Product Description
This
collection presents its user with a series of increasingly
difficult rhythms
on a single pitch.
The
rhythmic material in this series is organized into 10 difficulty
levels. Each
difficulty
level
contains
four
exercises in each of the following time signatures: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4,
6/8, 9/8, and 12/8. This gives exercises in 2, 3, and 4 beats per bar
in both simple and compound meters. The
first two exercises of each time signature have
no ties while the remaining two
exercises in each time signature include ties. In
Book 1 of this series youll find difficulty levels 1 to 5, while
Book 2 completes
the set with levels 6 to 10.
The
exercises in this collection are intentionally random and difficult
to internalize. They dont follow any predictable or standard
"groove" pattern, but instead are random successions of eighth-
and sixteenth-note groupings within the prescribed difficulty level.
In keeping the rhythmic material as unpredictable as possible the
door is left open for the materials to be used in conjunction with
any number of exercises, while forcing the user to process every
rhythm as its own event without relying on pattern recognition to
help in identifying the rhythms.
To
curate the difficulty of rhythm in as objective a way as possible I
looked at all of the possible eighth-note and sixteenth-note
groupings within the basic unit of one beat. Each difficulty level
builds on the exercises of the previous by adding groupings that are
slightly more conceptually challenging. Difficulty Level 9 contains
all possible groupings, while Level 10 focuses on the more
challenging groupings by omitting easy ones.
Some
suggestions for how to use this book include:
Practice
sight-reading. When doing so it is encouraged to cycle through the
exercises quickly rather than dwelling on a particular exercise for
a long period of time. The goal in practising sight-reading is not
to learn the material but to develop the skill of reading new
material.
Use
a metronome! The most important thing you can do with this material
is learn how to read these rhythms and play them in time.
Advanced
metronome work: Place the metronome click on weak beats. With the
metronome clicking only on the beat you run the risk of relying on
the metronome to give you the time. Placing the metronome click on
non-strong beats forces you to take responsibility for the time. For
example, instead of putting the metronome click on each quarter-note
in 4/4, play the exercise with the metronome giving the second
eighth note of each beat, or the last sixteenth note, or beats 2 and
4, or only the downbeat of each bar. Be creative with this one!
The possibilities are limitless.
Develop
independence between hands by playing a repeating pattern in one
hand while reading an exercise in the other. Expand on this by
adding patterns in hands and feet while reading a rhythm with a
remaining limb. This is a great exercise for drummers and
percussionists but any instrumentalist could benefit from
coordination practice.
Use
these rhythms to practice scales. Instead of playing scales in
straight sixteenth-notes, try playing them in the rhythms given in
these exercises.
Write
in sticking patterns, dynamics, accents, phrase marks, or other
articulations for you or your students to practice. If youre not
happy with the ties I included, feel free to add some of your own.
Combine
the above exercises in any way that you think will be beneficial to
your practice.
As
with any of the Dots and Beams books, the uses for this particular
collection are limited only by the imagination of the musician using
it. I encourage anybody using this book to find as many uses for
these exerci
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