![]() STRATEGY 1: Playing the piece with the metronome can show students exactly where the beats are not lining up. Sometimes students can get so caught up in reading, that they lose their sense of the pulse. There is no inner awareness of the pulse – imagine listening to music and tapping along to the beat.Here are some reasons behind why students pause and strategies to overcome them: Metronomes show you what the steady pulse should be, but cannot substitute a musician’s inner sense of the pulse. However, the reasons a student pauses may be more diverse. The metronome is certainly useful in finding out what the specified tempo of a piece should be (this information can be found on the top left side of nearly every piece of music). This means I bring my digital metronome with me to all my in-home and studio lessons. I have Pro Metronome on my phone and iPad (free on the app store with the option for in-app purchases for more features). Invented in 1814, this tool produces an audible sound at regular intervals that can be adjusted. This is where many teachers will pull out their trusty metronome, a musician’s best friend: Students frequently point out note or rhythmic errors, or challenging areas, but often don’t notice their pauses while attempting to play the challenging areas. ![]() Frequently, after a student plays their piece for me, I will ask them what they thought of their performance. Today’s post is all about stopping stopping, or in other words, how to prevent pauses and hesitations when playing music. Notice that she has trouble synchronizing with the backing track in her first attempt.No, the title isn’t a typo. Her task is to play left hand chords in all the right places while her right hand improvises. Here are two “before and after” videos my student graciously let me share of her playing one of my favorite exercises called “Scalin’ the Chords.“ She is using iRealb on her phone with the following screenshot: Then I email them the chord progressions for my assignments right from within the app. I encourage (actually beg) all of my students with compatible devices to purchase and use this app. I use it several times a day and love that it is always in my pocket on my phone. The price is right and it has just enough capability to be functional without all the confusing bells and whistles of Band in a Box. IRealPro – This is now my go-to app for backing tracks. However, as the developers have continually added new features, price has risen to a point that is out-of-reach for most students. I still use an old $60 version of this software several times per week and it works as well as the day I got it. You just type in a chord progression, select a musical style and the “band” is ready to cook. It is a great tool for quickly generating backing tracks. As an author, I make a point of including either a CD or audio link in all my instructional books.īand-in-a-Box – I’ve used this software for years for personal practice and with students. ![]() With the advent of digital recording, MIDI’s relevanceand availability has faded but it’s still a great tool used by contemporary creative musicians at all levels.īook/CD Combos – Regardless of whether they include backing tracks or model performances of the printed pieces, book/CD combos are a great way to develop the ear along with the eye. I didn’t know about pre-made MIDI accompaniments so I made them myself using sequencer software learning a lot in the process. You just put the floppy disk into a Clavinova or computer, hit the play button and you had instant background accompaniment. MIDI – Not so many years ago MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) accompaniments were available for popular method books. They were helpful but it was always a challenge to get the speed dial on my turntable to be in tune with my piano. Or you may be familiar with jazz education pioneer, Jamey Aebersold’s recordings of swinging rhythm sections intended for underpinning at home practice of jazz standards. Vinyl – Perhaps you remember the Music Minus One series on vinyl LPs. Here is a list of formats I have used over the years. As the technology of backing tracks continues to evolve, more options for automated background music become available. ![]()
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