Practice tips: Late off of ties or rests? Try these.
Late coming off of a tie or a rest and playing the rhythm incorrectly or rushing to get back on beat? Add these to your practice toolbox to help you with these kinds of habits.
Metronome - make friends with it.
Yes, use a metronome - but put it on a subdivision: don’t rely solely on the quarter note or other large-beat division to help your accuracy within the beat. If you’re having difficulty coming in on time on sixteenth notes after a tied quarter to the first of a group of sixteenths, a half note beat on the metronome will not help you. In this specific instance, I recommend putting it on at least the eighth note, that way you can hear a much closer subdivision and count the sixteenths easier without getting bogged down with too many ticks.
Late coming off of ties: take out the tie and rearticulate.
Just practice the passage as though the tie doesn’t exist. Of course, when this becomes comfortable and the rhythm becomes second nature, put the tie back in, however do be aware that the old habit might creep through so keep your ears open for that.
When we do put the tie back in, try to hear in your mind what it sounds like without the tie while you’re playing to ensure the rhythm remains correct.
Late coming in from rests: add a note to fill in the rest.
This works especially when we have a small-value rest in an uncomfortable spot within the beat. Examples can include a sixteenth rest on the beginning of the beat or within the beat, a rest at the beginning of or within a triplet, etc.
The tendency is to guess with confidence and wind up learning the rhythm wrong in our practice.
What is helpful is to fill in that rest with a note - so if you’re playing a run of sixteenths but the beginning of the beat is a sixteenth rest, play a sixteenth note there. If you have a bunch of triplets with a rest somewhere within the triplet - add a note. We’re making sure we get the rhythm we play correct, as well as the rest value correct.
When it gets so comfortable that the rhythm is second nature, take the placeholder note out. Make sure to keep an ear out for old habits, and try hear in your mind’s ear what it sounded like when you were playing a note inside that rest so we are making sure to play the rhythm correctly.
While this might seem tedious, they are essential tools to throw in to ensure accuracy in rhythm. And although it might become frustrating if the old habits slither back in, it’s completely possible and it doesn’t make you less of a player. Just go back to the exercises listed, and keep at it.
Another note about the metronome: don’t react to the beat, anticipate it.
If any of these helped you, or if you’re going to give them a try, I’d love to hear about it!
If you’re looking for a flute teacher, wanting to try flute lessons, and/or want to build your practice strategy toolbox, I have space available in my online studio - I would love to work with you! I have a couple of different offerings - click here for info on regular enrolment for ongoing flute lessons, click here for info on my flexible flute lessons bundles, and click here to contact me if you’d like to get started but don’t know what’s right for you!