You’ve probably heard about this one before. But are you really making the most of this invaluable practice technique?
When you have a passage of 16th notes (or any other consistent rhythmic value), you can gradually uncover helpful information about it by adding different rhythm patterns to the passage.
Consider this a friendly reminder to get reacquainted with your new (old) best friend.
Or inspiration to give rhythms another try.
Or ... the lucky day when you first learned about this almost-miracle cure for clunky passages and stumbling fingers.
1: Get to know your passage
Before turning to rhythms, develop a basic familiarity with the passage as written.
Plan out your fingerings
Train your hands and fingers to navigate the basics of the passage
Work it up to tempo – or at least close. (Maybe even break out the metronome for this stage.)
2: Practice with different rhythms. Be humbled. Learn a lot. Repeat.
Use the rhythms at the end of this post and apply them to your passage.
Aim to get each one up to the same standard of accuracy and beauty that you want for your passage as written
Keep your performance tempo in mind, and work each rhythm up to an equivalent tempo
Enjoy the challenge of the hairy rhythms: even if you don’t get them sounding good, they still force you to learn something new about your passage
Some rhythms will feel like finger twisters. Some will feel like brain twisters. All will be opportunities to learn something about the passage – something you might not have noticed otherwise.
Many times, rhythm practice can help you solve the mystery of why a particular spot is tripping you up. Other times this stage just strengthens your basic understanding of the passage. Either way, the passage gets more and more resilient.
Extra Credit - Combine with bowings.
You can always do each note on a separate bow, and leave it at that
If the passage has slurs, you can try maintaining the slurs with each different rhythm
In SOME cases, combining the rhythm patterns with different slur patterns (for example: 2 slurred, 2 separate) will also pay off. But this has great potential to become a black hole of infinite combinations with little to no actual payoff. So tread cautiously with this one.
3: Review, renew, revive
Once you’ve learned a passage, your job is to maintain it ... and maybe even improve it gradually. Rhythms are still great for this stage. My favorite is a “rhythm sandwich,” which I heard about a few years ago:
The bread: play through as written
The filling: play with a handful of rhythms (3-5, maybe)
The bread: repeat once more as written
The rhythm sandwich: not as tasty as this actual sandwich, but better for your concerto.
Table of rhythms
The possibilities for different rhythms are endless, but these will help you solve 99% of the passages you encounter.
click image to enlarge
Have you tried any of these? Is there a can’t-miss rhythm that I missed? Let me know about it in the comments below!
I’m a violinist and private teacher in the Chicago area, and in a previous musical life I was in a professional string quartet. Teaching violin and chamber music are dear to my heart. Send me a note or leave a comment on a post — I’d love to hear from you.
