 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Adrianna
Date: 2008-06-20 21:26
I have been playing the clarinet for the last six years, and it seems I have always struggled with rhythm. However, with University this september, I feel I sould finally find a way of solving the problem. It is becoming very frustrating because instead of focusing on the musicality of a piece I am forced to "learn" the rhythm. What is really odd to me, is that I also play the piano, and have no trouble with rhythm and keeping a steady beat. Therefore, I was wondering if anyone could suggest any tips, methods or resources on fixing this issue? I know using a metronome is important, however that just beats time externally and I need to develop my interanl pulse. So, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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Author: LearJet4
Date: 2008-06-21 02:57
Hello Adrianna,
I have to say I have been there and it is definitely not a good place to be. My teacher and I have been going through a wonderful book called "Rhythmic Training" by Robert Starrer. Going through this book with a teacher greatly improves your feel for time and keeping a steady beat. The exercises remove yourself from the playing aspect and just focus on rhythm; you conduct the time and sing what is written. You should ALWAYS keep the metronome on while doing these exercises at 60 BPM and synchronize your conducting to the beat. They may seem simple at first, but they are essential to developing good time. Sight reading difficult rhythms doesn't come overnight, and it is just as important as playing the clarinet! Getting a couple every week and really doing them well could mean the difference in an audition one day !
Good luck - Alan
PS: It is the black and white book, not the one with blue on the cover.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-06-21 06:01
Adrianne- "What is really odd to me, is that I also play the piano, and have no trouble with rhythm and keeping a steady beat."
Are you sure? How do you know?
In any case, I would spend time looking at a few percussion books. Try to look at rhythm independently from the clarinet. If you can do percussion (ie. stuff that is exclusively rhythm) then you know that rhythm is not a problem. Maybe there is something else in your playing that is causing a problem and you just think it is rhythm?
One more thing to try is it use a metronome on the BIG BEATS. Slow it down so that the click is only on every half note instead of every quarter. OR even slow it down so much that you only have one beat per measure and you have to mentally feel the rest of the beats.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-06-21 07:20
Attachment: rhythm.png (10k)
I second the suggestion to get some percussion-related stuff, or exam material for wind bands - lots and lots of syncopation which forces you to clap the passage several times before you can think of playing them. Make them part of your regular practice.
--
Ben
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Author: Ryder
Date: 2008-06-21 16:40
hmm...
Syncopation helps devlop rhythm and a sense and awareness of where the beat is.
____________________
Ryder Naymik
San Antonio, Texas
"We pracice the way we want to perform, that way when we perform it's just like we practiced"
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Author: allencole
Date: 2008-06-21 19:27
Regarding steady rhythm on the piano but not on clarinet, I've seen this a number of times.
I also work with students whose band director puts them through an excellent rhythm workout in every class. They do great in class, but if I hand them a new exercise using the same type of rhythm, they still struggle.
Strange? Not at all.
On piano, your hands are probably much busier, with one filling in spaces while the other rests or sustains a note. On clarinet, you find yourself stuck sitting still. Some ties (particilarly those to the downbeat of triplets or sixteenths) probably feel much more strange when you can't move EITHER hand on that downbeat. Welcome to the world of single-line instruments. You'll get past this.
With the band kids, their problem is partly that they're doing rhythms in a group, and partly that they do so many reps that they can learn them by rote. When I have them individually, they can't lean on classmates or listen to reps.
A second problem is that of learning rhythm by clapping. That's fine for learning attacks, but it doesn't have a 'sustain' element. I think that it's much better to say "da-da-da" which does have sustain, and which more closely matches what you'd do on the instrument.
But the bottom-line best advice you're getting in this thread is to study rhythm by itself, without the constant distraction of manipulating your instrument. And don't worry that the metronome isn't an answer to your internal pulse. It's not a crutch. Working with it will help your internal pulse--and won't make you dependent on it.
One final observation about learning rhythm. I am astounded by the number of people who get hung up and conflicted about where one note ends and the next one begins. If you're feeling this conflict, try breaking the ice by making sure that every note STARTS at the right time. After all, most notes end automatically when the next note or rest begins.
Allen Cole
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Author: Adrianna
Date: 2008-06-22 04:26
Thank you for all your helpful suggestions. Today, I went out and bought Robert Starer's "Rhythmic Training" book and tomorrow I will start working through it. Also, I will try clapping tricky rhythms and see if that helps with internalizing them, and of course I will consistently use the metronome, at least until I have a good sense of pulse. Once again thank you for all your suggestions, and I will keep you all posted on my progress.
Adrianna
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Author: ASBassCl1
Date: 2008-06-22 17:35
A thing that's helped me was dictation practice with my private teacher and in my Music Theory class, where a rhythm was clapped or a melody was played and you had to notate what it was. It requires a lot of concentration and listening but identifying rhythm and pitch through your ear make them a whole lot easier.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-06-23 00:20
Here is something I did to help a kid playing drums that had NO NO NO sense of time at all.
I don't know if this is too basic for your problem, but maybe you or someone else can get something from it....
I will use the drum sticks as an example (maybe you could play a middle C or clap instead)-
-put the metronome on a moderate tempo. Hit the drum once every 4 beats.
-increase the metrome up to the max possible. continue hitting once every 4 clicks.
- take the metronome down half. hit the drum once every 2 clicks (you will be hitting the drum at the same speed as you just were).
-increase the metronome to its max. one hit for 2 clicks.
-take it down half again and now you have one hit for one click. continue pushing the metronome up.
-take it down half and now you have 2 hits for one click.
etc. etc. etc.
It worked for this kid. The whole thing took about 45 minutes and at the end he could fairly easily play 16th notes at a moderate tempo.
Use the basic ideas with any variations that might be more appropriate to your situations.........
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