Keeping Time

bcarll · #1 08-20-2002, 12:02 AM

Been doing my note reading studies and real proud of my progress. With just a half hour a day devoted to note reading I have gotten pretty good in just a month. Now reading sharps and flats( key of F & G) but see no problem with advancing to other keys. I was talking to a friend who is studying classical guitar about keeping time and my concerns about how you mentally or physically count quarter and sixteenth notes and he said his teacher counts out loud saying DAH for quarter notes and DIT for sixteenth notes. Kinda like a morse code sound. Have any of you ever heard of this and do you recommend counting like this? Of course a metronome is being used too.

bcarll

bcarll · #2 08-20-2002, 12:18 AM

Sorry if this overlapped a previous post called Do you Count? (poll) but no one really answered this question in the poll other than to say I don't count.

bcarll

Son of Spam · #3 08-20-2002, 12:22 AM

I was taught differently. Now I don't necessarily count it out, but when I'm site reading something difficult, these old ways to sound em out are sure helpful.

But Quarters we're always counted 1, 2, 3, 4

Eigth (did I spell that right? man I'm out of it) notes would be counted 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

Sixteenth notes were counted 1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a

Triplets were counted as TRI-PA-LET

I have never heard about the Dit Dah way... I know that brass/reed instruments are often instructed to say Dit, Dat, and Dah as a way for syncopation.

Than again, my way might not be the best.

JimK · #4 08-20-2002, 04:24 PM

It's called phonetics, right?

Anyway, I do like Ed Friedland's(writes a column in Bass Player mag) "hig-a-dee" thingee for triplets.

For 1/16th note triplets-
"Hig-a-dee Bog-a-dee"
(...& you can use the above for consecutive 1/8th triplets &/or rests).

CS · #5 08-20-2002, 04:47 PM

My son's snare drum teacher taught him

tea
coffee
lemonade
coca-cola

The Lowest · #6 08-20-2002, 10:27 PM

When I practice with a metronome I like to count so that the metronome clicks on 2 and 4. I think this helps in developing a groove. It emulates the snare drum for a funk or rock drummer and the hi-hat for a jazz drummer.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #7 08-21-2002, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JimK

"Hig-a-dee Bog-a-dee"...

I don't really know why, but every time I read this I get this ****-eating grin on my face and just have to laugh.

hayngman · #8 08-21-2002, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chris Fitzgerald

I don't really know why, but every time I read this I get this ****-eating grin on my face and just have to laugh.

Me too bro.

JimK · #9 08-21-2002, 05:48 AM

...whatever works.

Actually, I like Chris S's son's thing.
"Lemonade", anyone?

Bruce Lindfield · #10 08-21-2002, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CS
My son's snare drum teacher taught him

tea
coffee
lemonade
coca-cola

Drummers love mnemonics! At Jazz Summerschool recently, I was talking about the "cascara" drum pattern for use with Tumbaos in Latin music and one of the student tutors who is a drummer, came out with a phrase to help remember this - unfortunately I can't remember what it was!

Bruce Lindfield · #11 08-21-2002, 07:45 AM

PS Here's a cascara illustration: