Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #339751 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-28
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 176 pages

The publisher, Prentice-Hall Humanities/Social Science
A collection of approximately 300 graded one- and two-part rhythmic studies -- mostly 12 to 16 measures long -- that are intended to be sung, spoken, and tapped or clapped.

From the Back Cover

Fluency in reading musical rhythms, and accuracy in performing them, are essential skills for musicians. To help students acquire these skills, Studying Rhythm offers over 350 extended rhythmic studies, to be sung or spoken, tapped or clapped. Each of the thirty-one carefully graded chapters deals with a different meter or metrical patterns or rhythmic combination. The book begins with the simplest patterns in short measures and progresses to cross-rhythms and metric modulation, and may therefore be used for three- or four-year programs in musical theory and skills.

• musically coherent studies, in such traditional simple musical forms as ternary, variation, and canon.
• studies of sufficient length to afford repetition, reinforce learning, and give practice in maintaining a steady tempo.
• many two-part and some three-part studies, providing practice in solo and ensemble performance of different rhythms and, in later chapters, conflicting rhythms at the same time.
• studies suitable not only for reading, but for dictation, improvisation, and composition.
• materials that may be used with a variety of pedagogical approaches, several of which are explained.
• very short preparatory exercises for each group of studies and
• a chapter of cross-rhythms based on patterns found in African music.

• a three-part study in each chapter.
• studies dealing with septuplets.
• more studies with dynamic shapes specified, which foster performance as an enterprise in music-making.

Customer Reviews

A good, progressive textbook on rhythms
This book was loaned to me by my music theory teacher after I finished Ed Sueta's "Rhythm Spectrum". Unfortunately, I was practicing my rhythms, and laid the book on the floor in the basement so I could take a nap, and it, along with several other books, got ruined when the washing machine overflowed. So I inherited a good, but damaged book (I'm buying a new one for my teacher to replace the ruined one). And in the meantime, I'm reviewing the rhythms.

The thing that makes this book challenging is that it progresses in many ways with each new rhythmic concept. The concepts are similar to Sueta's method, but they require you to change tempos, follow dynamic markings and phrasing, and use multiple limbs (up to both hands & both feet), as well as speaking rhythmic passages.

The book advances quickly, and after completing Sueta's book (which is no walk in the park), the new challenges this book provide me are enough to make it a stretch to complete one unit a week.

While I would not probably buy this particular book had it not been for the unfortunate accident, I am glad to have it (wrinkled & slightly mildewed as it is) in my growing music-resource collection. It's a technique book, not a reference book. And for that, it is useful.

While the price is obscene, this is the sad fact with any textbook, and that is an issue that should be remedied through congress and your local schools. However, I do not try to make it a practice of rating books on the price. Since I rarely ever buy a book at the regular price (thanks to Amazon and my local used bookstores). So, my rating is despite the large price tag.

A decent book, a horrible value
Chances are, if you're in the market to buy this book, it's because it's required for a class. This text provides a wide range of rhythmic exercises that are meticulously arranged in order to ease students through progressively harder territory. Indeed, there can be no doubt that a great deal of work was put into the creation of this book as a very useful pedagogical tool. (Though it should be noted that it is fairly useless for reference.) That said, it is a very slender volume for such a dear price--a very great expense for your average college student. Ms. Hall and her publishers should be truly ashamed to be driving such a hard bargain.