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Internal Time (exercise)
Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 (1 votes) 
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DanielB
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April 17, 2015 - 5:50 pm
Member Since: May 4, 2012
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"Internal time" is the sense of the beat that you have when there isn't something providing a reference, like a metronome, drummer or other accompaniment.  If you have to tap your foot when you're playing alone, to stay on the beat, some might call that internal time, but a lot of teachers and musicians won't. 

Like your intonation or anything else, it can get better with practice.  I ran across some fun(?) drum tracks for practising it.  This one is a "3+1", meaning that after it gets going, the drums will play for 3 bars and then be silent for a bar.  If you are right there on the beat when the drums come back at the start of the next measure, then your internal time is doing good. 

These are about 10 min or so long, which is enough for a nice workout/exercise to work on your internal time.  They're available in different tempos, if you want to maybe start a "program" with working at a different tempo every day or week or whatever.  Or if there's some piece you're working on polishing, doing your scale or arpeggio practice at the tempo (and key) of the particular piece can make the rest of practice go a whole lot easier since you'll be "warming up" in it before working on the piece.

This sort of exercise maybe isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I figure some of us here work on such things, so I figured I'd post it.

Bon apetit!

"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman

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StoneDog
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April 18, 2015 - 8:55 am
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You always finding GOOD stuff. SWEET!!!! > I like it > looking forward to trying it out after work today. > Thanks

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DanielB
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April 18, 2015 - 5:18 pm
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Glad you like, StoneDog.  Stuff I share here is usually just stuff I found for myself.  LOL

"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman

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Ripton
Vermont, Massachusetts or somewhere in between
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April 19, 2015 - 5:01 pm
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This is great. Any idea how to get it onto my iPhone?

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coolpinkone
California, the place of my heart
April 20, 2015 - 2:47 pm
Member Since: January 11, 2012
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cool stuff.  So when tapping to that drum.. am I counting to three.  The fourth is not a rest?   I am a bit challenged.

Funny.. this internal time.  I have  this new thing.. used to be the body back and forth.. now it is a tapping foot...  .. (whether it is useful or not)...

I noticed when playing some songs yesterday I was tapping away.  I don't think I was tapping to what a metronome  would have used for the songs I was playing.... hard to explain...   I noticed it with some of the faster songs.. however it seems the foot is tapping double time.  I have never learned to tap my foot and play.. this is all new. ??? 

Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato

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DanielB
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April 20, 2015 - 3:21 pm
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When it gets going, it is 3 measures of 4 beats each, and then a measure of 4 beats of silence.  The game is that you keep playing through both the drum part and the silent part, to see how close you can come to staying on the beat through the silent bit and if you are on the beat when the drums start again.

Exercises like this are just a way of checking your timing, and making it into a sort of game. 

"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman

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coolpinkone
California, the place of my heart
April 20, 2015 - 3:41 pm
Member Since: January 11, 2012
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Thanks Daniel.   I saw it changing as it got higher.  I think I have adult learning issues.. ha ha.

Great Exercise.

Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato

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