in half gives us the eighth note, which receives half of one beat.

Sixteenth Notes

The beat can be broken down even smaller for the faster note values. The next rhythm is called the sixteenth note. A sixteenth note breaks the quarter note into four equal parts and the eighth note into two equal parts.

I'll be talking about Triplets Vs. Eighth Notes next time!

Are you familiar with the Hear and Play software that keeps a steady beat? Check out, BackPocket Band Video. Learn about Back Pocket Band Software and you can order, here.

-- LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Beginner's Corner: Beat and Rhythm

As you can see, two of my grandsons love beating on the pots and pans drumming wall!

Teaching piano students to count the rhythm while they're practicing or just having them use a metronome can be a bit challenging at times. As musicians, we know it's so important to play the rhythm correctly. Here's a few points to consider.

Beat is the steady pulse in music, like the "tick-tocks" on the clock. The beat can be fast or slow, but it always stays the same and steady (unless the composer asks you to start speeding up or slowing down). Most commonly the beat is a quarter note, but it can be an eighth note or a half note.

4/4 F, F, F, F
1 2 3 4

Rhythm is the pattern of short and long notes in a piece. It is the combination of all the different note values, such as half notes or quarter notes. The rhythm of a melody has to fit into the steady beat.

4/4 F, FF, F
1 2 3 4

Counting the Beat

Counting the beat will help you play rhythms correctly. It is a little tricky to count while playing (especially counting out loud), but it gets much easier with practice!

1. Start with short pieces that use very simple rhythms, such as quarter and half notes. First just count the beat while looking at the music. As you say each beat (number) move your eyes over the measure.

2. Count the beat and clap the rhythm. (You clap the notes - quarter notes, eighth notes etc. that you see in the music while counting 1 2 3 4 or however many beats are in the time signature.)

3. When you get good at this, play the example while counting out loud.

Try these examples. For each one the beats are under the notes, as shown in the first example. Clap the rhythm while counting and then play and count out loud.

1. 4/4 C E FG A / GF ED CG C

1 2 3 4 / 1 2 3 4

2. 3/4 F EF / BC F F

12 3 / 1 2 3

3. 2/4 AD BG / AE D

1 2 / 1 2

4. 3/8 D G B / C B

1 2 3 / 12 3

Intermediate Rhythm

If you are an intermediate player, you might want to play along with this chord chart, Bruce Hornsby's song, That's Just The Way It Is.

4 bars drums

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / x2

Am7 Em7

Standing in line marking time

D Cadd9 G

Waiting for the welfare dime

D Cadd9

'Cause they can't buy a job

Am7 Em7

The man in the silk suit hurries by

D Cadd9 G

As he catches the poor ladies' eyes

D Cadd9

Just for fun he says "get a job"

Chorus

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// That's just the way it is,

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// Somethings will never change,

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// That's just the way it is,

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// Ah, but don't you believe them.

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 /

They say, hey little boy you can't go where the others go

'Cause you don't look like they do

Said hey old man how can you stand

To think that way did you really think about it

Before you made the rules he said, Son

Chorus

Solo

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / x5

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// That's just the way it is,

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// That's just the way it is,

Well they passed a law in '64

To give those who ain't got a little more

But it only goes so far

Because the law don't change another's mind

When all it sees at the hiring time

Is the line on the color bar

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// That's just the way it is,

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// That's just the way it is,

G Fmaj7 C Cadd9

//// //// /// That's just the way it is,

Solo

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / to fade

Advanced Rhythm

The ability to play cross rhythms easily is an essential part of a pianist's advanced technique. Yes, it can be acquired at an early age. Before a student attempts to play a cross rhythm, he must first be able to divide a steady beat into two, three or four equal parts. Practice clapping pairs of quavers, then triplets, then finally groups of four semiquavers.

Oh, now you can see and hear the beating of the drum from a 2 year old and 7 year old!!

Drums from Hear and Play is a great dvd resource for your library. Also, you can check out some music articles of mine if you're interested:

Rhythm-in-Music

Syncopation-Workshop-of-Rhythm

Triplets-Vs-Eighth-Notes

Blessings,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Musician's Vocabulary

photo credit: throb via photopin (license)

Musician's Vocabulary

Rhythm

1. Meaning

Rhythm means the way sounds and silences relate to each other IN TIME to make a flow of musical ideas. The sounds can be long and short. The silences can be long and short.

2. How The Word Is Used

"I love that drum solo because its rhythm is so powerful and driving. It makes me want to get up and dance in time with it."

"The rhythm of Chopin's Nocturne is so gentle. It seems to flow along like a lullaby."

3. Rhythm Words

regular gentle abrupt
even flowing broken
strict smooth nervous
metronomic graceful uneven
"on the beat" unbroken stop-and-start

Meter

1. Meaning

Meter means the way beats are grouped.
It is something we feel when we listen to music;
we feel that this Strauss waltz is "in a 3 -beat meter"; we feel that this Joplin rag is "in a 2-beat meter"; we feel that this rock piece is "in a 4-beat meter."

2. How The Word Is Used

Don't confuse "meter" with "measure" or "time signature." METER is something we feel when we play or listen to music; it is a beat feeling. A MEASURE and a TIME SIGNATURE are things we see when we read a piece of music. They are visual aids for the performer, helping us to understand the music better by dividing notes and rests (rhythms!) into visual groups on the music page.

3. Meter Words

Musicians use different terms to express "meter." They may say that a piece is "in a 2-beat meter" or, more simply, that it is "in 2." We can apply this description to any meter: "in One"... "in 2"... "in 3"... "in 4"... "in 5"... etc., etc.

The adjective for "meter" is "metrical."

*****************************

So, when we're talking about time classification, patterns of stress are known as METER. Meter is the patterns produced by beats of varying degrees of stress. The pattern which results from beats of varying degrees of stress is called the meter. The most common meters are four, three, or two beats per measure.

In music, meter is the systematic grouping of beats and their divisions in regularly recurring patterns of pulsations. Meter is described as being duple, triple, or quadruple according to the grouping of beats, and simple or compound according to the division of each beat.

Meter Designations

1. duple simple
2. triple simple
3. quadruple simple
4. duple compound
5. triple compound
6. quadruple compound

Rhythm that you hear are patterns formed by the succession of long and short notes.

So, over at HearandPlay.com, Jermaine has a sale going on for music software for your computer...

For $23.50 (Half Price Sale), get Songrobot

Blessings,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Rhythm Tips

My grandson had a fabulous time at our church Harvest Festival. He went on the slide, bungee slide and velcro wall, to name a few. I got to thinking about his rhythm and how it changed with every event he attended. So it is with musicians and their rhythm. Keep practicing the scales, inversions and octaves. Here are a few articles I wrote awhile back on rhythm.

Beginner

Quarter Note = 1 count

A quarter note is all black with a stem on it either going up or down. I call it our "stepping" note because the note just steps and moves along. With 4/4 time, you would have a measure of 4 quarter notes because one quarter note gets 1 count. Remember music and math go together.

Half Note = 2 counts

A half note is all white with a stem on it. When playing this kind of note you would pause, like coming to a yellow traffic light. You would play a half note, counting 1 & 2 &. With 4/4 time, you would have 2 half notes in a measure to play because 2 + 2 = 4. Remember music and math go together!

If you are not sure what a measure in written music is, always remember that the notes placed between bar lines is a measure. Bar lines divide music into measures. When looking at a piece of music, go to the very end of a song and there you will find a double bar line.

Repeat Dots (Repeat Sign)

The two dots at the end of the piece are a repeat sign, meaning to play the song from the beginning. Sometimes my students ask, "Oh, do I have to?" The answer is "yes" because the composer intended for that section of music to be played again! Another way to look at it is that you will not have more pages to turn. Just play the first page again or perhaps it will be just a few lines repeated. The repeat sign is a very valuable sign indeed.

Whole Note = 4 counts

A whole note is a white note, too but it does not have a stem on it. I call it our doughnut note. Some of my students call it a "hamburger" note! When you see a whole note, you must hold the note down and count, 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. It is just like coming to a red light and making a full stop.

Dotted Half Note = 3 counts

A dot after a note adds half the value of the note. So, you now have 2 + 1 = 3 beats. You hold the note down and count, 1 & 2 & 3 &.
Now, the cool thing is that every type of music note has a corresponding rest. A rest sign means "do not play" like a rest area. Sometimes it means get your hand ready in position and move up, yet still do not play a note, just rest! Examples of some rests are:

Quarter Rest

It looks like a "Z" and a quarter rest gets 1 count.

Half Rest

It looks like a black top hat. A half rest gets 2 counts or beats of silence. A half rest sits above the third line.

Whole Rest

Looks like an upside down black top hat. The whole rest hangs below the fourth line. It gets 4 counts or beats of silence.
Each measure in 4/4 time has notes and rests adding up to 4 counts.

Time Signature

The time signature is the two numbers written at the beginning of a piece. The top number tells how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number tells what kind of note gets one beat.
2 means two beats in each measure
4 means the quarter note receives one beat or count.
3 means three beats in each measure.
4 means the quarter note gets one beat.
4 means four beats in each measure
4 means the quarter note gets one beat.

Practice Directions

1. Clap and count the rhythm aloud.

2. Play and say the name of notes aloud.

3. Play and count the rhythm aloud.

Article Source

Intermediate

Tempo is the speed of any piece of music. Just like driving a car and seeing the 45 M.P.H. speed sign, it is the same for Tempo words in music.

At the very top left hand corner, on the beginning page of your sheet music, you will often see a word that tells you how fast or how slow to play a particular song. Sometimes you will be asked to slow down your speed of playing in a particular passage.

Usually you will find that these tempo words are written in Italian. Here are some of the more common Italian words you will discover in music. It does help to memorize most of these words. Having flash cards to quiz yourself is a very good idea.

Slow Tempo Marks:

Adagio (play with ease)
Largo (very slow and broad)
Lento (very slow)
Grave (heavy and solemn)

Medium Tempo Marks:

Andante (a moderate, graceful, walking tempo)
Andantino (a little slower than andante)
Moderato (a moderate tempo)
Molto (very)
Larghetto (somewhat slow)

Fast Tempo Marks:

Allegretto (lively and quick but a little slower than Allegro))
Allegro (cheerful, fast and quick)
Vivace (lively and brisk)
Presto (very fast)
Prestissimo (very, very fast)

Right in the middle of a piece, you will see that the composer has decided he wants you to slow down. Look for a new tempo marking at the very beginning of a new section. Here's what to look for.

Gradually Getting Faster:

Accelerando (becoming gradually faster and abbreviated accel.)
Stringendo (quickening)

Gradually Getting Slower:

Ritardando (becoming gradually slower and abbreviated rit.)
Ritenuto (held back)
Rallentando (becoming gradually slower)
Rattenuto (holding back and slowing down)

When you slow down at the end of a phrase of music or a particular section of a composition, you will notice at the start of the next section a new word, a tempo. This means to go back to the original tempo. It is like slowing down while driving a car because you see a sign that says, "Speed Reduced Ahead.", and then going back up to the regular speed limit once again.

Now your piano practice sounds playful and energetic while observing accelerando. Sometimes your moderato walking tempo sounds smooth dance-like. Time completely changes within a song all because you changed speed when playing the piano. The pace of a piece of music becomes alive because you have observed tempo marks with expression. Well done.

Article Source

6/8 Time Signature

This time signature can be a bit tricky to play at first. When you first learn to read music, the time signature usually has a 4 on the bottom: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4. This means that a quarter note gets counted as 1 beat.

When you see a time signature with an 8 on the bottom like 6/8, this means that an eighth note is counted as 1 beat and there are six eighth notes in each measure.

When you look at some music, you will notice that six eighth notes are grouped together into two groups of three eighth notes.

Things to watch out for in 6/8:

The three notes in 6/8 are not triplets but eighth notes.

This time signature will often feel like the music has two strong beats instead of six. We often feel a strong beat for each group of three eighth notes.

Advanced

Sometimes you see the triplet sign situated on top of the first measure of a song. Most often it follows the indication of style such as swing, boogie-woogie, big band, rock-a-ballad, funky shuffle, slow blues, back-beat, be-bop, dixieland, twelve-eight feel, jazz-waltz, salsa, soft-shoe, country, gospel-waltz, bounce, jump or groove tempo.

These eighth-notes are sometimes called rolled eighths. If you have a rhythm machine handy, set it to swing, rock-ballad, whatever. Make sure your beat-box has a setting that goes (1-2-3, 2-2-3, 3-2-3, 4-2-3) or a variation of that beat. Set the tempo to 82 (Andante). Once you have mastered that tempo, just increase the tempo.

Practice: Left Hand Chords with Single Right Hand Notes

C/C, D, E

G7/F, G, A, B

C/C, C, B, A

G7/G, F, E, D

C/C

G7/G

Db/Db, Eb, F

Ab7/Gb, Ab, Bb, C

Db/Db, Db, C, Bb

Ab/Ab, G, F, Eb

Db/Db

Ab7/Ab

D/D, E, F#

A7/G, A, B, C#

D/D, D, C#, B

A7/A, G, F#, E

D/D

A7/A

Keep ascending by a half-step. Then increase the tempo.

Sometimes you may be wondering when a composer wants you to play straight eighth notes. When there are both dotted eighths and sixteenths, regular eighth notes are played straight. Some professional musicians will make notes on their sheets when it comes to sudden key changes, difficult passage, time signature changes, etc.

If interested, visit Backpocket Band Software It will help you keep a beat and works with pcs and macs. Easy to use on the computer, next to your keyboard or piano.

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Arranging Fundamentals: Reinventing Melodies

The New York Trombone Conspiracy

I found this wonderful article by Pete McGuinness in my 2007 JAZZed Magazine. I found it very relevant for today. Let me know what you think. Oh, you might want to read more information about him at, www.petemcguinness.com

Arrangement Fundamentals: Reinventing Melodies

Some of the greatest experiences an arranger can have are the opportunities to lovingly "mess with" someone else's melody. It is also the one aspect of arranging which I've found that less experienced musicians are the most intimidated by. However, altering aspects of a song's melody shouldn't be looked upon as something that is taboo. Rather, the process can be thought of as actually paying tribute to what makes a work great in the first place.

Selection and Approach

When picking a melody I want to reformat, I always try to select a tune I feel a strong personal connection with. But even when working with lesser material, it is important to find something to love about the given tune and to deeply understand the song's structure and history. This will keep you inspired and informed, helping creative ideas come more easily.

If the selected tune is one the average listener is generally familiar with, then the way an arranger treats it can act as a window into his or her creative thinking and personal style. Whenever possible, it helps to start by listening to a recording of the original version of the song, or at least a version done in the traditional manner. This will help make clear the tune's original intention as a composition. Assuming there exists plenty of freedom to alter various aspects of the song (melody, harmony, style, meter, etc.), the most crucial choice the arranger first makes is with respect to the new overall "feel" of the composition. This decision should be allowed to evolve very generally, by choosing basic things like tempo, overall level of tension, and so on.

Then, the arranger should pick a rhythmic style that best addresses those overall ideas. For example, if I want to turn a standard-sounding ballad into something "fast" and more "tense" in mood, I might select a samba for the groove, with a heavily syncopated treatment of the melody, perhaps adding some unusual re-harmonizations as well. Maybe
I would also incorporate some kind of underlying rhythmic vamp figure, which could possibly enhance the feeling of tension. Not every change of groove or tempo is going to work for the arranger, personally. He or she must sit with the tune for a while and play around until something feels right. It's really a matter of taste.

The idea here is to convince the listener that your new arrangement of the tune could, in fact, be the originally intended version - very tricky to pull off! But, if the arranger is familiar enough with the rhythmic and stylistic language of many styles of music (underlying drum patterns, bass lines/comping patterns, traditional rhythmic treatment of melodies), he or she will have more options, and the music will sound authentic. Personally, I find this to be one of the most fun parts of the arranging process.

I suggest trying lots of approaches out. You may find that you can hear the tune in more than one new context, so you should give yourself time to find the "right" one. Most importantly, pick one in which you can hear the melody work within the rhythmic style. Remember, it is generally the melody that is the most important aspect of any song, so deal with it first. You can worry about re-harmonization, orchestration, and everything else later. They are the icing on the cake in comparison (the exception being a more conservative alteration of the melody in favor of other changes, such as more heavy reharmonization, vamps, etc.) Regardless of the style chosen, let it be one that is familiar to you. I often start by listening to classic recordings, typical of the genre I've chosen for my chart, in order to get my head into the specifics of the style. Then, I'll think about the structure of the melody I'm arranging in relation to this chosen groove.

In some situations, this may seem like putting a square peg into a round hole, but if you think about the original rhythmic design of the tune's pitches, and compare that to traditional melodies in the chosen style, you may see rhythmic possibilities leap out at you. Trust your ear and your knowledge of the style. Remember, there is some reason you first chose this approach for the tune (or more likely, it chose you). Start by experimenting with the layout of the pitches. If the song has lyrics, even if the arrangement is to be an instrumental, try to hear the lyrics of the song as you restructure the pitches. Do the words still seem to have a grammatical flow and logic? Melodic structures working with lyrics are often composed with this in mind. How about rhythmic sequences in the original's phrases? Where's the tune's climax (usually the highest note somewhere towards the end)? The arranger must thoroughly understand the important features of the tune's original melodic structure, and use technique to "comment" on them.

Interpreting a Smile

If you look at the notation examples, I've prepared, you'll see various re-working of a song near and dear to my heart, "Smile," by Charlie Chaplin for the soundtrack to his film Modern Times (1936)...

In the examples below, I've tried to come up with several possible contexts in which "Smile" might appear, while trying to retain as much of the tunes original character as possible. Example 1 is simply the straightforward, unaltered presentation of the song's first four bars (for reference). Notice that the first note is a longer time value (half note) than the notes that follow.

Arranging : Rhythmic Context Change

Ex.1) Original, unaltered version (first four vars)

4/4 C D E / D C B A / B C D / C B A G

If you clearly establish what the tune is early on, you will have more liberty to stray further from the tune later on... Notice the various grooves and styles that have been chosen, and how the melody has been made to fit rhythmically. In examples 2-6, only the original pitches were used, nothing extra.

Ex. 2) With common swing-type phrasing (various tempi)

4/4 rest C D E D / tie C B A B / tie C D C / tie B A G

Ex. 3) As a bossa-nova
4/4 rest C tie D E D / tie C B tie A / rest rest B tie C D C / tied b A tied G
Ex. 4) As a samba
2/4 rest C D E D / rest C rest B rest A B / tie C tie D C / tie B A G A
Ex. 5) As a jazz waltz
3/4 rest C rest D E / D C B A / B rest C D / C B A G A
Ex. 6) Light swing - playing around drum brushwork (i.e. "Soft Shoe")
4/4 C rest rest D E D / rest rest C B A / rest B C D C / rest rest B rest A G

Ex. 7) With embellishments around melody's original pitches

4/4 C rest D E D B E D / rest G C D C B C A tied / rest rest B C D C / rest G D E B A B G tied

In Closing

... The key is to have enough of both reused and varied material to keep things interesting. This is part of the game of arranging - the fun of pulling the listener along, giving them something to guide their ears through the chart, such as reuse of material, as well as offering surprises along the way. Good luck. I hope you will feel more confident that it is okay to "mess with" other people's music, even famous tunes. If your arrangement is done well, you may find that the composer will be very flattered!

Great article, thank you!

You may be interested in Backpocket Band Software
Back Pocket Band is a unique best metronome like product that is much more than a traditional metronome. Back Pocket Band provides a track-like experience including a drum beat, base, or cool slamming grooves!

Here's one example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfoCBgQLcXk

All the best,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

How To Play Triplets Against Eighth Notes

India Eighth notes and rest (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Beginner's Corner

Each quarter note can be divided into two equal eighth notes or four equal sixteenth notes.

Sometimes composers want to put three equal notes into a quarter note. This is called a triplet. Triplets are three equal notes that fit into the amount of time usually takne up by one quarter note or two eighth notes.

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata has many triplets in one measure of music.

Try this clapping exercise:
1. Turn on the metronome to a slow beat, quarter note = 60.
2. Clap just the beat.
3. Listen and feel the beat in your head.
4. Then clap 3 times for each tick of the metronome.
5. Triplets all need to be the same length. Say a 3-syllable word like straw-ber-ry or can-ta-loupe as you clap. Each part of the word is part of the triplet.

Intermediate Corner

How To Play Triplets Against Eighth Notes

Have you seen music where one hand has triplets while the other plays eighth notes? This can be a bit tricky at first. It is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy. You are doing two different things at once.

The trick to playing two notes in one hand against three notes in the other is that none of the notes within the beat will line up together; except for the first note.

In one hand you'll have to fit two equal notes into each beat, while the other will have to fit three equal notes in the same amount of time. It may sound like the two hands are not exactly in-synch or together.

Follow These Steps

1. First clap triplets and eighths. Work until you can change easily from one to the other. Use a metronome to check that you have a steady beat. Feel how the groups of two and three fit into the beat.

2. Play a scale with a metronome. Play eighth notes going up (1 eighth to a note of the scale) and triplets coming down. Then switch and play triplets going up and eighths coming down.

3. Play each hand's part separately. Switch back and forth between the two like you did with the clapping.

4. Divide the beat into six equal parts. The eighth notes will fall on the first and third beats of the six. The triplets will be played on the first, third, and fifth note in the group of six. As a result the second eighth note comes right after the second triplet. At first, you might have to count to six each time you play both hands, placing each eighth note and each triplet in the correct spot. This will get easier with time and practice, and soon you will start hearing where each note falls within the beat, without having to work so hard.

Advanced Corner

I'll be posting part two real soon on more rhythm stuff. I hope you'll check out part one, Where's The Beat?

So, for sure you'll want to keep up with your Hanon Exercises

Here's more valuable resources to research:

Hanon - Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises - Complete: Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics

Blues Hanon

Jazz Hanon

Junior Hanon

Breakdancers

Buy From Art.com

All the best,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Friday Freebie: Rhythm Printables

English: Created by Hyacinth (talk) using Sibelius 5. See: :File:Additive_rhythm.mid Category:Music images Category:Monochrome images (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You will find many wonderful online music teachers with fabulous teaching blogs. They offer many free printables for teachers and home use. In this post, I plan to feature a few because there's just way to many to choose from. I hope you enjoy and can use these music resources.

Rhythm Worksheets

Worksheets available for all level. Visit Susan's blog at:
Susan Paradis

Rhythm Flash Cards

I use all types of flash cards to reinforce learning of music symbols, notes, rests, etc. I'm a huge fan!
Layton Music

Rhythm Assessments

Beth's Music Notes

Frog and Tadpole Rhythm Cards for Youngsters. I've used these with my Kindergarten Music Class.

Beat Boppers

Rhythm Games

Sheryl Welles Blog

Free Clip Art: Notes and Rests

abc teach.com

Beth's Music Notes

Rhythm Blocks
http://abbottmusic.blogspot.com

Rhythm Concepts
http://alishagabriel.com/

How would you like to improve your improvising, sight reading, piano accompaniment, and other piano playing skills?
Sign up for our free piano tutorials now!
http://www.learnpianotechnique.com