Developing Pulse and Rhythm

Every note tells you two pieces of information: What pitch to play and how long to play that pitch for. It's easy for learning musicians to focus primarily on the pitch aspect while practicing intonation, deciding which fingering to use or what position or string to play on. But noticing the rhythm that constructs the beautiful melodies in any piece of music is another issue.

This course gives you precise guidelines for developing your sense of inner pulse, or feeling a beat, and how to divide each beat to create the rhythms you see constructed in the music you play.

By looking first at the role of pulse, what it is, where it comes from and how to create it, this course lays the steady foundation you need to understand rhythm reading and performing as a separate skill from pitch. Included in the course are written rhythm and pulse exercises you can practice on your own, at home with a metronome or even together in a group setting. We study both duple and triplet derived rhythmic patterns with various tempos, how to practice your repertoire looking only at rhythm separately from pitch, and when to use various counting tools while you perform. Learn to practice these elements in chamber music settings or solo settings, complete with online rhythm and pulse training resources and connection to our Facebook page for personalized support as you practice.

Training your inner pulse to have olympic-level strength will move your playing to higher levels and help you achieve gratifying musical performances, in solo or ensemble situations.