Play No Notes Before Their Time
It’s a curious thing about rushing. We tend to do it in the most difficult of music.
The past few days I’ve been in LA working on the film version of the children’s fantasy stories called, ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles.’ As you might imagine, the music is at times quite fast and furious as the children battle all manner of goblins, trolls and what-have-you.
The orchestra assembled is some 120 strong. They are remarkable fine, accomplished players. But they are not in all cases immune from the very human tendency to play in accordance with one’s heart rate.
In one of the cues – cues are chunks of music that fit to a given scene in the movie – we had a series of note patterns in sixteenth notes. Every few beats the patterns changed to create new harmonies.
Often times they were full of chromatic alterations, and required shifts of position, multiple string crossings and such. With predictable regularity you could feel many players surge forward at each change of harmony.
Interestingly, you will rarely find a percussionist or brass player among those rushing the tempo.
The reasons for this are two-fold. First of all, on their instruments there are considerably fewer choices that have to be made to play a given set of notes.
We string players have multiple fingering and bowing choices that must be made on the fly. A trumpet player generally will have one, maybe two ways of fingering a note.
Secondly, however, I believe percussion and brass players are trained to stay ‘in tempo’ to a much greater extent than string players.
To some extent their identity is tied up with being rhythmically solid.
String players tend to identify with ‘getting the notes.’
It’s easy to understand where the mistake in priorities arises. After all, getting the notes is often the most difficult thing.
But that does not make it the most important in an orchestral environment.
In the list of priorities I have when sight-reading music, getting the notes is down the list. Numero uno is time, staying within the tempo. Number three is playing the dynamic indicated. Number three is playing the rhythms – assuming the notes are not all of the same value. Number four is articulation.
Not until getting down to number five do I deal with the actual notes.
If you’re surprised to hear me say this, listen to this. By making ‘time’ my first priority I must control my emotions, and therefore my tendency to react in concert with my heart rate.
By putting the expressive elements of music forward, like dynamics and articulation, I am listening with an expanded consciousness. My mind is taking in a wider field of vision.
The bottom line is I’m more alert and relaxed. And guess what, I often get my hands on the notes as quickly or quicker than anyone else around me.
Now, when I’m learning a new piece of music in the privacy of my home I will often not use the approach I just outlined. The difference is somewhat akin to the difference between ‘cramming’ for a test and the deeper, more retentive learning that comes from slowing things down and taking time to give greater consideration to each detail.
But that’s another story.
All the best,
Clayton Haslop
P.S. Oddly enough, the counting technique I advocate in my instructional courses, which is not based on keeping a constant beat, is the best training possible for developing rhythmic discipline in your playing. Come get the secret of rock solid time working for you.
