Greetings, dear ones!
No doubt some of you noticed I had a little blog lapse last weekend. Originally, that wasn’t my intention, but things got a little crazy in the midst of CU’s spring break (no, not that kind of crazy...), so before I knew it, it was Thursday, and I decided I may as well wait until the weekend. So, apologies to anyone who may have felt deprived of their weekly dose of solfa...
Like I said, things have been busy -- good busy, though, and while I join with many in wishing spring break could magically repeat itself, I think we’ll all make it to the end of the school year in style. This final spring-break stretch, with its parade of concerts, dress rehearsals, holy days, musicals, etc., always scares me a little. The knowledge that it’s going to be a run to the finish line can be a bit daunting. However, hopefully this is also a time to start reaping the benefits of long months of preparation, the time when you get to find out if the steps you took were the steps you needed to take. So hopefully, for better or for worse, this will be a time of intense learning, and even if things get hairy, you’ll know better for the next time around.
With that in mind, I offer these rhythmically active examples for your enjoyment, your preparation, and your diversion:
Rising Level 2's
Take a look at the following from Ottman:
12.1, 12.2, 12.4, 12.13, 12.24, 12.27
First, SCAN your way through each example. Look for patterns (scales, triads, rhythmic cells, melodic sequences) to act as guideposts.
Second, decide on your approach to any passages that look particularly thorny. Decide where audiation of a particular scale degree or harmonic underpinning might make your life a lot easier.
Third, pick a reasonable tempo (but hopefully not too slow!), sing the example through, and try not to stop. Once you get through it once, take care of any little boo-boos through smart practicing and go through it again.
Fourth, use what you learn each day about the troublesome parts of that day’s example to guide your practice for the next day’s example. See if you can come up with a list of the strategies that worked best for you. If you like, shoot me an email about what you discover, or call up a friend and discuss your pedagogical discoveries.
Rising Level 3’s
Take a look at these Ottman ditties:
12.40, 12.42, 12.48, 12.52, 13.7, 13.26
Follow the steps outlined above.
Rising Level 4’s
For you, a special treat!
We’ll modify the steps above in the following ways:
Take two days on each voice part, and go through steps 1 and 2 the first day, steps 3 and 4 the second day. Note that the key signature depicted may not necessarily dictate the best solfa choice (especially given the time of the piece's origin)
If you’re feeling particularly frisky at the end of the week, round up a group to sing through multiple parts together.
Definitely do yourself a favor and listen to the whole piece here:
Enjoy, my friends, and may you stay in motion!
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