An Analysis of the Repertoire Chosen for the Cello Volumes of the Suzuki Method

<p>This dissertation is directed towards cello pedagogues inside and outside the Suzuki community. It provides a deeper understanding of the origins and philosophy of the Suzuki method, an in-depth analysis of the musical works chosen for each of the Suzuki Cello Method books, and a discussion on the decision to include Suzuki editions of two standard cello concertos as part of the Method. In addition, the thesis covers some common criticisms towards the Suzuki Method.</p>

An Analysis of the Repertoire Chosen for the Cello Volumes of the Suzuki Method

<p>This dissertation is directed towards cello pedagogues inside and outside the Suzuki community. It provides a deeper understanding of the origins and philosophy of the Suzuki method, an in-depth analysis of the musical works chosen for each of the Suzuki Cello Method books, and a discussion on the decision to include Suzuki editions of two standard cello concertos as part of the Method. In addition, the thesis covers some common criticisms towards the Suzuki Method.</p>

Transformations of drum rudiments in jazz performances

<p>A significant part of the training of many performers on the drum set during the last 100 years has involved mastery of drum rudiments and military-style cadences. Consequently, many jazz drummers have built upon such training to develop an individual style that makes use of some of the techniques and rhythms found in these rudiments and drum cadences but which have often been changed or modified in ways that made these rudimental military - style drumming excerpts suitable for their own stylized musical expression. Research Question: Is there evidence in the improvised drum solos of jazz drummers Philly Joe Jones and Steve Gadd to suggest that the rhythmic vocabulary, stickings and techniques they used had their origins in rudimental snare drum cadences, method books and published snare drum solos? If so, how has this content been adapted by each drummer in their musical context(s) to the purpose of communicating their individual approach on the drum set? Method: To propose answers to this question, I have examined representative solos by each of the drummers in my sample and examined those solos for evidence of rudimental content derived from renowned method books, etudes and published solos. Having identified these rudiments (or rudiment-derived ideas) I have sought to identify the possible origins of the rudiments and their transformation to each drummer’s soloing vocabulary. Representative Solos: To select representative solos, I auditioned many recordings by Jones and Gadd. I finally settled on Asiatic Raes, Jazz Me Blues and Joe’s Debut as performed by Philly Jo Jones; Crazy Army and The 11th Commandment as performed by Steve Gadd. These solos, (as I explain in my analysis), are usefully representative of the approaches adopted by the respective drummers and offer a useful window onto the issues this exegesis examines.</p>

Transformations of drum rudiments in jazz performances

<p>A significant part of the training of many performers on the drum set during the last 100 years has involved mastery of drum rudiments and military-style cadences. Consequently, many jazz drummers have built upon such training to develop an individual style that makes use of some of the techniques and rhythms found in these rudiments and drum cadences but which have often been changed or modified in ways that made these rudimental military - style drumming excerpts suitable for their own stylized musical expression. Research Question: Is there evidence in the improvised drum solos of jazz drummers Philly Joe Jones and Steve Gadd to suggest that the rhythmic vocabulary, stickings and techniques they used had their origins in rudimental snare drum cadences, method books and published snare drum solos? If so, how has this content been adapted by each drummer in their musical context(s) to the purpose of communicating their individual approach on the drum set? Method: To propose answers to this question, I have examined representative solos by each of the drummers in my sample and examined those solos for evidence of rudimental content derived from renowned method books, etudes and published solos. Having identified these rudiments (or rudiment-derived ideas) I have sought to identify the possible origins of the rudiments and their transformation to each drummer’s soloing vocabulary. Representative Solos: To select representative solos, I auditioned many recordings by Jones and Gadd. I finally settled on Asiatic Raes, Jazz Me Blues and Joe’s Debut as performed by Philly Jo Jones; Crazy Army and The 11th Commandment as performed by Steve Gadd. These solos, (as I explain in my analysis), are usefully representative of the approaches adopted by the respective drummers and offer a useful window onto the issues this exegesis examines.</p>

Third Position as a Home Position Alternative: A Survey of Views and Approaches of Violin/Viola Instructors

Although violin/viola pedagogues who use the third position as the home position in beginning-level teaching have reported positive experiences, school curricula and most pedagogues’ repertoires remain limited to method books that use the first position. The reasons for this preference have not been adequately addressed in string pedagogy and music education research. This study therefore aimed to examine the opinions of violin/viola trainers on the use of the third position as home position through a survey. A questionnaire sent to various music associations, schools, and violin/viola educators internationally yielded a sampling of 160. The results showed that 73.1% of the participants hold the opinion that the third position is not widely used in beginning-level training, and 63.5% think that method books that employ the technique are insufficient. However, 53.1% of the participants believe that using the third position as the home position may have benefits; 61.1% think that the left hand takes the ideal shape in the third position; and 68.3% think that a wider availability of method books would increase the number of trainers who use the technique to teach. The study found that further research of the technique is necessary, especially for educators who are interested in using it.

Embodying Sonic Resonance as/after Trauma

This chapter shows that interwar French musicians understood music making as a therapeutic, vibrational, bodily practice. Soldiers’ accounts of music making in correspondence and diaries reveal that enlisted musicians were frequently concerned with how music’s organized vibrations offered antidotes to the unpredictable and harmful vibrations of warfare. In memoirs and method books, professional French musicians like Marguerite Long, Émile Vuillermoz, and Marcelle Gerar described singing and piano playing as mentally and physically beneficial sensorial practices. Investigation of scientific, medical, psychology, and musical discourse from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries reveals a genealogy of the perception of music as a healing vibrational medium that was prevalent during and after World War I. In situating these accounts of music making’s benefits within broader international understanding of music’s sonic qualities, this chapter illuminates the role that vibration played in the development of music therapy in France during World War I.

Melody and Accompaniment

This chapter presents material to help students explore playing melody in chordal textures, above an Alberti bass, in an arpeggiated texture, and in single-line playing laced with occasional chords. The uninitiated often view the guitar as a chordal instrument, but technical and interpretive mastery requires the ability to voice any note in any texture at will. Refined and artistic voicing is often difficult for guitarists because the articulation of different parts of a musical texture are divided among the fingers of one hand instead of between two hands, as is often the case on the piano. Karl Leimer acknowledged this difficulty for pianists in 1932, and it holds true for guitarists. The problem is one of right-hand finger independence. Of special interest is the presentation of historical right-hand fingering practices for Alberti bass textures, which are different from those found in modern method books or assumed by modern players.

Repeated Notes

Repeated notes are used frequently in compositions for the guitar as a way to provide the illusion of greater sustain or as a technique to add brilliance. Modern guitarists usually think of tremolo technique when they think of repeated notes, but tremolo technique is relatively recent. This chapter documents the practices used by early lutenists and 19th-century guitarists to play repeated notes and it provides material for studying the various ways these musicians developed their techniques. The discussion of Fernando Sor’s use of the right-hand thumb and index finger for repeated notes will be of interest to today’s guitarists. This chapter also explores the ways in which 19th-century guitarists played passages that modern guitarists might assume to be examples of modern tremolo technique. The fingering practices in this chapter are not covered in standard modern method books.