Blog 58. The 'AND' is Not Enough
Jan 25, 2024Using the 'and' is NOT enough
So we have a dog.. her name is Noodles. She's a 10 month old totally brown bernedoodle and a real delight for everyone! She looks giant teddy bear dog and gallops like a little horse. lol She's wonderful. The kids love her, the adults love her, my piano students love her, everyone loves her.
Now if you've ever had a dog as an adult, you know that it's important to train your dog consistently and accurately or they don't really learn what you're trying to teach them! By this I mean using the same command each time for specific actions you want them to take.
Now, because we have a backyard that isn't grass everywhere (and currently has half melted snow and muck), when we let her in it's important to me that she comes in and SITS DOWN on the door mat. I want those muddy paws dried off a bit at the very least. lol.
Unfortunately, not everyone in my family is as diligent as I am in requiring her to do that so she hasn't learned that as an automatic action after coming in the house. Sometimes people let her in and she's allowed to fly right through the house to the front door to see who's there. Sigh.. dirty rug coming right up, ech.
Now you might be thinking to yourself, Lorel, why are you telling me this story about your dog? I thought this blog was about music. It is.. today's topic is..
Consistent Clarity in Counting
Here's the thing, when a teacher verbally marks an exercise with +1 +2 +3 +4 etc, it's WILDLY UNCLEAR what musicality they're looking for in the exercise! Using a count and '+' is great but it's not enough if it's not spoken musically.
I hear this version of marking when a teacher doesn't know their exercise very well so they're thinking as they mark and I hear it when teachers are marking adage (because there's something about marking a slow exercise that's difficult to keep the musicality of it!)
Unfortunately..
Marking with only the counts and the '+' together with large gaps of silence becomes a huge problem promptly if a teacher is working with a musician because the musician has no idea what the teacher actually wants. The gap of silence between the counts is extra long and unmetered.. and therefore totally unclear for us to hear what kind of meter'd music the teacher has in their mind's eye.
I've heard it said that as long as the teacher uses the '+' when they mark, they'll be clear about what they want. I have to respectfully disagree. Here's why.
+1 +2 +3 +4 etc
The '+' is pretty much useless when it's used this way, it's not indicating anything. We need the 'a' as well!
It could be..
+|1_+|2 _ + |3 _ + |4 _ + (which translates into a 3)
+|1+a|2 + a |3 + a |4 + a
It could also be..
+ 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + etc..
a duple meter that the teacher may be struggling to keep even as they count their slow 4/4 adage. (An extremely common struggle so don't feel bad if this is you!!)
The confusion lies in the giant gap of silence between the counts.
When the silence between counts is large and unmetered, it could mean anything! There can be silence, but it needs to be a part of the musical quality of the exercise. We use it often when marking galops for pique turns.. +1 +3 +5 +7+8. The second dancer count is implied in the way you count it! Silence isn't bad.. if it's part of the musical marking of the exercise!
Here's what I don't know as a pianist after hearing an exercise marked with large unmetered gaps of silence:
How fast does the teacher want it?
What meter are they wanting? Duple? Triple?
What quality of movement does the teacher want?
All of these questions are answered when a teacher can mark their exercise in the meter they want by using the '+' and the 'a' as well as silence to continue their marking.
Unfortunately the dancers in the studio are in the same position as the musician! They know where to be on each count but they don't know what movement quality the teacher is wanting and they are not mentally and physically checked into the meter the teacher has planned because that hasn't been clearly verbalized. When the music starts, the dancers will likely be behind/off the music because they didn't have a real sense of the musicality ahead of time.
Using counts and 'and/+' is not enough. (Telling Noodles to come in is not enough, she needs consistent clear commands in the first place or she ends up in trouble because she's running around the house with dirty feet!)
When a teacher can use their vocal quality to speak, in musical rhythm, what the exercise is.. using the +, the 'a' and silence consistently, everyone benefits and expectations are clear! Consistent clarity when marking is so incredibly important and valuable in a dance teacher!
If you are with me and would LOVE to gain a better understanding of HOW to do this in class using many different music types, consider taking The Official Music Training Course for Ballet Teachers! It's a dream machine of a course that will guide you through all the music theory you'll ever need to know to be an incredibly musical ballet teacher! PLUS, I've got a secret discount code for you (BLOG40) for 40% off full pay registration (CAD or USD)! This is an extra special discount code that you won't find anywhere else!
Keep using great music and challenging your dancers to develop in their understanding of rhythm and music in dance! xoxo Lorel
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