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Re: Help! No Rhythm!

Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-11-30 12:43

Three thoughts: First of all, try to subdivide your music with a pencil in your hand and mark your music. With a soft pencil, draw a line over every point where the beat begins. This means having a knowledge of music theory - maybe you need some more training in written music theory? Look for groups of notes within the measure. For example, 16 notes are all grouped together with a double line over or under them. 8th notes are grouped with a single line over or under them. Quarter notes stand on their own. If your time signature is 4/4, then look for 4 groups of notes in the measure - if it's 3/4, look for three groups of notes. If it's 6/8, you'll look for two groups of three beats, and if it's complex music you may need to break it down into groups of 6 in order to get the timing correct.

Once you've done this subdividing with your pencil, then you can start to play the music. Start slowly!

Second - on your own you can play pieces of popular music that you're familiar with. Popular music often has a lot of syncopation so would be a good test of your thythm. But since you know the music, you can catch yourself. Test yourself by writing out above the notes exactly where the beats are, even if the beat begins during a slur.

Third - have a more experienced player (or a teacher, of course) listen to you play parts that you've been playing. This person doesn't have to be a clarinetist since music is music. A pianist or flutist will do just fine. They'll catch you when you play the rhythm wrong and help you figure it out, and if they're really good they'll generously congratulate you when you do well!

Be patient with yourself. With some concentrated effort and some outside assistance you'll catch on. You'll amaze yourself with your progress in a couple of months. We've all been there at one point in our careers.

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Help! No Rhythm! new

LeWhite

2003-11-30 10:51