We’ve just put the finishing touches on our new book, “Play It Right the First Time: The Oboist’s Guide to Becoming a Master Sightreader in Just 10 Minutes a Day.”
In the book, I talk a lot about rhythm and pulse, and how very important that is to being a great sightreader. When it really comes down to it, having great rhythm and a rock solid (yet flexible) inner sense of the pulse is half the battle.
To really get a good idea of what pulse feels like, I always turn to the music of Bach. For me, there is no composer better at creating that sense of constant, effortless rhythmic motion.
Here’s an example of my husband on the organ accompanying some trumpets in an arrangement of a Bach Cantata movement.
The piece is in 3 so the pulse is a bigger, slower one. But you can almost picture the “big wheel” spinning around and around. Of course the wheel is a bit lopsided, which gives you that added emphasis on the downbeat.
Developing your own inner sense of this idea is key to becoming a master sightreader.
Take a listen…
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My name is Maryn Leister. I am a graduate of the Juilliard Pre-College Division and the Eastman School of Music, where I was a student of Richard Killmer. After graduating from college, I lived in Nashville, TN, then headed to Knoxville, TN, New York City, and finally Chicago...
