How do I play Ambience Mussettiene?

[Jaime_Dergut]

Hello,

Recently, I've been trying to learn this song but I find it particularly difficult timing both sides and speed.


Can I have some advice from the community here?


I am struggling with this section:



Thanks in advance.

 

[Ben-jammin]

There’s nothing special going on for the left hand. All the challenge is on the right hand. Practice the right hand by itself until you can play it without much concentration before adding the left.

For the right hand I would start by counting the rhythm in my head
1 2triplet 3triplet 1 2 3 1 and 2 triplet 3 and etc… as I play. Do it Slow and only speed up after you’re solid at the slow speed.

 

[Ben-jammin]

Also, don’t bang your head up against it. If it’s being too frustrating take a break, work on something else and come back to it later fresh.

 

[JeffJetton]

Good advice from Ben-jammin. I'll just emphasize... practice it sloooooooooooooooowwwwwlllllyyyy.

Like, absurdly slow. So slow that you feel stupid playing it that slow. That's the tempo you want.

Slow practice is musical penicillin... it cures just about everything.

 

[Dingo40]

Can I have some advice

Well,
This may be how I might approach it:
The left hand is straight forward 3/4 time (1,2,3 etc), so use it as your scaffolding and fit the treble into it (each measure adds up to a total of 3 beats ).
Here's where the " ta te ta" system of reading beats comes in handy .
(Mine may be a little eccentric but it's the idea that counts ).
First measure treble:
Ta tateta tateta= ta ta ta (for the bass)
Second measure treble:
The A lasts for the whole measure (and for one beat into measure 3)
It is briefly joined for a beat each by F and E. So, begin by holding down the A (ta) then chiming in the F ( ta) let the F go and chime in the E (ta), end of measure ( keep hold of the A into the next measure because of the "tie":ta)
Third measure:
Holding the A, chime in the E flat and C (half a beat each: ta te).
Then play the triplet: tateta = one beat.
Then the final beat A and C half a beat each: ta te .
And so forth...
What may be helpful is something like:

French Time-Names System – Ta, Ta-Te​

This is one of the earliest known systems for rhythmic training and was developed in the early nineteenth century in France. This system of rhythm reading was named the French “Time-Names system”, and also sometimes called the “Galin-Paris-Cheve system.” Originally notes were counted using a French word for a duration regardless of the meter. For example, “noir” (black) is said for each quarter note, two eighth-notes are “cro-che” (eighth-note), a half·note is “bla-anch” (white), and four sixteenth notes are counted “dou-ble cro-che” (double eighth-note). Taken together, any given simple rhythm can be spoken and then performed using these patterns easily and fluidly.

Toward the middle of the nineteenth century the American musician Lowell Mason (affectionately named the “Father of Music Education”) adapted the French Time-Names system for use in the United States. Instead of using the French names of the notes, he replaced these with a system that identified the value of each note within a meter and the measure."
I have a paperback book along these lines but I couldn't find it to cite it.
Being able to verbalise the beats from printed music I find very helpful .

---

 

[Dingo40]

Here's more on the general idea :

Why Use Rhythm Names? - Deborah Smith Music

Really in need of some rhythm reading tips in music? Find out how and why to improve your music theory and sightreading skills this way!

dsmusic.com.au

 

[Rosie C]

Can I have some advice from the community here?

I'm not sure it's good advice, but when I'm learning pieces with tricky timing section, I've been known to transcribe it into Musescore, which can then play with perfect timing at whatever speed I want.

 

[JerryPH]

I am struggling with this section:

I think you may be looking at it as a whole, and that can be daunting. Whenever you see something that hs challenging, break it down in to tiny chunks.

Let's look at this starting from the first measure.

I want to separate the left and right hands and once I've spent about 5-10 minutes getting each side down even a little, I then break it down even further.

This is a waltz, 3 beats per measure.

First measure, first quarter note, C on the left hand, D (2nd finger on the right hand if its a PA), on the right hand... play together SLOW for 10 repetitions, then move on to the next beat in the measure.

First measure, 2nd quarter note on the bass is an F-major note linked to the triplet of notes above C D E (on PA a natural 1-2-3 fingering)

First measure 3r quarter note on the bass again an F-major note linked to the triplet of notes above F G G#(on PA a natural 1-2-3 fingering again)

As Jeff says, sloooooooowwwwwwllllllly, then do the same process. Once you can play the complete measure 5 times without error, only then move on to the next measure. Once you have 2 measures, link them together and play them together SLOWLY 5 times then move on to the 3rd measure. Baby steps will win the day!

That is how I break things down.

For a person of less experience, the challenge will be to understand and link/play a specific number of notes per beat. Some beats have 1 note, some have 2 notes and the triplets are 3 notes per beat. Separating hands so they are at least a little comfortable alone and then working on one beat of one measure at a time will guarantee success.

 

[NickC]

I would first come up with a fingering, and use it every time.
Then, I like to set the metronome super slow and play it in time. After I can play it at that speed, I add a few BPM to the metronome and play it again. I keep adding a click or two until it is up to speed.

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

Thanks everybody for your replies.

Getting the first measure right was driving me nuts because I always messed up that swift transition to A flat while playing both hands but I'm getting better.

I was going to give up at first thinking that I'm not physically able to do this song yet, but thanks to your support here, I think I can play it.

Also, pardon my greediness for not sharing the entire score.

Here they are!


I'm still working on page 1. Look forward for page two and I'm glad I would have more support from the community here if I run into further trouble.

Regards,

Jaime

ps: This is such a pretty song. I was surprised that my mentor accordionist of 60 years of experience didn't know it and he was glad that I shared the score with him as well.

 

[Tommaso B]

Some good and practical suggestions offered here. For me, I've found from long experience that first hearing the tune played by someone else is a big help in getting its basic sound and rhythm instilled in my brain. Then it's a matter of repetition, bar by bar, first at slow cadence, determining fingering, treble side first, then adding left hand chords, etc. You gotta be patient with yourself....

 

[dunlustin]

This might help:



or

 

[dak]

Well, I'd start by only playing the top line against the rhythm. Whether "rhythm" means a metronome or drum computer or the actual right hand depends on how mindless mechanically you can get that left hand going without getting infected by the right hand play. There is a bit of trickiness not getting caught in the alternation of triplets and regular eighths. Be sure to get on the beat what belongs on the beat.

If that works like clockwork, you can add the second voice. Its trickiest location is like the one you've written "1 2 3" above since one is really tempted to play this as triplets. Instead, the first note comes in on an off-beat because the whole 3 eighths are sort of a pickup.

If the rhythm so far has been supplanted by a metronome or drum machine, that's the point of first practising the left hand with that same backdrop and finally add the top line and, once that rolls, the second melody line. If the rhythm already was supplied by the left hand, why you may be done. Just repeat until things are not just fluid but make sense, and the phrases are "making words" instead of notes as isolated letters.