“FOR COUNTING OUT LOUD”
As seen in the ‘Journal of the American Viola Society’
BY STEPHEN WYRCZYNSKI
In our preparation of the familiar viola excerpts, we are often confronted with the common plateaus and impediments. We must never lose sight that in reworking these musical fragments we must capture the artistic essence of the larger work. The usual focus of our practice is intonation, dynamics, pulse, and rhythm. While bringing together artfulness with our technical means is the goal for all of us, pulse and rhythm galvanize these elements into a coherent whole. This becomes especially challenging during a stressful audition situation where success or failure determines our livelihood.
Pulse and rhythm are the fundamentals of musical time and their exactness is a cornerstone of a successful audition. This is one of the ways an audition committee determines whether or not an applicant would be able to play with an ensemble, be it large or small. The challenge for us is to choose and keep a pulse during any given passage or movement, not only in a practice room but especially throughout an audition.
The first tool of choice utilized for audition preparation is the metronome. It can be very useful in the early stages of learning a particular passage or movement. Its loud click and blinking light keeps our tempo steady and distills exact rhythmic passages. Even in the final stages of practicing, it can be used to realize a metronome marking given by a composer or help us increase a tempo one click at a time. The problem happens when it is performance time and our metronome is no longer available.
The most reliable help we need to make our pulse rock solid is right under our noses. Try counting out loud while playing! This is something pianists do and it is a mystery why string players do not. It is the surest way to develop consistency in keeping an unwavering pulse and good rhythm during practice. This means actually saying out loud (and I do mean OUT LOUD) the beats in a measure. This will seem quite difficult at first because it is a learned skill and must be practiced. Over time when it gets easier to speak and play at the same time, one can reduce the volume of one’s voice to a whisper. Ultimately just mouthing or moving your tongue is enough to exact a precise beat, especially when you need it most during pressure situations. Be advised that this does require some patience and short cuts do not achieve the same goals. You will see immediately when you are counting out loud the areas where you are prone to erratic tempo changes.
Choosing a starting tempo for a particular excerpt is something that we spend a good amount of time considering. Once we begin the piece, our mind becomes distracted with all sorts of other technical concerns and we lose our temporal bearings. I am going to discuss four passages where these tempo lapses are chronic. I have witnessed many a successful audition where the pulse is lost in these places. Interestingly, these spots occur either right before or right after a technically intricate passage.
The Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz is a selection chosen to highlight a player’s ability to produce a beautiful tone and navigate the nuanced dynamic indications. The viola section solo begins at the key change in the third bar after rehearsal #1. Counting out loud while practicing this entire passage is advised not only for the tempo consistency but also to make sure your dotted-eighth sixteenth note rhythms are precise. The problem area in this excerpt in regards to keeping a pulse starts two bars before #2 leading into the two-and-a-half beat held E note one bar before #2 (See example #1). This held E is never sustained long enough. Perhaps it seems like an eternity after playing the seven sixteenth notes right before, the most active part of this solo passage. As soon as you start to play the E you must count out loud in a subdivided beat until you release the E after the fifth eighth note (1-and-2-and-3-OFF). Continue over the rest and count in the regular quarter note pulse.
The Sixth Symphony by Peter Tchaikowsky features the viola quite prominently in the first movement. The entire first page and a half needs careful attention to avoid chronic rushing. The most troubled area for maintaining an honest pulse is at rehearsal letter B (See example #2). It is this humble rest that frequently gets short-changed. In the previous bars we get so consumed with executing our saltando bow stroke, first at pianissimo then at piano, that we forget to properly count the rests for two and one sixteenth beats. I suggest playing it many times counting out loud during the saltando passage and including the measures after rehearsal letter B.
Symphony #35 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart poses the same problems with rest counting as the Tchaikowsky symphony. In almost every case after an octave is played in the first movement theme, the following rest is not given full value. The real problem measure finally appears at eight bars before rehearsal letter B (See example #3). After negotiating all of the trills and octaves for practically the entire exposition, we are confronted with almost a four beat rest. This rest always seems interminable. Take your time here, count four steady beats, and secure your bow for the next passage. In the fourth movement the problem is similar. The opening eight bars are precarious as is the return of the theme [fifteen bars after rehearsal letter D] (See example #4). Measures five through eight are the simplest yet the most treacherous. Here the pitch stays the same and so must the pulse. When performed in auditions, the rests between and after the A notes often become compressed. Make sure you finish the A in a steady beat before you rush off to the eighth note passage.
Often the most difficult moments in music are the times when we are doing the least. It is at these junctures that our concentration must remain at the highest intensity. Counting out loud while you practice these passages forces your brain to multitask on an active level. It is your internal tempo gauge being brought to the fore. It has advantages over metronome use since you can access it at anytime. The more you completely engage your personal resources during your playing, the more success you can expect to have in stressful situations. Counting while playing is a skill that can see you through to your practice and audition goals.
Pulse and rhythm are the fundamentals of musical time and their exactness is a cornerstone of a successful audition. This is one of the ways an audition committee determines whether or not an applicant would be able to play with an ensemble, be it large or small. The challenge for us is to choose and keep a pulse during any given passage or movement, not only in a practice room but especially throughout an audition.
The first tool of choice utilized for audition preparation is the metronome. It can be very useful in the early stages of learning a particular passage or movement. Its loud click and blinking light keeps our tempo steady and distills exact rhythmic passages. Even in the final stages of practicing, it can be used to realize a metronome marking given by a composer or help us increase a tempo one click at a time. The problem happens when it is performance time and our metronome is no longer available.
The most reliable help we need to make our pulse rock solid is right under our noses. Try counting out loud while playing! This is something pianists do and it is a mystery why string players do not. It is the surest way to develop consistency in keeping an unwavering pulse and good rhythm during practice. This means actually saying out loud (and I do mean OUT LOUD) the beats in a measure. This will seem quite difficult at first because it is a learned skill and must be practiced. Over time when it gets easier to speak and play at the same time, one can reduce the volume of one’s voice to a whisper. Ultimately just mouthing or moving your tongue is enough to exact a precise beat, especially when you need it most during pressure situations. Be advised that this does require some patience and short cuts do not achieve the same goals. You will see immediately when you are counting out loud the areas where you are prone to erratic tempo changes.
Choosing a starting tempo for a particular excerpt is something that we spend a good amount of time considering. Once we begin the piece, our mind becomes distracted with all sorts of other technical concerns and we lose our temporal bearings. I am going to discuss four passages where these tempo lapses are chronic. I have witnessed many a successful audition where the pulse is lost in these places. Interestingly, these spots occur either right before or right after a technically intricate passage.
The Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz is a selection chosen to highlight a player’s ability to produce a beautiful tone and navigate the nuanced dynamic indications. The viola section solo begins at the key change in the third bar after rehearsal #1. Counting out loud while practicing this entire passage is advised not only for the tempo consistency but also to make sure your dotted-eighth sixteenth note rhythms are precise. The problem area in this excerpt in regards to keeping a pulse starts two bars before #2 leading into the two-and-a-half beat held E note one bar before #2 (See example #1). This held E is never sustained long enough. Perhaps it seems like an eternity after playing the seven sixteenth notes right before, the most active part of this solo passage. As soon as you start to play the E you must count out loud in a subdivided beat until you release the E after the fifth eighth note (1-and-2-and-3-OFF). Continue over the rest and count in the regular quarter note pulse.
The Sixth Symphony by Peter Tchaikowsky features the viola quite prominently in the first movement. The entire first page and a half needs careful attention to avoid chronic rushing. The most troubled area for maintaining an honest pulse is at rehearsal letter B (See example #2). It is this humble rest that frequently gets short-changed. In the previous bars we get so consumed with executing our saltando bow stroke, first at pianissimo then at piano, that we forget to properly count the rests for two and one sixteenth beats. I suggest playing it many times counting out loud during the saltando passage and including the measures after rehearsal letter B.
Symphony #35 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart poses the same problems with rest counting as the Tchaikowsky symphony. In almost every case after an octave is played in the first movement theme, the following rest is not given full value. The real problem measure finally appears at eight bars before rehearsal letter B (See example #3). After negotiating all of the trills and octaves for practically the entire exposition, we are confronted with almost a four beat rest. This rest always seems interminable. Take your time here, count four steady beats, and secure your bow for the next passage. In the fourth movement the problem is similar. The opening eight bars are precarious as is the return of the theme [fifteen bars after rehearsal letter D] (See example #4). Measures five through eight are the simplest yet the most treacherous. Here the pitch stays the same and so must the pulse. When performed in auditions, the rests between and after the A notes often become compressed. Make sure you finish the A in a steady beat before you rush off to the eighth note passage.
Often the most difficult moments in music are the times when we are doing the least. It is at these junctures that our concentration must remain at the highest intensity. Counting out loud while you practice these passages forces your brain to multitask on an active level. It is your internal tempo gauge being brought to the fore. It has advantages over metronome use since you can access it at anytime. The more you completely engage your personal resources during your playing, the more success you can expect to have in stressful situations. Counting while playing is a skill that can see you through to your practice and audition goals.