CLASSICAL MUSIC ARCHIVES: Students Tip 5

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Students Tip 5
DYNAMICS ARE NOT EXTRA CREDIT!

Dear Friends,

After many years, I still recall the vivid image that listening to the third movement of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings created:

"Out of the early morning mist on the mountainside where I lie, biblical figures emerge partially and approach me, then disappear into the mist before finally emerging to share their message from Beyond..." ( Click here) if you'd like to hear the music that evoked this vision).

If you're asking what this has to do with the importance of dynamics, read on!

Are you ready for something new? OK. Read the description of the image out loud. But do it in a complete monotone: no expression, no breaths, no rise and fall of your voice. Like this.

If the Tchaikovsky you listened to were performed like you just spoke the sentence, would it create much in the way of visions? Not likely.

Why not? Mainly because there were no dynamics - no louds and no softs.

Now: try speaking like that for a little while - you'll see how flat and lifeless your communication will be (to say nothing of how unnatural - even weird - your friends and family will find it)! C'mon - play a little! Don't be shy. Try it!

WHY ARE DYNAMICS IMPORTANT?

As you can see, loud and soft are vital parts of spoken communication. It's the same with music. Without loud and soft (and also in-between), there's no expression, no communication. And our own enjoyment in playing or singing will be lifeless, too. Here's another way of looking at the importance of dynamics:

What's the answer to this little arithmetic problem?

4
2

Is the answer 8? 2? 6?

Right! You have no way to get the answer if there's no little sign - the "operator" that tells you what to do with the big elements - the numbers.

Aha! It's just like in music. We don't know what to do with the big elements (the notes) unless we have the little signs (dynamic markings) to tell us what to do with them.

Consider thinking that there is no such thing as an F...or a C#. There are only Fs and C#s at a certain dynamic level: piano F, mezzo-forte F, or a fortissimo C# or a pianissimo C#.

WHY HAVEN'T I THOUGHT LIKE THIS BEFORE (IF YOU HAVEN'T)?

Our early training was mostly about producing a sound, getting the right notes, learning scales and arpeggios, and playing (or singing) short pieces. Some teachers and methods (Suzuki, for example) taught dynamics early on, but not most.

Then we joined an ensemble. What was the director’s first job? Getting everyone to be quiet, sit up straight, and stop squirming around (that wasn’t you, of course). Learning how play the right notes in the right places, and starting and stopping together was next. Dynamics were usually ignored because there were too many other basics to cover.

For most of us, dynamics weren’t part of our earliest musical experiences. And that’s the main reason we think that dynamics are "extra credit."

DYNAMICS ARE NOT EXTRA CREDIT

They're not. You already know that composers write them in, fine musicians observe them, and ensemble directors talk a lot about them. Hopefully, these facts (combined with the points we made at the beginning of this Tip) have now convinced you that dynamics aren't extra credit at all. Instead, they're a big part of the "grade."

A SURE-FIRE WAY OF MAKING GREAT DYNAMICS

For starters, make sure you're technically able to play or sing a wide range of dynamics. If you're not sure how - or would like to do better - ask your teacher. Now, here's the key to enlivening your music with great dynamics.

Remember what we said in the "Think-play-LISTEN!" Tip? Applied to dynamics, you'll think about the dynamic you're about to play (especially since you've circled it in your music, right?), then you'll play or sing it and, finally, you'll listen to make sure you did it.

But thinking about a piano or forte isn't enough. You'll produce far better dynamics if you know what the dynamic "feels" like. To do this, pick a note that should be sung or played in the dynamic indicated. As you sing or play it over and over, identify the part of your body that is used most strongly in making that dynamic.

For string players, it's probably somewhere on the bow arm; for wind and brass players and singers, the diaphragm, chest, or throat. For pianists, percussionists, and harpists, it's probably in the arms, and for guitarists, the fingers, hand, or forearm.

Once you've got your "measuring spot," memorize how it feels at the dynamic you're playing or singing. Then play or sing a neighboring dynamic. If you've been playing or singing piano, go to mezzo-piano for a while and memorize how that feels. Then go back to piano. Do this from pianissimo to fortissimo.

Get the "feel" of each dynamic level into your "muscle memory" on all the notes you can sing or play by repeating this exercise over and over. When your muscles "know" how the dynamics "feel," you and your muscles will be able to make great dynamics simply by recalling the appropriate feeling.

You'll be amazed at how quickly you'll be able to play or sing a wide range of expressive dynamics. Your music making will then become much, much more expressive, and you'll be able to hear - in your playing or singing - just what the composer heard as s/he was creating it.

With All Best Wishes,

David Barg, Learning Center Director
The Classical Archives, LLC
email: david@prs.net

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