 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Avie
Date: 2003-04-24 13:37
I have been working with a metronome but still have trouble playing in perfect time. I can set my metronome beat/pitch and the tempo (speed) but I sometimes lose the beat on the more difficult passages. How would I know if I am playing in time when I am not using the metronome? What is the best way to practice this? Is it my timing or is this a common problem when reading music? I would appreciate any advise you have on this subject. Thanks
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-04-24 13:50
Slow down on those difficult passages to where you're subdividing the beat -- get it down to one beat per note if you must. The key is to get the placement of each note precisely in its proper place, where you can feel where 1 begins, where the "and" of 1 is, where 2 begins, where the "and" of 2 is, etc. Once you get the placement etched in your mind and your fingers, you can pick up the tempo gradually and eventually nail it every time. Good luck.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: William
Date: 2003-04-24 14:36
I think that it would be more productive if you would analyze and practice the "more difficult" rhythmic passages without the metronome until you fully understand them and are able to perform them without rythmic or technical error. Then, utilize the "evil" metronome to help keep you tempo steady--that is what it is most useful for, anyhow.
Understanding first, then perfection!!!!!
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-04-24 16:37
By the most durable metronome you can afford.
Superglue it to a 50 pound dumbell
-OR-
Get the cheapest one you can find and a dust pan.
*************
To paraphrase HAT from an earlier, similar post -
"Subdivide and conquer."
I follow much of Ralph and William, which is borne out by my teacher...
Start with the most difficult passage (ya know, the one with all the ink!)
and drill it until the pattern is automatically followed with your fingers.
Play it a 1/2 or 1/4 speed and gradually increase to 'a tempo'.
You really must play the passage correctly each time prior to advancing the metronome in pace.
No substitute for practice, unfortunately.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2003-04-24 17:31
I don't quite agree with the idea of practicing without the metronome until the "rhythm" and technique are sorted out. You very much run the risk of reinforcing bad rhythmic tendencies which are then much more difficult to unwind down the road, and generally manifest themselves as "losing the beat". I see this weekly with students that resist practicing with the metronome.
Once you have the notes and key combos figured, turn on the metronome and pratice s-l-o-w-l-y subdividing with the device or in your head so that each note is indeed placed perfectly. Don't dial it up a notch until it is perfect, and even then, as others described, advance it slowly. If you develop good rhythm, it will be easy to find the threshold where your technique gets in the way of your time.
To echo SB, HAT has posted a number of times on this issue. You can't separate good rhythm and good time -- they are one and the same. Do a search on his comments and you'll see several good posts over the last month or so.
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Author: Avie
Date: 2003-04-24 18:44
Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate your good ideas and also for varifying that I have been doing some things correctly. Keeping a steady beat has been one of my problems.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-04-24 19:08
Although using the metronome is very useful, keep in the back of your mind that eventually you'll be playing without it. In time, when you play a solo with accompaniment you'll find that you'll want to vary the tempo in some places to turn the piece into MUSIC.
Just for fun you could turn your metronome on while listening to a CD to see at what speed the piece is being played. You'll invariably find that the orchestra or soloist is keeping pace with the metronome for a short while, then will stray from it, then return to a similar tempo. This is the way real music is, unless you're talking about a march, Bach, or something of the sort.
So keep the metronome in its place - it's a tool, not a master. It's very useful in practice, especially when dissecting a piece to keep the rhythm steady, and to learn to keep the pace even when there are 16th and 32nd notes tossed in for good measure. The advice given above is excellent while you're learning. At times you'll want it to sit there at one tempo, but turn it off from time to time to learn to trust your own sense of rhythm. Don't become enslaved to it.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-04-24 19:17
Brenda wrote:
> This is the way real music is,
> unless you're talking about a march, Bach, or something of the
> sort.
Eh? In Bach rubato is absolutely required! That's how the multiple lines of his music are brought to the forefront when played on a harpsichord - it's your only choice!
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Author: Avie
Date: 2003-04-24 20:50
Brenda,
As to your point of varying the tempo in some music. I can hear the tempo change in some pieces but unlike myself Im sure they know why they are doing it. I enjoy playing something at my own pace at times when it seems right. When I do that I can concentrate on my tone , articulation, etc, and have fun. Therefore now Im having fun and sounding better and more like Im playing music. Maybe thats why I have this timing problem! But holding a steady beat is just as important because i would eventually like to have an accompaniment.
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Author: Irwin
Date: 2003-04-24 21:17
You definitely need to learn rhythm and count before worrying about tempo. However, I found that a metronome that subdivides really helped me in that department. I have a Dr. Beat, and I still use it every now and then when I'm trying to understand a tricky rhythm. Before I start playing a new piece that looks more challenging than others, I sit down with a pencil and my Dr. Beat. I work out the rhythm, make note of where I need to use alternate fingerings, and just get an overall sense of the piece before starting to blow air through the horn.
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