staircase
Main content : identify and perform dynamic range, from ppp to fff
Pedagogical objectives:
The student is able to program an 8-step sequence with crescendo using an arpeggiator.
The student is able to synchronize the metronome with the arpeggiator.
The student is able to trigger the play function with precision, following the gestures of the conductor.
Pedagogical intentions
- Improve the students’ perception of dynamics
- Familiarize the student with the functionality of the arpeggiator and the metronome.
Outils
Process
An initial acoustic experiment
By clapping hands or tapping a percussion instrument, create a smooth crescendo from ppp to fff, during 8 beats.
One can imagine all sorts of variations…, for example:
- Create four sub-groups and pass along the sequence from one group to the next;
- Divide the class in two groups. The group on the left goes from ppp to fff, while the group on the right simultaneously does the opposite (fff to ppp).
Implementation with the Fonofone
[individual work]
- The teacher asks the students to choose a short, dry sound. (This can be a fragment of a longer sound, by using the selection tool.)
- With the help of the arpeggiator, the student creates a series of progressive intensities over 8 steps, from very soft to very loud. The pitch must remain unchanged, while the volume rises with each step.
- The teacher listens to and comments on each execution.
[group work]
The objective is to collectively create a clearly perceptible crescendo.
Use one of two tools :
- The metronome tool, set at the same tempo for everyone, for example, 160 BPM. In this case, the start-time must be perfectly synchronized.
- The step-sequence tool, which allows one to advance step-by-step within the arpeggiator. In this case, the student must follow very closely, the beat of the conductor.
The teacher initiates a synchronized start for the group
- The student triggers the start of their metronome or, if using the other option, responds precisely to the conductor, with the help of the step-sequence tool.
- Assessment: Was the entire group well-synchronized? Was the progression of volume evident? Was the global effect homogeneous, despite the timbral differences or, on the contrary, were some sounds prominent and others inaudible? If this was the case, can we explain why and suggest solutions? (For example, by inviting the students to adjust their volumes in such a way that there results a more balanced “orchestral” character to the ensemble.)
An interesting variation:
- The teacher divides the group in two.One of the two groups inverts the direction of the arpeggiator.
- Synchronised start-time for all.
- Assessment: Was everyone in sync? Was the transition from one group to the other (cross-fade effect) effective? Was the spatial movement from one group to the other clear?
