Rhythm Names Part 1

Hi All
My first flute teacher would continually yell every time I miss counted a piece of music. I just couldn't grasp all his 1&2&'s. I would try to count but I would be so busy counting I would forget to play, or so busy playing I would forget to count. I found the whole experience caused me a lot of unneeded anxiety.

I even got to the stage where I believed I could never play rhythmically, all because the teacher could not teach with any other strategies than the way he counted.

The subdivision method worked well for him and many others but it didn't work for me. I ended up being a copier and follower of everyone else rather than truly counting rhythms myself.

It took until I entered university to find out there are other possible methods to play in time and rhythms correctly.  I found out about using simple time names while keeping a constant beat. Also that practising with a metronome would not make me play like a robot without expression as my first teacher had taught me.   Shock!!!

I always thought time names were for preschool kids not realising that anyone could apply the simple principles and improve their rhythm.

In the next few blogs I shall give a general overview of one way you can use time names. In this post I shall show and demonstrate simple time names in 4/4.(Time names vary across the world these are just the names I use)

Note I use the consonants "t" and "k" each time a note changes much like the tonguing and double tonguing we use as flute players.

Simple time names 4/4 no rests.

1/4 notes (Crotchets) 

Have a listen below

Note:You only change notes on a "t" or "k" consonant. If a sound doesn't have this it is tied to the previous "t" or "k"

1/2 and Whole Notes (minim and Semi-breves)

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Notice the tied aa's after the Taa.

Have a listen

1/8 notes (quavers)

Have a listen

1/16 notes (semiquavers)

Have a listen

1/8 + 2/16

Have a listen

2/16 + 1/8

Have a listen

Part 2:  Simple Dotted Notes and Rests