Comments

Greetings,
unless you are bungee jumping...
Cheers,

Buri

I live in a region that is very pro-suzuki. I believe that Suzuki's theory is valid and can be beneficial if not used as the entire learning process. It is hard not to get myself into conversational knots, though, trying to state and defend that well....

I don't know about not being able to count and be afraid at the same time. Depends on which "kind" of fear, I suppose :).

As always, interesting read. I do agree that maintaining a slow pulse in a steady and consistant manner is difficult for us. Just take away the conductor for something yawningly slow, and all of a sudden we all have a different idea of where the beats fall. To give us credit, we may be together for a few bars.
Not a concentration issue. Maybe concentrating too hard on things that cause anxiety?

Anyway.
Sals,
Jennifer

This is interesting. Recently I have gotten a bunch of pre/young teens that went through 3-4 Suzuki books without any scales, etudes, or technical work. Not only do they have no internal rhythm, but they have no clear idea of the mechanics behind shifting or vibrato. Most of them can read music, but they can't sight read. They are having a very hard time in their Youth Orchestra. We are going through a lot of Hrimaly, Whistler, and Kayser...

I am a Kum-Bah-Yah type, but fortunately I can take out my own frustrations by hurling Bernice Ruben's "Spring Sonata" off the deck.

When I start a beginner, I have them sing the counting numbers. That seems to set the internal clock nicely. I don't use the metrenome until later (usually Mazas etude level) because then The Infernal Ticker becomes a reinforcer, not an excuse not to count.

Also, you don't like Verdi?

I am so glad you said what you did about the subdivision of the beat! My students all must do this. I teach this as soon as possible. We speak the subdivisions and bow the subdivisions. It does make an enormous difference in performance.

LisaJo

Greetings,
the point about Suzuki is not that it is no good. If a good teacher takes a student up to those books the student should be good. It was simply a benchmark to give people a sens eof the level I wa sreferring to. I could have said 'having studied three or four early cocnertos and a few sonatas' or similar i suppose
Mostly Suzuki is not taught here alhtough just about eveyrone use steh study m,aterial. Travesty upon travesty.
And yes I do like Verdi excpet when I am in a bad mood and can't remeber what its called.
Cheers,
buri I am sorry, I didn't mean to imply that Suzuki is bad. I know some very fine Suzuki teachers here, and I refer students to them. Actually, the students I have that went through three or four Suzuki books were not taught Suzuki method at all. And American Suzuki seems to be a mixed bag these days anyway. But some caution is in order. Mozart wrote to his sister: "Clementi is a charlatan, like all Italians. He writes 'Presto' over a sonata or even 'Prestissimo' and 'Alla breve' and plays it himself allegro in 4/4 time ..."

We can't let our subdividing lead us to errors in pulse or tempo.

Greetings,
yep, nothing worse than the g durian fruit adagio counted in 32nds....
Cheers,
buri At CIM, we were required to take 2 years of Eurhythmics to help develop a strong internal pulse. It was like gym class for musicians.