Advice for Student who Already Reads Rhythm
Found in: Reading, Students with Prior Experience
Kim N., Texas
I have an adult student that can already read some (childhood traditional lessons) that I recently started in Reading Rhythm. She is having trouble playing 5SS on the first few pages of the MOR book. She is only playing one finger because she says that’s what the notes are telling her to do. I don’t think she’s trying to be difficult as she is a compliant student, rather I think she is truly having trouble separating the rhythm from the pitch. Any suggestions? I was a complete piano novice when I started Simply Music so I didn’t have the same struggle.
Shanta H., Minnesota
Kim,
I wonder if writing her some rhythm tracks with only a single line through the noteheads instead of the staff would help – take it out of context, I mean. I might also have her just play only singles or only doubles or only quads – not reading the notes, just doing it – using 5SS. I have had to do this a lot with a couple adult students who read music previously. I play Honey Dew, and have them just play the different components, singles, doubles, quads, etc. with both hands on C. My point is for them to get a true kinesthetic feel for how each component feels in their bodies.
Joanne J., Australia
I understand exactly what your student is experiencing having come from a strictly reading based background myself. We do not realize just how powerfully (and deeply) we are driven by the written note until something like this is asked of us. I found I first had to acknowledge that I needed to let the actual note go and make a concentrated effort to only pay attention to the value of each note so Shanta’s suggestion to remove the staff is a great one as it takes away any notational instruction and therefore brings us back to the magic STP (single thought process). Once she gets used to that, playing it from the Rhythm book will be much less of a challenge.