Keeping A Steady Pulse When Playing Options

[pianist_1210]

I currently tap my foot, but my teacher's banned me from doing it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

Well, tell you what.
Next time tap with your bog toe. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) I seriously do that when I play the violin/viola...because if you tap your foot, the audience will see that, but not if you tap your big toe (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ...that's the secret of which I discovered. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) Hope that it'll be useful to you.

I try but my toes are increedibly uncoordinated!

Well...you'll have to train them to be coordinated!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Anyway well done for fixing the internation problem, so we can see you daily now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Ummmm (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) *confused*

Ah.....another typo....
I was saying well done for fixing the internet problem, because there was an earlier post entitled "Hi from Nicki Flute", as you computer has broke down because of the internet problem or something..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

[nicki_flute]

I have various strengths in flute playing, but I have one major weakness, I find it really hard to keep a steady tempo, I tend to go faster and faster. I am better than I was, but any tips for keeping a steady pulse, especially in sight reading etc?

I feel stupid though - I've been playing for years, I should be able to do this!

"Should" alert! "Should" and "ought" seem to me to be very rarely helpful. I commend to you instead the watchword I ask the members of my elementary orchestra (for adults) to observe:

I can't do that yet!

I think of my metronome as an extremely useful tool, and use it a great deal. I often take it into exams (it's the electronic kind with a flashing light as an alternative to the click) especially if I need to set the tempo at the beginning of the same piece at different speeds for several candidates.

Foot-tapping or toe-tapping isn't helpful, and has lots of disadvantages. I used to sit next to a foot-tapper in orchestra. We rehearsed on a very nice sprung floor, which meant that I felt her every tap through the seat of my chair. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) It's a very difficult habit to break, I suppose mainly because people often aren't aware they are doing it. For a recorder teacher's humorous view of foot-tapping, see Heather Wastie's poem [i]Until I saw your foot[i] from her book of the same name (haven't got the publisher info handy but could find it). It starts:

I thought this music was in four,
Until I saw your foot.
But now I think it must be three
Or maybe five, I can't quite see.
Or six? Or maybe not.

Read it here:

http://www.geocities.com/Principessa07/Foot.htm

Best of luck for this evening's audition. Give them a nice concert!

Thanks :S I hope it'll go ok. I'll read the poem after the audition

I currently tap my foot, but my teacher's banned me from doing it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

Well, tell you what.
Next time tap with your bog toe. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) I seriously do that when I play the violin/viola...because if you tap your foot, the audience will see that, but not if you tap your big toe (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ...that's the secret of which I discovered. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) Hope that it'll be useful to you.

I try but my toes are increedibly uncoordinated!

Well...you'll have to train them to be coordinated!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Anyway well done for fixing the internation problem, so we can see you daily now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Ummmm (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) *confused*

Ah.....another typo....
I was saying well done for fixing the internet problem, because there was an earlier post entitled "Hi from Nicki Flute", as you computer has broke down because of the internet problem or something..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Ah yes! Thanks! Actually, my email isn't working at the moment, but at least the internet does. I thought it was a pun to do with the toe/you meant intonation!

[pianist_1210]

Ah yes! Thanks! Actually, my email isn't working at the moment, but at least the internet does. I thought it was a pun to do with the toe/you meant intonation!

Ah...ha....no (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)
well anyway, it good that problems are fixed.

[George Burrell]

I find my metronome of little help these days. Too inflexible.

I will tape myself, and play back looking for major shifts.

Detailed counting is good when learning notes. But I actually find steadiness increases if you reduce the number of counts per bar as you know the piece better. For example, I might learn a tricky rhythm counting in quavers - but once I have it I will count in crotchets and eventually in minims. Even the "one to a bar" approach at the end.

The logic here is that you get the big picture much steadier if you step back from the fine detail. Microcounting robs you of the more occasional milestone that is easier to keep steady.

While the temptation is to get more and more detailed and fussy to address the problem, you may in fact be doing something to make the variability more pronounced.

[nicki_flute]

I find my metronome of little help these days. Too inflexible.

I will tape myself, and play back looking for major shifts.

Detailed counting is good when learning notes. But I actually find steadiness increases if you reduce the number of counts per bar as you know the piece better. For example, I might learn a tricky rhythm counting in quavers - but once I have it I will count in crotchets and eventually in minims. Even the "one to a bar" approach at the end.

The logic here is that you get the big picture much steadier if you step back from the fine detail. Microcounting robs you of the more occasional milestone that is easier to keep steady.

While the temptation is to get more and more detailed and fussy to address the problem, you may in fact be doing something to make the variability more pronounced.

Thanks for that! For some pieces I am playing, I just have to count in quavers, but with things like 6/8 I no longer count it in 6 but in 2. Taping myself and seeing where I am going out, is also a good idea.