Carol’s Piano Studio
Volume 1
Issue 4
Carolspianostudio.yolasite.com
March-April 2013
Inside this issue:
Rhythm Hall of Fame
Rhythm, Rhythm
Everywhere
2
Tempo
Guidelines
2
Metronome
Trivia
3
Go the Distance
3
Calling All Artists
4
Play List
4
Contact
Information
4
Important Dates:

Performance class week
Developing good rhythm
is a vital part of music
study.
Learning note values,
understanding time signatures, and counting
out loud are all part of
establishing a sense of
rhythm in our music.
For the last few weeks
students have been challenged to explore rhythm
through a variety of activities.
During lessons, students
play board games especially designed to reinforce note values and
rhythm concepts.
The addition of an i-Pad
to the studio has providname is entered into the
ed the ability to upload
Rhythm Hall of Fame.
appropriate theory exerIt’s so exciting to see
cises. The completed
students come to their
page can be emailed to
lessons eager to face the
the student or parent.
next rhythm challenge!
Students
are
also
tapping, Nathan and Madison Oswalt playing
playi ng
a nd
Rhythm Roll at their lesson.
writing rhythms.
Challenges start
out easy and
progressively
become
more
difficult.
Once
ten
rhythm
challenges
have
been successfully
completed,
the
student’s
March 25 to 29

Spring Break
March 30 to April 7
no lessons, studio closed

Lessons resume
Monday, April 8

SAVE THE DATE
Studio Recital
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Performance Class Week—March 25 to 29
At performance class, we
will finish our unit on
rhythm by participating
in
rhythm
ensemble
pieces, playing rhythm
games and performing
for each other.
Pieces for performance
class are chosen from
the Lesson or Performance books and are to
be memorized.
Performance class offers
a supportive setting for
playing pieces from
memory. All students
are required to attend.
(Please note: This performance class is not in
preparation for a recital.)
Rhythm, Rhythm Everywhere
If you listen for it, you can find
rhythm just about anywhere: in
a basketball being dribbled,
raindrops falling, or hands clapping. Rhythm is what makes
music move and flow.
Rhythm is made up of sounds
and silences.
These sounds
and silences are put together to
form patterns of sound, which
are repeated to create rhythm.
A rhythm has a steady beat but
it may also have many different
kinds of beats. Some may be
stronger, softer, shorter, longer
than others. In a single piece
of music a composer can use
many different rhythms.
Tempo is the speed of the music. It’s a steady constant pulse
like a clock ticking. Tempo can
be slow or fast or in-between
and it can change during a
song. Tempo influences how
music sounds and feels. The
same piece of music will sound
different if you play it faster or
slower.
Musicians often use Italian
terms to describe different tempos. These terms say how fast
or slow to play a song.
Tempo Guidelines
Tempo terms are indicators of how fast or slow to perform a piece. These terms are usually located just
above the staff at the beginning of the piece. Often there will also be a metronome marking to indicate
which type of note gets the beat. Other factors that influence the performance tempo are the style of
the piece, the meter, note values and the performer’s ability. For example, J. S. Bach gave no indication
of the tempo of his pieces, but usually referred to a style such as “Prelude,” “Polonaise,” “Gigue,” and so
on. The performer is then left to decide determine the tempo, but should avoid extremes.

Largo – slow and stately. MM = 40 – 60

Larghetto – slow tempo, but slightly faster than Largo. MM = 60 – 66

Lento – a slow tempo

Adagio – slow, restful, at ease. MM = 66 - 76

Andante—walking tempo. MM = 76—108

Moderato – moderate tempo. MM = 108-120

Allegretto – rather quick tempo, but not as quick as Allegro. MM = 120

Allegro – fast. MM = 120 - 168

Presto – very fast tempo. MM = 168-200

Prestissimo – fastest tempo. MM = 200-208

Vivace – brisk, lively and spirited
When musicians
want to practice
at
a specific tempo
they use a
metronome.
Page 2
Carol’s Piano Studio
Volume 1
Page 3
Metronome Trivia

In 1696 Etieune Loulie became the first to use the pendulum principle to create a metronome. His
invention and dozens of others that followed were not successful, because a very long pendulum
was needed to beat at the slow speeds of some songs.

The metronome is basically a pendulum similar to what is on a clock. The difference is that the
speed of a metronome can be adjusted.

Dutch inventor Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel created the first mechanical metronome in 1812. Credit is
often given to Johann Mälzel, who patented a portable metronome in 1816 using some of Winkel's
ideas.

In 1817 Beethoven became the first notable composer to include metronome markings in his compositions. Most pieces of music since that time include a suggested tempo in beats per minute.

Mechanical metronomes are wound by hand or with a key. Handheld, battery-powered metronomes
produce an electronic pulse that can be both seen and heard. More recent versions include online
metronomes and metronome applications for your cell phone.

Standard metronome speeds range from 40 to 208 beats per minute. Settings correspond with
tempo markings in a composition, from largo (40) to prestissimo (208).
Go the Distance … D=RT
Ever wonder how long it will
take you to play your piece of
music?
To find out, you could play it at
a steady tempo and time it with
a stop watch or you could use
the mathematical formula for
distance. You know the one,
D=RT (distance equals rate
multiplied by time).
We are
solving for Time so our equation is T= D/R ( time equals
distance divided by rate).
Yes, this actually works! Music
and math are closely related, so
get your pencil and calculator
ready.
In our problem, distance is the
number of individual beats. To
find the distance you need to
know the top number of the
time signature and the total
number of measures in your
piece (remember to include any
repeats).
Multiply the two
numbers together.
Your answer is the distance.
For example let’s say that my
piece is in 4/4 time and has a
total of 200 measures, repeats
included (it’s a really long
piece!). I multiply 4 x 200.
800 is the distance.
Now we need to know the metronome marking. That number
is the rate. If there is no metronome number for your music,
just look at the tempo term.
Let’s say that my music is
marked moderato, which is
108. My rate is 108.
One more step and we will have
our answer. Divide the distance
by the rate. The answer is approximately how much time, in
minutes, it will take you to play
your piece, provided you stick
to the steady tempo. So, I divide my distance, 800 by my
rate, 108. Hmm that looks like
this: 800/108=7.40 mins., or
about 7 minutes and 24 seconds to play my piece.
Teach me to play!
2117 NE 159th Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98684
Phone: 360-882-4678
E-mail: [email protected]
Carol’s Piano
Studio
Carolspianostudio.
yolasite.com
Calling All Artists!
If you like to draw, this one is for you.
Design the cover of the June recital
program! Three different drawings are
needed, one for each recital group.
Drawings are to be original, in black pen, on white letter
size paper in portrait orientation. It should be suitable
for photocopying.
You may submit as many drawings as you like. Entries
close April 30th.
Students will vote for their favorite drawing. The three
drawings that receive the most votes will be used for the
programs.
Play List
Want to hear examples of great rhythm?
Check out these pieces on Youtube.com!

I’ve Got Rhythm … George Gershwin

Fascinating Rhythm ... George and Ira Gershwin

Unsquare Dance ... Dave Brubeck

Tango from Espana ... I. Albeniz

Brandenburg Concerto Nos. 1 to 6 ... J. S. Bach

Washington Post March ... John Phillip Sousa

1812 Overture … P. Tchaikovsky

The Moldau … Smetana