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Beginner Instrumental Skills Guide

This document outlines three sets of beginning-level instrumental skills: 1) Basic instrument-mechanical skills such as posture, breathing, embouchure and hand positioning. 2) Musical skills including rhythmic elements like beat, meter and syncopation; tonal elements such as notes, chords and modes; and expressive elements like dynamics, articulation and phrasing. 3) Notational reading skills including using flash cards, rhythm slides, counting systems and method books. Daily practice of fundamentals like breathing, embouchure and tonguing is emphasized.

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Brianna Williams
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114 views1 page

Beginner Instrumental Skills Guide

This document outlines three sets of beginning-level instrumental skills: 1) Basic instrument-mechanical skills such as posture, breathing, embouchure and hand positioning. 2) Musical skills including rhythmic elements like beat, meter and syncopation; tonal elements such as notes, chords and modes; and expressive elements like dynamics, articulation and phrasing. 3) Notational reading skills including using flash cards, rhythm slides, counting systems and method books. Daily practice of fundamentals like breathing, embouchure and tonguing is emphasized.

Uploaded by

Brianna Williams
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Three Sets of Beginning-Level Instrumental Skills

1) Basic Instrument-Mechanical Skills


a) Posture
b) Breathing*
c) MP Assembly (Clarinet & Saxophone)
d) Embouchure* & MP Sound (Flute, Clar., Sax., H/M Brass, Tuba)
e) Tonguing* (Reeds, others)
f) Inst. Assembly (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trombone, Snare/Bell Kit)
g) Hand Position/Carriage (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Cornet, Horn,
Trombone, Euph., Tuba, Snare/Mallet Grip,
Vln./Vla: R & LH, Vc: R & LH, Bass: R & LH)
h) First Pitches & 3-note songs
*) Daily Warm-up of Mechanics: Breathing, Embouchure, and Tonguing

2) Musical Skills
a) Rhythmic Elements
1) Steady Beat/Tempo
2) Meter (Groupings of beats)
3) Patterns
a) Figures and rests with one or more beats (2, 3, and 4 beats)
b) Subdivisions of the beat in duple (8th-notes, 16th-note combos)
c) Syncopation w/ eighth-notes in duple meter
d) Subdivisions of the beat in triple (8th-notes, 16th-note combos)
e) Syncopation w/ eighth-notes in triple meter
*) Instrumentally, reinforce proper basic tonguing technique:
a) Starting pitches w/light tongue.
b) Ending pitches with air, not tongue.
b) Tonal Elements
1) Resting tone (Do)
2) Patterns over chord progressions and in modes.
a) Chords and Functions. Ordered: Tonic, dominant, subdominant.
b) Modes Ordered: Maj., min., dor., mixolydian, phrygian, lydian
*) Instrumentally, reinforce characteristic instrument timbre:
a) Firm embouchure + fast air = Good Tone
b) Legato before staccato
c) Loud before soft
c) Expressive Elements
1) Loud/Soft
2) Sudden Dynamic Change
3) Gradual Dynamic Change
*) Instrumentally, reinforce equal air support at all dynamic levels
4) Articulation
*) Instrumentally, reinforce LAH, DAH, Dah, Dot
5) Phrase Shape

3) Notational Reading Skills


a) Using Tonal Flash Cards
b) Using Rhythm Slides
c) Counting Systems
d) Using the method book
Five-Ways to Work a Line
Supplementary material

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