Looking for rhythm-focusd material and suggestions

[m1469]

Hello .  I am looking for books that give ideas on teaching and presenting strictly rhythm-related subjects (maybe percurssion books ?). 

Also, I am looking for some kind of rhythm workbook for students.  Maybe it's all one-in-the same ?

Thanks for any suggestions,
m1469

[timothy42b]

There is a very good small booklet by Robert Starer.  I'm unsure of the title but it is something like Rhythmic Training, etc.

It is a series of exercises on two staves, and progresses gradually from very simple "right Hand" patterns against a steady beat, to some complicated stuff later in the book.

I have little doubt that anyone who worked through this book would have a firm grasp of rhythms. 

I have it at home, if you don't find the title let me know and I'll go dig it out. 

[pianistimo]

kodaly uses word rhythm and stuff like that.  'sound thinking' is the name of the book - but it does go into rhythm.

when i was younger i was given 'muczynski' (spelling?) and 'bartok' - and some music like that which changed meter.  this is ALWAYS confusing to younger students.  how to keep the beat.

i find, with red or regular pencil - u can draw a line straight down at each of the beat points and show that knowing where the beat is (no matter the meter) will keep u going without stopping.  also, i tend to always have the younger students count out loud - saying the types of notes they are playing (as with bastien) or counting number of beat (and adding 'and' or 'one-e-and-a').

i still remember one teacher using the eraser end of a pencil on the lid of the keyboard to emphasize to keep the beat. 

your idea of doing percussive type exercises alone is an excellent one, though.  maybe at piano parties - just for fun.  a sort of elimination game (holding up cards with harder and harder 4 measure combos of rhythms). 

[pianistimo]

i think most schools here use 'orff.'  my daughter seems to like that, too. 

with kodaly u have some creative ideas for very little children and explain the harder concepts later.  for the very young - they have 'call and response' songs.  one is using the word rhythm of 'ted-dy bear'  (two-eighths quarter) or 'phoebe in her petticoat' (three 'two-eighths' -quarter). 

then they move to 'ti-ti' (no, this is not what it sounds) to say shorthand of two-eighths.  and 'ta' for quarter. 

one interesting thing is that this book brings out not only clapping music and singing - but LISTENING to music as well (symphonies, etc, too) that bring out the same rhythm that u are talking about. for instance haydn's symphony #94 'andante' has the three 'two-eighths ' -quarter - pattern.  when they can hear the measure lines by hearing the strong beat they can transcribe music.

page 107 u might like.  it has 'heartbeats' for snails.  i like their creative ideas.  they teach quarter rest with letter 'Z.'  for young children, they use a bouncy ball or pushing someone on a swing - and show how to bounce or push-swing on strong beats.

[timothy42b]

One nice thing about the Starer book is it can be used with a group, splitting the students between parts.  Sort of a rhythm duet. 

It is much more basic than the kodaly or orff stuff, or that other movement based method I can't recall right now. 

[ted]

What about boogie ? Most kids I know love it. It seems to me that rhythm is primarily an intuitively felt quality which cannot be imparted using books. You can make boogie as easy or as hard as you wish; it also encourages the kids to invent things and builds finger technique at the same time. Come to think of it you wouldn't need to buy anything because you could just make it up and write it out yourself for the student.

I'm not a teacher, but if I had to teach rhythm I think that is the way I would probably go about it.

[mike_lang]

Hello .  I am looking for books that give ideas on teaching and presenting strictly rhythm-related subjects (maybe percurssion books ?). 

Also, I am looking for some kind of rhythm workbook for students.  Maybe it's all one-in-the same ?

Thanks for any suggestions,
m1469

Yes!  There is a wonderful book called "Rhythm Reading: Elementary through Advanced Training" written by Daniel Kazez, published by WW Norton.

Best,
ML

[timothy42b]

What about boogie ? Most kids I know love it. It seems to me that rhythm is primarily an intuitively felt quality which cannot be imparted using books. You can make boogie as easy or as hard as you wish; it also encourages the kids to invent things and builds finger technique at the same time. Come to think of it you wouldn't need to buy anything because you could just make it up and write it out yourself for the student.

I'm not a teacher, but if I had to teach rhythm I think that is the way I would probably go about it.

ted,

I'm not sure if you would be teaching rhythm or time.  They are related but subtly different.

If I had the choice I'd rather have good time!  but you don't get this choice.  Teaching rhythm I think can be done academically.  Time I'm not so sure.  I think the process is to internalize something originally external. 

[chocolatedog]

Here in the UK there are 2 books called Flip-a-Rhythm, Flip-a-Rhythm 1&2, and Flip-a-Rhythm 3&4. The first book (1&2) deals with 4/4 and 3/4 time, and the second book (3&4) deals with 6/8 and 9/8. They bascially consist of two lines of rhythms, which can be done separately or as the pupil gets far more advanced, as coordination practice. The pages are also split across the middle which means you can mix'n'match the rhythms to create thousands of possibilities. The author is Sheila Nelson, and the publisher is Boosey&Hawkes. I use them a lot in my lessons as clapping duets as well as clapping the 2 lines of rhythm with the pupil. We also sometimes play the rhythms on a single note on the piano, and I also use them for "spot the deliberate rhythmic mistake" exercises.......