Group 2
We’ve probably all been told, “Practice slowly!” or, “Don’t rush!” and almost certainly, “Use the metronome!” These statements can be valid, but how we treat time, rhythm, and meter in our playing, and what we do—that's a much more nuanced thing. In this Two-Week Intensive, we explore unique practice techniques that impact how we use tempo, technique, rubato, and expression.
BYOP: Bring your own Piece! This challenge does not rely on specific repertoire, so feel free to pick any piece that best suits your current abilities.
Pianists of all levels are welcome. You may choose how much of the piece you would like to work on. It can be a phrase or a page.
More Detailed instructions coming soon!
- Sign-Up : Monday, February 13 - February 19
- Course Period: February 20 - March 6th
- Class Size: max. 4 Groups á 10 Participants
- Optional check-In via Zoom: March 2nd from 11am-12pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81723841404?pwd=N0phNUxDVytMRUt2UGNFOUt5R3BxQT09Passcode: 837385
Assignment 1
Description:
Explore the pulse strategies introduced in the demonstration video. Choose 2 strategies (your favorites, or the ones you find most challenging/rewarding/interesting) and record yourself demonstrating two passages in your choice of repertoire—one passage per strategy. Please include a PDF of the score and the title of the piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMe8_QeNIV4
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Description:
Choose a passage of a piece from the nineteenth-century repertoire. Practice singing the melody or leading line (yes, out loud), marking points where gestures or phrases end and where you choose (or need!) to breathe before the next musical idea. Next, sing or speak subdivisions at the smallest rhythmic level you’re playing, or next smallest (e.g., if you’re playing a passage that’s all eighth-notes, your sung or spoken subdivisions will be no slower than eighths, and likely sixteenths). I suggest using a neutral syllable such as “bum” or “ta.”
Record yourself doing two things:
1) Physically breathing, while you play, at the places you’ve identified as ending points, paying attention to the speed of your breath and the time it takes to accommodate a natural inhale; and separately,
2) Speaking subdivisions aloud on a neutral syllable as you play—your goal is to use these subdivisions to drive rubato intentionally and expressively. Extra imaginary internet points if you sing with your subdivisions! Please include a PDF of the score and the title of the piece.
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How do we send you the video and .pdf file? This is my first time here.
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Harry Vig
Check out this 1 minute video to follow along how to do this!
Welcome to tonebase!
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Thanks. That was very informative. It looks like the answer I was looking for was to just drop the links in this chat stream... which you demonstrated and in more detail. I wasn't sure if this was a public share, at least within members of this intensive study group, but it is absolutely fine that way.
I'm warning you this is cringeworthy, since I heard how well you play, but everybody has to start somewhere.
This is a link to my video: ToneBase Beyond Metronome Vid1.mov
The first piece is the opening of Beethoven's 7th Symphony. My first piece was Beethoven's
Symphony 7, Movement 2. I don't have a pdf of the score. I am about 80% of the way through
Simply Piano in my first year of study, and I am looking at the score scroll by on the iPad while
I play and put my alternating stomping feet into action. It is simple enough, that I think the lack
of score won't be an issue, but if it is not clear enough, I can take some screen shots of the
music as it is scrolling by, and put them into a PDF file.As I type this summary, I am kicking myself for not realizing that I could have taken a video
screen recording from the iPad as I was using it, and tried to put it into a rectangular box
in a video edit. Now I have a new skill to learn.I don't have a source for the second piece. It is Mr. Blue Sky, by Electric Light Orchestra.
After seeing the introductory lessons to the Taubman approach, I put it to the test, and
I was amazed by the improvement in my ability to make the instrument sing. This was about
the time I was watching "The Guardians of the Galaxy 2" with my wife, and I had to learnthe piano part at the opening of the movie. This was my youtube tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKszXmNIWKo
I made a lead sheet for myself so I could practice the chord changes at my pace:
By the time I'm done, I hope to be able to record the same pieces, and see the improovement
for myself.
The other pieces I am working on are Then Entertainer by Scott Joplin, and tchaikovsky's
Sleeping Beauty Waltz.Thank you for the warm welcome. I am finding much good content here. Once I finish my
year with Simply Piano, I expect to start the tonebase level 1 repertoire. Until then, skill
sessions like these will let me finish my other course sounding better.-
Harry Vig Thanks for joining in, Harry! Good work with walking--that seems to be going really successfully. For the metronome trick, I'd recommend a little bit of counting with the metronome away from the piano, just to get the interlocking of strong beats (which you're making) and the weak beats (which the metronome is providing). For example, count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &, with the metronome on every "&". It's a different feeling than the typical syncing-up-strong-beats-with-metronome approach, and a little time getting this comfortable in an away-from-keyboard practice session can help. Let me know how it goes!
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Today practice went very well. I ran through some easy sight reading, typically one to three notes at a time between two hands, most in C major. I save the songs I don't know or don't like in the automated curriculum for this type of practice, so I can't cheat by knowing how the song should sound.
The goal I have is to improve reading rhythm and connecting my fingers to the notes, trying to make the action automatic.
I can't tell you how much easier the rhythm reading portion was while I using the two footed walking technique. The biggest problem I had before was timing the length of the notes (when to release the held key) and by extension, when the rests start. The technique made everything so much less stressful that even reading the notes came much easier.
I'm glad I believed you when you said "for all skill levels" and signed up.
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Harry Vig This is great news, and I'm so glad that using two feet has helped you! Believe it or not, rhythm reading and rhythmic stability is a huge factor in learning to read music fluently, efficiently, and effectively. We often focus on "the notes" so to speak, but the rhythm is just as important--maybe more so at times!
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I thought I had recorded both a follow up to moving the beat last week, and singing this week, but when I got upstairs, one of the videos was not on the SD card... so I only have one to post. I'll redo my 2nd assignment tomorrow.
This is the same music, Mr. Blue Sky Intro, moving the first beat within the measure.
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The piece I used for the finding a good place to take a break is Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Waltz.
I learned that the end of the slur, or as I call them phrase mark, is not the right place for a break, but your clues were correct.
Pictures of score attached.
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