Polyrhythmn Part 1 - a problem in counting

Polyrhythm is a composition technique characterised by independence of rhythm in various melodic lines. polyrhythm is tricky because it demands the performer to play simultanously more than one type of rhythm that are not regular divisions of each other.  For example: playing 4 notes against 3 notes, 3 notes against 2 notes, or 11 notes against 7 notes.  playing 4 notes against 3 notes  is harder than playing 4 notes against 2 notes because 4 doesn't divide out amongst 3 exactly, and our human brains are taught to count in whole numbers.  if we try to divide 4 by 3, we get one whole and a third against every one whole note. There are 2 ways to perform accurately:

1. for this case, further divided a whole note into 3 parts and count in sub divisions of one-third beats.  you can imagine how many beats you have to count...

4 against 3 polyrhythm

4-beat rhythm

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

3-beat rhythm

X

X

X

X

X

X

2. use an online metronome program  to listen how the 4-3 rhythm sound like when played together, and then memorise the rhythmn.  They usually produce very catchy results and is very memorable.  you can click here to hear how hip 4-3 rhythm sounds, it's totally out of the world!

** additional tip: visualise it here!

ivories and ebonies

for those who wants to venture further than the boundaries of classical music composers, how abt some midnight music?  the jazz.... Billy Taylor was explaining in this interview how to jazz up music

Problem of pedalling

Pedalling in acoustic piano is an art and science that has been discussed and debated over a long time by amateurs and professions.  This is not going to be a guide on how to pedal, but how to decide for yourself as a performer, which style of pedalling works the best for you.

We will first recall the basic types of pedalling. 
1. Pedal is always in full.  Either fully depressed or fully lifted.  No ambiguity. 
2. Fractional pedalling, ie, 1/4, 1/2 pedal, 3/4 pedal, full pedal ( possible, but seldom )
3. flutter pedalling, whereby pedal is quickly depressed and lifted, at the pianist's discretion by ear.

Now, at a glance, most people would think that type 1 is the easier, type 3 is the hardest.  However, in reality, amateurs tend to do no. 3 alot, and find it very hard to do no.1, while the professions aim to do no. 3 for tonal effects, but their attempts are not always successful. Here's why.

No. 3 is easier to execute kinestatically, but musically more challenging, as fluttering is used to "clear" layers of unwanted tone selectively.  No. 1 requires less ear training to discern when to execute pedalling, because there are always rules that one can go by. for eg. by harmony of left hand chords, by presence of long notes in the bass, by syncopated rhythmn, by phrases and slurs, by dynamics, and sometimes by bar lines even.  no. 2 is a mixture of both.  The rules of when to press pedal for no. 1 applies to no. 2 as well, but you need the musicality required in no. 3 to discern how much pedal to depress.  ie. you need to decide when to clear 1/2, 1/4 or 3/4 by listening to the tones and by the texture of the chords.  But still, it's easier than flutter pedalling because slight misjudgements in the "amount" is not fatal.

For flutter pedalling, carelessness in the "amount" and location in pedalling produces murky and unartistic performance.  For amatuers, the murkiness might not be apparent and hence it goes unnoticed.

How to make time for practice

Practice makes perfect... but what if we have no time?

Young students would lament about tons of homework and tests, which forces piano practice to the backseat.  Older adults are probably often too exhausted at the end of day to focus and practise. So, how can we ever improve?  Does this mean we can never achieve perfection since we do not have much time to practise?

One strategy I find useful is, vary length of practice hours according to schedule and seasons, but make sure you play something EVERYDAY.  On days when you have more free time, stretch yourself with more difficult repertoire or longer pieces.  On days when you could barely keep your eyes open for 5 min, playing Mozart' "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is enough to keep the musical brain cells in the brain alive.

Just like our bodies are controlled by hormonal cycles that surge and plunge according to time of the day and year, we should adjust intensity of piano practice according to time of the day and year as well. 

great performer of Ravel and Debussy - Samson Pascal François

For those who are hunting on Youtube for free recordings/demonstrations, check Samson François out for his playing of Debussy and Ravel pieces.  Especially those who are considering La Plus que Lente, check out Francois's interpretation of the piece.

Francois is an interesting pianists who was taught by Cortot before.  Even Cortot thinks that he is impossible to teach, being extremely gifted.  François himself said "never play simply to play well" and, in a remark clearly inspired by his jazz influences, "It must be that there is never the impression of being obliged to play the next note."

where to place the piano?

A grand piano captures the attention of visitors to the room the moment he steps into the room. Here are some useful tips to go by when trying to decide where to place the piano.

1. Put it near walls that are not linked te the exterior, and not too near radiators and air cons.  It doesn't like to have too much fluaction in temperature, which affects its string tension and expansion of wood.

2. Place it near at least 1 wall for reflection of sound to sound more "live".  excessively absorption by curtains, rags and bookcases make the sound "flatter" and more damped.

3. For visual appeal, place something like synthetic flowers with bright splash of colour to compliment dark colour piano.

Modern pianists advocate less is more?

If you read the modern literature from great masters of today, you will come across many of the opinion that long hours of practice is detrimental and developing a relaxed, natural technique is more desirable.  Almost everyone is mocking at finger exercises and techniques written by keyboard masters of yesteryears like Bach, Clementi, Hanon and Liszt.

However, German-trained master pianist Rudolph Serkin acknowledged that it took hours for him to feel warmed up, and he believes in art of finger dexerity:


"I am old fashioned. I practice scales and arpeggios that I might need but don't always use... I practice and have practiced long hours. After five hours I begin to get warmed up... I believe in a good system, a good technical upbringing such as Madame Lhevinne's. But from there out, I believe in finding your own ways according to the piece you are studying and the way you are constructed. (Serkin's daughter has said that her father practiced scales for nine hours before a concert, with only one hour devoted to his repertoire. That was because his fingers were so wide that they got stuck between the black keys. His long, systematic practicing of scales assured that each finger would place itself in front of the black keys.) "

Personally, I think both methods work.  But it depends on the kind of body, muscular and nervous system you are endowed ( or less endowed ) with.

For those whose sensory neurons are more developed and sensitive, hours of practice is painful and punishing to the mind.  These folks need less mechanical practices, but more ear training and maturity in musical idioms to produce beautiful sounds.

For those who auditory neurons are more developed and have an idea of how music should sound but are rather awkward on the keyboard, they should devote themselves to hours of practice to gain confidence in mechanical movement on the keyboard.  Once movement ceases to be an obstacle, the music in their minds will flow effortlessly.

Most of us are somewhere in between.  We should strike a balance between technical exercises and relaxed performances.