Playing Ballet Class Music
The Motosonus Method was devised to give pianists and composers access to tools that would enable them to provide a very high quality of ballet class music. In the most general terms the Motosonus Method provides ballet class pianists a set of guidelines for playing ballet class music with categorical tools which are intended to make the music more powerful in its role in the teaching setting of the ballet studio.
One of the main methods of accomplishing this is by using the the placment of the beat and the melodic and harmonic content of the music to form a dissonance and consonance that mirrors the tension and relaxation taking place in the dancers' muscles.
The most important of these techniques is the manipulation of the beat or pulse. It was discovered that the utilization of rhythm has a larger impact on the dancers in a class than any other single part of the musical accompaniment.
The character of the music is tailored to fit each ballet exercise through the location of the downbeat and through the manner in which the downbeat is played. For instance, by pushing the beat forward, sometimes called "rushing the beat," and widening it by rolling or arpegiating the notes, the pianist can create the impression of expansiveness. This is useful in the ballet exercises that require the bigger muscles of the body, and which require large sweeping motions from the dancers. When the bass notes are played exactly on the beat, or "in the pocket,", it creates a feeling of driving forward which is ideal for ballet exercises that need a briskness and precision.
By purposefully manipulating the beat, the pianist can create a musical tapestry that compliments and boosts the movements of the dancers, which both assists them in performing the exercises correctly and also improves their progress towards their goals.
One of the main methods of accomplishing this is by using the the placment of the beat and the melodic and harmonic content of the music to form a dissonance and consonance that mirrors the tension and relaxation taking place in the dancers' muscles.
The most important of these techniques is the manipulation of the beat or pulse. It was discovered that the utilization of rhythm has a larger impact on the dancers in a class than any other single part of the musical accompaniment.
The character of the music is tailored to fit each ballet exercise through the location of the downbeat and through the manner in which the downbeat is played. For instance, by pushing the beat forward, sometimes called "rushing the beat," and widening it by rolling or arpegiating the notes, the pianist can create the impression of expansiveness. This is useful in the ballet exercises that require the bigger muscles of the body, and which require large sweeping motions from the dancers. When the bass notes are played exactly on the beat, or "in the pocket,", it creates a feeling of driving forward which is ideal for ballet exercises that need a briskness and precision.
By purposefully manipulating the beat, the pianist can create a musical tapestry that compliments and boosts the movements of the dancers, which both assists them in performing the exercises correctly and also improves their progress towards their goals.
About the Author:
This posting is brought to you compliments of Gaylord Pannitron. The Motosonus Method is used in The First Class Albums, a collection of ballet class music CDs by composer/choreographer/pianist, Don Caron. You can check them out in Amazon's Ballet Class Music library.
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