Louis Bellson - Odd Time Reading Text: For All Instruments : Rhythmic Studies Designed to Develop Accuracy and Speed in Sight Reading As Applied to Odd Time Signatures

By

And

FOR ALL INSTRUMENTS

Edited by

HENRY ADLER

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The employment of so-called "odd" time-signatures is, nowadays, common practice in all forms of musical endeavor, and music students must be as adept at them as they are at the seemingly more comfortable 4. The authors feel that this text will be a thorough aid in rounding out any student's rhythmic/reading vocabulary, and suggest that it be studied both by percussionists and by players of melodic instruments.

MELODIC APPLICATIONS

When the rhythms of an exercise have been mastered, major or minor scales may be applied to that exercise, in various ways:

Exercise:

One Scale-tone per measure (C major):

One Scale-tone per note (C major):

Arpeggios may be similarly used:

Exercise:

One Chord-tone per measure (F major):

One Chord-tone per note (F major):

The more advanced student may assign a series of chord progressions to an exercise, write its proper symbols above the exercise, and then improvise a melodic line, using the rhythms of the exercise:

Exercise:

Possible Realization:

As can be seen, the possibilities are limitless, and teachers and students are advised to invent as many melodic applications of this material as possible.

Once the student has determined the number of counts (quarter-notes,)per measure in an exercise, there should be no problem in playing either the quarter-notes, or their partials, in that exercise.

1. "In five" (five equal pulses per measure):

For another example, 4 may be heard as:

1. "In seven" (seven equal pulses per measure):