One key element in helping young musicians with counting is lowering the “processing number” (RAM) needed to accurately perform a combination of musical tasks simultaneously. We start with the binary duality of “sound” and “silence”. These first two very basic elements of music both must be given equal emphasis when performing. Silence in music CANNOT be treated as an “afterthought” or a “second class” citizen and at times should be given the priority of focus over music “notes”. When considering “timelines” (such as 8th note subdivisions) the “trinary” concept of “digits” comes into play. Outside of “pulse”, notes and rests can have a one, two, or three subdivision length on that timeline as it is being performed. Not only the length, but the exact position in which that note or rest occurs on its timeline are both of equal importance. Sometimes it is helpful to eliminate the actual “number” sequence for a simpler “down” and “up”, (or arrow) system to be used. In this case, specific timeline locations are irrelevant, and only the note and rest lengths need to be considered. This is one way to lower the required “processing number” needed as students are counting rhythms. When you move on to an aspect of “four-dimensional” counting, that is when the sixteenth note subdivision is brought into the mix. This sets up the concept of the “Four D’s”, which are the timeline symbols of “dashes”, “dots”, digits”, and “dits”. The transitioning from one timeline velocity to another is known as “Time Line Dimensional Transfers”, but that is a whole different topic for discussion at some other time.

 

          “Digit” Counting Sheets 1 through 4:  Many years ago (for ten years) I worked at the Citadel Summer Band Camp with Major Herb Day, an outstanding and very well-known band director in our area. He hosted a morning and afternoon week-long camp as the band director at the Citadel, offering a large variety of classes and bringing in a second “guest” conductor to split the final concert performed on that Friday. He accepted a wide range of youth from our local area for a mere $40 for the whole week and even at that, would give several scholarships for students who could not afford it. From day one, he would correct counting errors by using a “1, up, 2, up, 3, up, 4 up” system, never really explaining it, just doing it. If asked, Herb would simply explain that “the ‘&’ is when your foot comes up anyway, so I just say the word “up”. No student ever had a problem with his explanation, yet I always admired the change of verbiage for its “clarity” and reinforcing that tactile reference of the up position of one’s foot, as most students tend to tap their toe when playing anyway.  

        In “Digit” Counting page 1, one and two-digit notes and rests are introduced and reviewed. The “1, up, 2, up…” timeline is ALWAYS vocalized out loud, with the rest’s being “mouthed” (or possibly whispered). This is accompanied by “clapping” on all “note-heads” and holding your hands together (as you sustain notes the length of a second “digit”). For rests, hands apart from each other and remain apart if a second “digit” is required. I also like to encourage some kind of up-and-down “bouncing” motion with their hands to better help students keep track of where they are in the timeline(s) they are performing. Initially, you hope your students can perform the series of rhythms by simply referencing the timelines written below. Eventually, the student becomes somewhat dependent on its vocalization and can visualize the timeline (on their own), without it being written on the paper. If students are having difficulty vocalizing the timeline, a sequence of “mapping” aides can be introduced to help students get more comfortable with this approach. Quarter notes are underlined for two digits, either on the beat or on the “up”, depending on where on the timeline it is located. All rest timeline locations are identified with “parentheses” and in the case of a quarter rest, two consecutive positions are parenthesized. Number “10” on page one is a bonus or “challenge” seeing if students can (on their own) figure out how to handle mapping out a “dotted” quarter note or rest. This sets up the students for “Digit” Counting page #2.  

        The second “Digit” page adds the three-digit dotted quarter notes and rests. Four or more “digits” are briefly introduced to show how they would be applied, but since these are references to “pulse” notes, which you have probably already covered, they are used sparingly in their application. Ties are not covered in this series at all, but those are easy enough to map out by simply extending the length of the line used to indicate the timeline positions that are connected. After you teach students how to use each page you might start with having the students say (and whisper) the “timeline” out loud as they clap note-heads and hold their hands together for note extensions. If they are not correct, have them map out that exercise and try performing the counting once again. Repeat the process going down the page and eventually the “mapping” procedure is no longer needed. The purpose of pages three and four is to approach the “digit” process from a different thought/brain direction. At the bottom, students are given a map of a specific two-bar rhythm (in 4/4 meter). At the top of each exercise is a listing of the different notes and rests needed to correctly write out the rhythm for the “map” indicated at the bottom. The students are to then write the correct music notation in the middle, directly above that exercise’s mapped-out timeline. These sheets can also be used if students are initially having difficulty performing the marked-out timeline maps to coordinate the hand motions with the notes and rests as marked. Just like before, page 3 focuses on one and two, with page 4 on three “digit” rhythms. You might suggest that your students put “check marks” above each note or rest in the rhythm list at the top as they are used. This will help them keep track of how many of each they have already used when writing out their music notation. The approach I like to use is to work with students on each of the four pages and if they get one line completely correct (on their own) I will assume comprehension has been accomplished. From that point on, I will use other methods and additional sight reading examples where they can apply this process through eighth-note subdivision, syncopation, and “tied” rhythms.  

 

Sincerely,

Rich Moon