Favorite Scales? Favorite Rhythms? etc.
No explicit, hateful, or hurtful language. Nothing illegal.
Playing any scale (major or minor, similar or contrary motion) with one hand playing a straight rhythm, and the other playing a dotted or swung rhythm is great for coordination and general awareness - and if you want to play jazz, this will also enable you to work on different degrees of relaxation or tightness in your swing pulse. Switching which hand plays which rhythm is a good thing to be able to do, especially on changes of direction. For example, you could play C major, left hand straight, right hand swung - on the way up. On the way down, left hand is swung, right hand is straight.
Other patterns are: accents! Accent every second note, then every third note, then every fourth, fifth, etc. Try different accenting patterns in each hand. Then, as before, different accenting patterns in each hand for each direction.
Another variation: play scales in eighth notes for two octaves up and down (two notes per beat). When you get back to the starting point, go back up and down for three octaves in eighth-note triplets (three notes per beat). When you get back again, go up and down again for four octaves at sixteenth notes (four notes per beat). You can also combine this with either of the above two exercises in order to practice more than one thing at once, or for a greater challenge.
I practice all of these depending on what I need to focus on. Accents develop power and stability in the fingers, and for heavier accents, the forearm. Different rhythms (providing practice is focused!) make you more aware of where the pulse is, and allow you to free yourself from having to count everything. (In other words, it helps to create a sense of pulse within your head so that you can just feel it, rather than having to count it.)
Other patterns are: accents! Accent every second note, then every third note, then every fourth, fifth, etc. Try different accenting patterns in each hand. Then, as before, different accenting patterns in each hand for each direction.
Another variation: play scales in eighth notes for two octaves up and down (two notes per beat). When you get back to the starting point, go back up and down for three octaves in eighth-note triplets (three notes per beat). When you get back again, go up and down again for four octaves at sixteenth notes (four notes per beat). You can also combine this with either of the above two exercises in order to practice more than one thing at once, or for a greater challenge.
I practice all of these depending on what I need to focus on. Accents develop power and stability in the fingers, and for heavier accents, the forearm. Different rhythms (providing practice is focused!) make you more aware of where the pulse is, and allow you to free yourself from having to count everything. (In other words, it helps to create a sense of pulse within your head so that you can just feel it, rather than having to count it.)
Another great post by Electrode, thanks a lot! Regarding the accents, it would be great if Synthesia would also consider velocity differences in the score. Then you could also observe how well you are doing with your accent exercises.Electrode wrote:Other patterns are: accents! Accent every second note, then every third note, then every fourth, fifth, etc. Try different accenting patterns in each hand. Then, as before, different accenting patterns in each hand for each direction.
I know we've talked about visualizing it before (falling note width or falling note opacity), but I still haven't had a chance to play around with it. Ideally, whatever we ended up using would automatically carry over to the performance analysis view where your own notes are shown overlaid on the song's.TonE wrote:... it would be great if Synthesia would also consider velocity differences in the score.
EDIT: Sorry for interrupting. I feel like I shouldn't be allowed to post in the same topics as Electrode because I am just a distraction. His stuff is great.
You guys crack me up!
I do get the "Are you a girl or a guy?" question a lot, yes - mainly from those in the United States, where the name Ashley is predominantly female. However, in the UK, where I'm from, Ashley is a name used mainly for males. You can probably deduce now that I am a guy.
And Nicholas, don't worry about interrupting! I feel honoured when the creator of Synthesia has anything to say in a topic I'm contributing in.
EDIT: TonE and cairnz, did you see the video I posted up on YouTube about the swing pulse? You should have seen that I'm a guy already!
I do get the "Are you a girl or a guy?" question a lot, yes - mainly from those in the United States, where the name Ashley is predominantly female. However, in the UK, where I'm from, Ashley is a name used mainly for males. You can probably deduce now that I am a guy.
And Nicholas, don't worry about interrupting! I feel honoured when the creator of Synthesia has anything to say in a topic I'm contributing in.
EDIT: TonE and cairnz, did you see the video I posted up on YouTube about the swing pulse? You should have seen that I'm a guy already!
Of course not.Electrode wrote:EDIT: TonE and cairnz, did you see the video I posted up on YouTube about the swing pulse? You should have seen that I'm a guy already!
To spice up this topic, here another great and crazy musician: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6EMAiSyBag (Consider it as a swing example maybe. )