A Method of Pedagogy for Tuplets and Polyrhythms
Payton MacDonald
Univeristy of Wisconsin Oshkosh
My
paper and poster presentation explores a pedagogical method that prepares
students to accurately interpret polyrhythmic music. The paper includes
exercises aimed toward helping students develop a mastery of polyrhythms, and
some discussion regarding the importance of learning a basic repertoire of
polyrhythms (an analogy will be made between polyrhythms and intervals) and
learning how to learn new polyrhythms. I take as a premise that polyrhythms
cannot be learned unless one has a firm grasp of how to realize different
tuplet groupings. Therefore, several exercises are given that help musicians
interpret tuplets more accurately. These include moving between different
tuplet groupings and practicing syncopated patterns within the confines of
unfamiliar tuplets (e.g. 5s or 7s). Exercises aimed toward improving a
student's control of polyrhythms are also given. These include
"accelerating" and "decelerating" polyrhythms and practicing
hearing the polyrhythm from two different rhythmic perspectives.
Payton MacDonald, Assistant
Professor
Director of Percussion and
World Music
University of Wisconsin,
Oshkosh
800 Algoma Blvd.
Oshkosh, WI 54901
(920)
424-7030