Help with Rhythm: Part 1

Photo Credit: Bill Selak

For those of you reading this post from somewhere cold, I hope you are surviving this intense winter of 2014! Here in the DC area, we got pounded last week with about 14 inches of snow. Wow! I can’t say my students complained about the 5 day weekend they got. I just hope they still found time to practice. 🙂 For those of you reading from warmer climates, I’m insanely jealous, and hope to travel to somewhere warm over Spring Break. In any case, whether you’re making plans to head to the slopes or hit up the beach, I’m so glad we can connect through our shared love of music.

Today’s topic is a massive one…. rhythm. Rhythm is such a huge part of what it means to be a musician. Since I couldn’t cover everything I want to mention in just one post, I’m splitting the topic over three posts. In my opinion, being able to properly read and play rhythms is paramount for all musicians whatever their age or ability level. Along with note reading, being able to play rhythms correctly is one of the most important aspects to learning any piece. If you can do everything else musically (technique, note reading, expression/musicality, etc.), but your rhythm skills are lacking, unfortunately, you will not be a great player.

To expand on the reasons why rhythm is important…

Being able to properly read and play rhythms protects the integrity of a piece. Instead of playing a “guesstimated” version, you are playing the rhythms just as the composer intended them to be played. Also it is absolutely vital when playing with others whether for a duet, for chamber music, or for a large ensemble, to play with accurate rhythm. If just one person in the ensemble has poor rhythm, you will not stay together when you play. Rhythm really is the building block that holds musicians together when they play with one another.

Now that I’ve covered the why, onto the how.

How should you work on rhythm?

Here are some of my thoughts…

• Understand how to count each rhythm

If you don’t understand how the rhythms are counted, you will not be able to play them correctly. Your teacher will explain how long each new note value is held for and how to count it. He or she will also demonstrate the new rhythm. I like to have my students repeat the rhythm back to me while counting (more on that below), so I can see that they understand. If they seem confused, I’ll clarify.

• Count out loud

I can’t emphasize the importance of this one enough. There’s something about saying the counting out loud that does much more to help than just counting silently in your head. As often as you can, and especially with a new or challenging rhythm, count out loud as you play. This only works if you play an instrument such as piano, guitar, strings, or percussion, as you won’t blow into the instrument (winds and brass) or use your voice as the instrument (voice). I also suggest being able to count out loud and either: tap the rhythm on your leg, clap it, or play it on a random note or chord. If you can do that, playing the correct rhythm on the actual notes becomes so much easier.

• Subdivide

Subdividing is dividing the beat into smaller parts. When we count a piece that includes eighth notes, instead of saying: 1 2 3 4 in a measure of 4/4, we would say, 1& 2& 3& 4&. You should subdivide any piece that has any notes shorter than quarter notes. Without subdividing, students tend to play rhythms meant to be faster too slow or rhythms meant to be slower, too fast. Subdividing allows you to play each type of rhythm for their proper length.

• Keep a steady beat

I’m really going to dive into this next two weeks when I discuss using a metronome for rhythm work. Let’s just say, it’s vital to keep the beat the same as you play. If you go faster when the notes/rhythms are easier and slower when things get more challenging, it can really mess things up.

Now I want to hear from you! How have you worked on rhythm? What has been most successful for you? Leave a comment below. If you liked this post, share it with your friends. Don’t forget to “like us” on Facebook and subscribe to the email newsletter.

Thanks for reading, and stay warm!

Sincerely,

Cassie