Jollet - Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 1 (beginners 1) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

A - Rhythms

This manual can be used in various ways.
Although certain rhythms are found further on, they can be practised before others.

Various kinds of exercises are proposed :

• traditional exercises incorporating variations in tone and phrase early on
• exercises in 2 parts introducing polyrhythms from the outset (whereby each exercise must of course be performed by a sole student)
• rhythmic ensembles to be performed by miniature orchestras
• alternate exercises - for two groups of students (written on 2 staves) - or for a single performer (written on a single stave)

All these exercises contain notes to be read (with a calculated progression of notes) and notes to be tapped (with the hands, with a pencil, etc...) or to be read on a single syllabe.

At the end of some pages, one or two empty staves give the student the chance to "compose" a line of rhythms (based on those practised in the course of the lesson) which he will "dictate" to the rest of the class.

B - Clefs

Here too, there arre two possible approaches :

• treble clef on its own
• treble clef and bass clef together

It felt it was a good idea to start vertical reading early on.

Each group of notes can be read in various manners, according to the teacher's preference :

• slow reading
• rapid reading
• "previous" reading (the student reads in silence and then, covering up the group of notes, out loud)

The purpose of these exercises is essentially technical. They become completely meaningless unless they are linked to musical texts.

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 2 (beginners  2) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

This volume follows volume 1.

It contains similar exercises including, amongst other features :

• an introduction to rhythmic improvisation
• reading of clefs using various simple rhythms

These lessons are intended for young children : they are short and are intended to be varied.

Nevertheless, some of the exercises may seem quite difficult. These should enable more advanced or older students to develop their knowledge of acquired notions.

Reminder :

• tapped rhythm
• a rhythm tapped or read on a single syllabe
• 2 parts = an exercise to be performed by a single student playing the two parts together (one read, the other tapped)

It can also be prepared by 2 separate groups.

An empty stave or single line indicates that a student must compose a series of rhythms of his choice which he will dictate to the rest of the class.

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 3 (beginners 3) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

Here are some reminders to help in using this manual :

A - Playing with rhythms ...

• tapped rhythm
• a rhythm tapped or read on a single syylabe
• 2 parts = an exercise to be performed by a single student or the same group of students. Il will be a good idea to prepare it in advance with 2 students
• 2 groups or rhythmic ensemble = "rhythmic orchestra" composed of 2 or more groups
• in alternation = a text to be performed by 2 groups following each other without any pause
• improvisation = individual or collective, as indicated, comprising rhythms already learnt
• 1 or 2 empty staves = stave(s) for one of the students to compose a series of rhythms comprising rhythms used during the lesson, which he will then "dictate" to the class.

B - ... And playing with clefs

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 4 (medium 1) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

A - Playing with rhythms ...

• binary rhythms
• ternary rhythms
• mixture of rhythms

As in the foregoing volumes, the ternary rhythms are separated from the binary rhythms (apart from 4 pages of mixed rhythms).

This should enable the teacher to go back and forth between the study of binary and of ternary rhythm as he pleases.

B - ... and playing with clefs

• Great stave treble clef and bass clef
• c-clef on the third line
• treble clef, bass clef and c-clef on the third line
• c-clef on the fourth line
• treble clef, bass clef and c-clef on the fourth line

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 5 (medium 2) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

A - Playing with rhythms ...

• binary rhythms
• ternary rhythms
• mixture of rhythms

As in the foregoing volumes, the ternary rhythms are separated from the binary rhythms (apart from 3 pages of mixed rhythms).

This should enable the teacher to go back and forth between the study of binary and of ternary rhythm as he pleases.

B - ... and playing with clefs

• Great stave treble clef and bass clef
• c-clef on the fourth line
• treble clef, bass clef and c-clef on the fourth line
• c-clef on the third line
• treble clef, bass clef and c-clef on the third line
• treble clef, bass clef, c-clef on the third line and c-clef on the fourth line

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 6 (medium 3) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

The first part of this work is devoted to rhythmic work and follows on logically from the exercises proposed in the foregoing volumes, composed of :

• specific practice of certain difficulties
• varied exercises alternating classical texts, polyrhythms, an introduction to improvisation, rhythmic ensembles, etc...

These exercises are restricted to a normal range so that the student can play them on his instrument. They fulfil their purpose only if all the rhythmic indications are respected : the tempo given, phrasing, variations in volume and dynamics in every case.

The second part, devoted to the study of clefs, is differently conceived from the foregoing volumes. From this level onwards, the new clefs (the C-clef on the first line, then the C-clef on the second line and the F-clef on the third line) (volumes 7 and 8) are used solely for transposition and for transposing instruments. Here we present extracts from works to be read in real sounds. Naturally, we have kept the original texts, that is to say with the rhythms, variations in volume and the phrasing, etc..., just as they are found in the score.

Hence, following on from the detailed study in the foregoing works, a synthesis of the various elements of music is gradually attained. The reading of clefs is progressively transformed into the reading of a score accompanied by an interior reading.
Some of these texts can be studied from all the aspects of musical education.

Only the new clef is introduced at first in a more conventional manner.

Playing with rhythms... and playing with clefs book 7 (higher 1) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

The level attained in this volume represents the completion of amateur musical formation.

Reflexes for technical learning of new ideas, whether rhythms or the reading of clefs, for example, must be better mastered. This explains why this 7th volume contains less simple technical exercices. Here we present texts giving a synthesis, that is to say, really musical applications involving major texts of the great repertory. The idea of playing is still fully maintained !

Reading of rhythms and clefs is never any more than an exercise (however indispensible). It is never an end in itself. All these texts, by major composers, can be taken as the starting point for more detailed work leading quite naturally to internal hearing.

As regards the technical exercises, they remain within reasonable limits and can be read on an instrument.

It should never be forgotten that tempo and dynamics are among the foremost difficulties in reading. Musicians will have to face difficulties of this order rather than the problems involved in decyphering some rhythmic puzzles which seem to call for a pocket calculator than for a metronome !

Lastly, we have preferred to avoid artificially including contemporary notation within classical texts and to devote two entire original pages to this new aspect of reading.

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 8 (higher 2) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy et A. Holstein

The level attained in this volume is already a pre-specialization level.

Reflexes for technical learning of new ideas, whether rhythms or the reading of clefs, for example, must be better mastered. This explains why this 8th volume contains less simple technical exercises. Here we present texts giving a synthesis, that is to say, really musical applications involving major texts of the great repertory. The idea of playing is still fully maintained !

Reading of rhythms and clefs is never any more than an exercise (however indispensible): it is never an end in itself. All these texts, by major composers, can be taken as the starting point for more detailed work leading quite naturally to internal hearing.

As regards the technical exercises, they remain within reasonable limits and can be read on an instrument.

It should never be forgotten that tempo and dynamics are among the foremost difficulties in reading. Musicians will have to face difficulties of this order rather than the problems involved in decyphering some rhythmic puzzles which seem to call for a pocket calculator rather than for a metronome !

Lastly, the presentation of an extensive extract from Sequenza III by L. Berio permits a practical approach to contemporary vocabulary.

Playing with rhythms ... and playing with clefs book 9 (specialization) by Jean-Clément Jollet

Collection directed by M. Bleuse, J. Dauchy and A. Holstein

This last volume deals exclusively with rhythmic reading. For simple reading of clefs, we shall take advantage of all the scores (chamber music, orchestra, etc.)

The exercise we propose are of two kinds :

• Playing with rhythms..., developing certain specific difficulties (added values, irregular groups, speed reflexes, etc.). Some of these games comporte references, given as footnotes, to original compositions which contain similar difficulties.
• Original compositions, almost all selected from the contemporary repertory.

With the exception of the last score (by Penderecki), no contemporary notation is employed. In point of fact, each composer tries to find his own code, and certain signs correspond to each instrument, concernong the sound effect sought after rather than the process of reading itself.

Finally, the student should remember that difficulty is not always incompatible with the idea of playing - even though some rhythms seem to call for a pocket calculator rather than  a metronome !