Topic: Pedagogy - Melodic Instrumental Rhythm
Rhythm need not be restricted to percussion instruments. Melodies may contain durations that are not binary divisions of one another. When a measure begins with a short note like a sixteenth, so a longer note begins a fraction later, it is considered syncopated. There’s no term for the opposite, the equally rhythmic longer note followed by a shorter one. [1]
Melodic rhythm assumes certain mental and physical skills. Merry Texter reviewed band method books published before 1973, and noticed "in most of the books published before 1940, the sixteenth note is the shortest unit of duration. After 1940, the eighth note is more frequently the shortest unit of duration." [2]
She added the elimination of the sixteenth note "affects the rhythmic complexity. Syncopation, triplets, and compound and complex rhythms are more common in books published before 1940." [3]
An eighth note, was as far as many of the modern instruction manuals I could purchase went. Accent on Achievement introduced them in series of four spelled by two quarter notes in "Bile Them Cabbage Down." [4] John O’Reilly and Mark Williams followed this with a theme from Haydn’s Surprise Symphony. Students played it through once with quarter notes, then repeated it with every other quarter note turned into two eighth notes. [5]
Using quarter notes to anchor series of eighth notes can easily become habitual. The Yamaha Band Student, edited by O’Reilly and Sandy Feldstein, broke up the mental pattern with a version of "Skip to My Lou" that changed from repetitions of a quarter and two eighths to repetitions of a quarter and four eighths and then to two eighths and a quarter (Xxx/Xxx to Xxx/xxX to xxX/Xxx). [6] This motif is common in drum books, but not brass or reed ones. Both editors were percussionists and used this exercise in their later books. [7].
The two Essential Elements books used the more familiar eighth notes leading to quarter notes pattern for the Southern dance song. [8] This kind of simplification was partly the result of lowering the beginning age for instrumental training. As mentioned in the post for 1 August 2018, there simply were things a twelve-year-old could do that an average nine-year-old could not. Harry Haines and John McEntyre introduced sixteenth notes in lesson 21 of 22 of their Division of the Beat. They included part of "Dixie" with the challenge: "This line is too difficult for this book. Can you play it?" [9]
Beginning band book editors introduced variations to a beat on every count slowly. The first alteration young musicians were taught was the "tied note," a half or quarter note that was sustained longer. Thus, a half-note tied to a quarter note took the time of three beats. A quarter-note tied to an eighth-note was the more radical one-and-one-half beats.
Without the sixteenth note, the dotted-quarter preceded or followed by an eighth note was as irregular as instrumental instruction books could be. Texter recorded the motif appeared in "every book published between 1907 and 1940" but was absent from "eighteen books published after 1940." [10] The combinations appeared in most of the manuals I looked at. Among the ones containing "Kumbaya," it only was missing from Yamaha Advantage.
Accenting notes by playing them stronger without altering dynamics appeared in many, but not all the method books I reviewed, but the use of staccato began disappearing in the early 1990s. The only "Kumbaya" band books to teach students to introduce irregularity into a string of notes of even duration by playing a "note 1/2 its normal length" were Accent and Band Folio.
Accent, along with all the other method books, converted "Kumbaya" from 3/4 to 4/4 time. As mentioned in the post for 29 July 2018, several slowed the tempo to largo. They kept the dotted-quarter/eighth notes at the beginnings of lines, but eliminated the syncopation of the final "Lord." They all turned the eighth/dotted-quarter-note figure into a quarter note/dotted half.
The elimination of melodic irregularities like syncopation coincided with changes in the repertoire. When folklorists complained many of the British folk songs like "Auld Lang Syne" weren’t really traditional, they were dropped by singing book editors in favor of international folk songs. The Irish reels had used quick patterns of notes, while ones by Robert Burns contained the Scottish snap that used the syncopated eighth/dotted-quarter pattern. [11]
Editors also began dropping songs by Stephen Foster and other tunes from nineteenth-century minstrel shows because they were associated, if not by text, by association, with negative stereotypes. Many of those with faster tempi happened to include African-American rhythms. Yamaha Advantage’s version of Foster’s "Camp Town Races included staccato notes followed by rests. [12] Rhythm Master’s arrangement used eighth notes followed by dotted quarters. [13] Accent used neither in an early exercise. [14]
The elimination of these folk and popular tunes marked the final triumph of the western European view that some instruments existed to play melody or harmony, and only drums played rhythm. Thus, the tunes with rhythmic melodies were not replaced with songs from African-American tradition. [15]
Some books had pieces labeled as "boogies" that used series of even eighth-notes ascending and descending the scale. [16] Band Expressions included works by Duke Ellington and George Gershwin that relied on quarter and eighth notes. "‘S Wonderful" had one dotted-quarter note followed by an eighth. [17] Robert and Susan Smith also included a number of more recent songs, only, by the time the book was published they either were passé or had been popular before fifth graders were born. [18]
Instead of finding other familiar songs with rhythmic melodies, band book editors used Latin songs with series of eighth notes. This was partly because their purpose was training instrumentalists, and there were few unique African-American concert band instruments. [19] Cuba had the conga and shakers and claves. The exercises then resembled Ginsberg’s arrangement of "Kumbaya," melodies with evenly divided notes played by the reeds and brass instruments against Latin percussion.
Accent used a Jamaican tune to illustrate tied notes. The insertion of two quarter notes into a string of half notes created a rhythmic melody that was hard not to change to a dotted-quarter and eighth note to fit the way "Mary Ann" was pronounced. [20]
The next Latin song, "Chiapanecas" used the same broken chord pattern as the Haydn theme from the Surprise Symphony found two pages earlier, but every note in the phrases was an eighth except the first and last, which were quarter notes. [21] "La Bamba," also from México, used series of eight notes introduced by quarter-notes (Xxx). [22]
O’Reilly and Williams were unique among the books containing "Kumbaya" in not completely abandoning the older rhythmic melodies and also were unique in introducing syncopation. The Scots "Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon" concluded with a measure that began with an eighth followed by a quarter note. It had been preceded by three instances of its opposite, a dotted quarter and an eighter. They arranged it as a duet with the second part starting the syncopated measure with a half note. [23]
"Bonnie Doon" was followed immediately by the Appalachian "Tom Dooley," which began a measure with a staccato eight note and rest before a dotted half note that coincided with the word "Dooley" (x X). [24] The next page had "Las Mañanitas," which reversed the syncopated pattern. That is, measures began with dotted quarter notes followed by three eighths (Xxxx). [25]
Numerically, the rhythmic permutations and syncopations were few in a songbook that regularized "Kumbaya" and "Camp Town Races." They could have been omitted by band directors who thought them too challenging for their students, for nothing required them to teach every exercise. However, the mere fact the tunes took more practice might have helped to instill the skills necessary to playing irregular melodies: quick tonguing and, more important, flexible thinking.
Performers
Accent on Achievement for B-flat trumpet
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: none
Instrumental Soloist: none
Instrumental Group: B-flat trumpets
Instrumental Accompaniment: none
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
Accent on Achievement for B-flat trumpet
African Folk Song
Notes on Lyrics
There were none
Notes on Music
Accent on Achievement for B-flat trumpet
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: largo
Key Signature: one flat
Basic Structure: played melody through once
Unique Features: the trumpet part was conventional. The clarinet part, as mentioned in the post for 11 July 2018, was arranged to test player’s abilities to negotiate the break. The combined parts began with parallel octaves and ended in unison.
Audience Perceptions
The book was widely used by band teachers, and thus attracted a number of comments on Amazon. Most were laudatory or kvetches about bad copies shipped by third-party vendors. One person complained it had a "few wrong notes in some songs;" [26] they may in fact have been variations in the melody intended to give young musicians experience playing parts.
One young man testified:
"I’m not sure if all schools use this same book but my school was probably one of the best, probably because of this book and our instructor. This book is very simple to understand and includes pictures in color that make it more interesting. We used this book for learning, and for playing at concerts. In one year our class went from not knowing how to clean and put our instrument together, to playing intermediate songs." [27]
Notes on Performers
Accent on Achievement was produced by John O’Reilly, who was a percussionist, [28] and Mark Williams, who began playing clarinet. [29] Each had taught band, O’Reilly in East Meadow, New York, [30] and Williams in Spokane, Washington. [31]
When Alfred Music asked them to produce a new method book that was in compliance with the National Standards for Arts Education in 1994, [32] Williams "created elaborate flow charts to track what had been taught and then track where it was reinforced throughout the book. This careful review cycle was built into the method and it is one of the concepts that helped make Accent on Achievement so successful." [33]
O’Reilly’s earlier work for Alfred on Yamaha Band Student was discussed in the post for 11 July 2018.
Availability
Book: "Kum Ba Yah." 30 in Accent on Achievement. Book 1. Bb Trumpet. Edited by John O’Reilly and Mark Williams. Van Nuys, California: Alfred Music, 1997. It came with a CD. Books also were available for flute, oboe, various clarinets, various saxophones, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, baritone horn, trombone, tuba, electric bass, combined percussion, and piano.
End Notes
1. Syncopation was discussed in the post for 19 August 2018.
2. Merry Elizabeth Texter. "A Historical and Analytical Investigation of the Beginning Band Method Book." PhD dissertation. The Ohio State University, 1975. 105-106.
3. Texter. 109.
4. Accent. 12. "Cabbage" was a fiddle tune.
5. Accent. 12.
6. Sandy Feldstein and John O’Reilly. Yamaha Band Student. Van Nuys, California: Alfred Publishing Company, 1988. 12.
7. Accent, 13, Yamaha Advantage, 14. Publishing information on other method books containing "Kumbaya" was included in the post for 27 June 2018.
8. Essential Elements, 8, and Essential Elements 2000, 10. Both contained "Kumbaya."
9. Harry H. Haines and J. R. McEntyre. Division of Beat. Book 1. Cornet/Trumpet, Baritone TC. San Antonio: Southern Music Company, 1980. 26.
10. Texter. 109.
11. Willi Apel. "Dotted Notes." 242-243 in Harvard Dictionary of Music. Edited by Willi Apel. Cambridge: Belnap Press, 1969 edition. 243. Robert Burns used strathspeys for "Auld Lang Syne" and the closely related "Coming through the Rye." The strathspey was a dance characterized by the use of Scottish snaps. (Wikipedia. "Strathspey (Dance).")
12. Yamaha Advantage. 21.
13. J. R. McEntyre and Harry Haines. Rhythm Master. Book 1. Cornet/Trumpet, Baritone TC. San Antonio: Southern Music Company, 1992. 25.
14. Accent. 15.
15. The only common African-American song was "When the Saints." Fred Weber used it in 1962 without syncopation. For more Weber’s use, see the post for 27 June 2018.
16. "Bottom Bass Boogie." 18 in Essential Elements and 21 in Essential Elements 2000.
"Band Boogie." 39 in Now Go Home and Practice! Book 1. Bb Trumpet/Cornet. Edited by Jim Probasco, David Grable, and Dan Meeks. Dayton: Heritage Music Press, 1994.
"Boogie Blues." 24 in Tradition of Excellence. Book 1. Bb Trumpet/Cornet. Edited by Bruce Pearson and Ryan Nowlin. San Diego: Neil A. Kjos Music Company, 2010. This one used the scale in thirds and added accidentals.
17. Band Expressions. Book 1. Trumpet. Edited by Robert W. Smith and Susan L. Smith. Van Nuys, California: Alfred Publishing Company, 2003. Gershwin, 36-37; Ellington 40-41.
18. For instance, Todd Rundgren’s "Bang the Drum All Day" was released in 1983 (page 15), while Perry Como recorded "Catch a Falling Star" in 1957 (page 17).
19. Banjos, guitars, and folk instruments like washboards weren’t concert or marching band instruments, except by the Mummers in Philadelphia. All the commercial band books included tambourines. Many of the Cuban instruments, in fact, were Afro-Cuban.
20. Accent. 10. "Mary Ann" was popularized by Harry Belafonte in 1958
21. Accent. 14. They titled the exercise "Mexican Jumping Beans."
22. Accent. 20. Ritchie Valens recorded "La Bamba" in 1958.
23. Accent. 32.
24. Accent. 32. "Tom Dooley" popularized by The Kingston Trio in 1958.
25. Accent. 33. It was a Mexican folk song.
26. Lion. Comment posted 17 December 2012. Amazon website for Accent on Achievement, Book 1, Percussion, 1 June 1997 paper edition.
27. Ruben. Comment posted 16 February 2013. Amazon website for Accent on Achievement, Book 1, Percussion, 1 June 1997 paper edition.
28. "Prolific Composer and Alfred Music Editor John O’Reilly Speaks to SUNY Potsdam Master’s Graduates." readMedia website. 9 May 2014.
29. "A Tribute: Mark Williams." Choral Director website. 11 March 2008.
30. readMedia.
31. Choral Director.
32. Tracy Lee Heavner emphasized the importance of the new standards in "An Analysis of Beginning Band Method Books for Principles of Comprehensive Musicianship." DMe diss. University of Northern Colorado, 1995. Cited by Brandon K. McDannald. "A Comparative Summary of Content and Integration of Technological Resources in Six Beginning Band Methods." MA thesis. University of Central Missouri, May 2012. 4.
33. O’Reilly. Quoted by Choral Director.
No comments:
Post a Comment