Transcript Sounds of Music

Sounds of Music
Fall 2011
New York State
Coaches Workshop
The Competition
• Each team will build two different types
of instruments.
• Each instrument must be able to play
a12-tone tempered scale (modern
piano scale - octave with incidentals);
perform a major scale; the required
melody and a chosen melody
Shaded piano key is middle C.
Instrument 1. The range is suited any instrument
including flute, trumpet, pan pipe, recorder, clarinet,
French horn, violin or xylophone.
Instrument 2. The range is suited for many
instruments including the trombone; viola; guitar; and
marimba, etc.
Instrument 1
• Must be able to play a C major scale.
• May use a range in their performance
from F3 (F below middle C) to G5 which
is 27 notes.
• Music must be written in treble clef.
Instrument 2
• Must be able to play a G scale
• May use a range in their performance from
C2(two octaves below middle C) to D4( one
note above middle C)
• Music must be written in the bass clef.
Use the Hornbostel-Sachs Instrument Classification System to
help with choices for the ranges.
Setting Up
• Teams have 5 minutes to set up.
• Judging takes place in three parts. It is
encouraged that at the regional and
state levels judges move from room to
room as is done at nationals. Each
judge will have approximately 5 minutes
to mark their portion of the scoring form.
Judging: Performance
• Each team member will play the required
scale and will play the full range of their
instrument. Maximum of 6 points.
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1 octave - 8 notes
1 octave - 13 notes
1.5 octaves - 12 notes
1.5 octaves - 18 notes
2 octaves - 16 notes
2 octaves - 27 notes
1 point
2 points
3 points
4 points
5 points
6 points
• Each instrument will also be awarded up to 5
points for sound quality (comparison to actual
instrument).
Judging: Performance
• The two members together must play the
required piece, “St. Anthony Chorale”, as a
duet. They must furnish their music to the
judge. They may not just turn in a copy of
the rules page. There must be a harmony
portion.
10 points.
• They must also perform a piece that they
have chosen or written, also in harmony. This
piece should show off the quality of their
instruments and the full range, if possible.
They must be careful not to play outside of
the range. 15 points.
Judging: Performance
• Each piece is scored using the following
criteria:
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Harmony -avoid unison - shows out of tune notes
Rhythm- be careful of syncopation, practice!!
Intonation - tone can change whether it is in tune
Dynamics - there should be louder and softer
portions
– Duet Quality - is one merely keeping a beat, do
both add to the performance?
– Blend - did they use instruments to compliment
each other or does one drown out the other?
– Other (to be listed)- cleverly chosen music, etc.
Judging: Workmanship
• The judge will evaluate the creativity and
originality (5 points). Flute vs a reed
instrument - reed would get more points.
Regular piano vs a typewriter piano typewriter is more clever, took more
engineering skill (usually).
• The variety (5 points). One wind & one
percussion; one wind & one string; one
percussion & one string. Any of these
combinations are allowed this year.
Judging: Workmanship
• All instruments must be made from scratch no kits.
• Exception: strings made for instruments.
• Judges will look for use of commercial reeds,
reed blocks, mouthpieces, etc. which are
specifically stated as not being allowed.
• Interviewing students about the construction
is also an important part of this section of
judging.
• Total points for construction is 15.
Judging: Worksmanship
• It is important when building an instrument
that all energy come from the student. By
blowing through a tube, striking an object or
by using a pump operated by hands or feet,
the energy must originate from the student.
• All instruments must move easily through an
80 cm door. Avoid oversized instruments.
Low tones don’t necessarily mean big tubes
or parts. Have students think about their
building materials.
Judging: Knowledge
• Students will be asked a number of
questions (usually 3, 5, or 6) about their
instrument and sound production.
• 30 points
• Each student is expected to
participate. One student answering all
questions will affect the grading
negatively.
Judging: Knowledge
• Examples of questions used in the past:
– How did you tune your instrument?
– What is your primary vibrator on your wind
instrument?
– What factors can be changed on your wind
instrument to ensure that a note is in tune?
– Describe the Bernoulli effect.
– What is the mathematical relationship for
determining the length of your pipes on your
xylophone?
– Draw, describe, explain a standing wave.
– Why did you use that building material rather
than…
Judging: Knowledge
• The number of questions depends on time.
– With 50 or 60 teams, 3 questions is about the maximum.
However, multiple portions to questions gives the
examiner leeway for the variety of instruments. More
questions is obviously a better way to judge knowledge.
At states and Nationals questions must be chosen very
strategically since we typically use only 3.
• Question difficulty should increase from regional to
state to National levels.
– At a regional students should know the characteristics
of a wave. By the state they should be able to describe
a standing wave. And at the National they should be
able to discuss how the wave is produced in their
instrument.
Bonus Points
• Each team will receive 5 points for each of
the following:
– They must furnish music with team name and
number on it.
– They must write their music in the correct clefs
and correctly notate it.
– All music must be played in the correct range.
– They must use only allowable materials in
construction.
Putting Together a Team
• You need at least one musician. And
once you get that person you will have
him or her forever. They think that all
they can do is play an instrument, but
they suddenly realize they are good at a
lot of things. Due to their discipline and
passion for music they will stick to it.
You are halfway there.
The “Other” Team Member
• You need a good physics student. Most
don’t know they are good at physics.
You will probably have to invite them.
And those that are good in physics don’t
realize they are probably good at music.
Just look for someone who likes math.
Music is based on mathematical
relationships and is as much math as it
is physics.
Okay, Now About that Coach
• Most of you just groan when it comes to this
event. Never worry about Sounds of Music.
First of all the kids have to do the research
and the building. Just offer them a few
websites (coming) or books and be a great
cheerleader. If you really don’t want to do it
find a tech teacher who is up to the
challenge. Building is the tough part. After
that it will fall into place. Music teachers will
be harder to coerce, but once involved are
fabulous.
Choosing the Instruments
• Make sure that you have two different
instrument types represented (string; wind or
percussion).
• When the students select their instruments it
is a good idea to make sure they know how to
play them first.
• Students frequently want to make an exotic
instrument. It is better to go with an
instrument that will actually work and is easy
to play. Ordinary sometimes works very well
and wins more points in the long run.
The Instrument is a Flop!
• It happens.
• Our philosophy was that we needed students
to go through the process once to see where
the problems were.
• So, keep the building materials cheap in the
beginning. When they master the technique
and realize it can be better go for more.
• For instance, a PVC flute is fairly cheap and
easy. Copper usually sounds better, but
should be the final result ….unless your PVC
flute is wonderful.
Building
• Though a tech room is good, much can be
done without the tech room. Simple
equipment works fine.
• Planning is key. Time in a tech room can be
reduced by researching, planning,
diagramming, and having measurements
determined ahead of time. Students don’t
realize that planning is very important to good
results.
Don’t Worry About Originality
• Though it is a factor. We have reduced
the emphasis on originality and
creativity. Sometimes you can boost
originality simply by changing the
material something is made from. A
trombone made of PVC is common, but
to make it from metal that fits together
well is great… and not easy to do.
Workmanship
• This is very important. We have had
instruments fall apart before they are judged.
Cardboard gets wet if it rains and is less likely
to withstand wear and tear. Rubberbands die
horrible deaths at the most inopportune
times. Use wood or metal. Maybe something
can be glued but perhaps it should be welded
or put together with screws to make it
stronger. Glue does not always hold. Make
sure things are put together well.
Tweaking
• With this event as with any other construction
event there is a great deal of tweaking. With
xylophones and that family of instruments
trying to make sure that the instrument is
producing the best sound takes time. This is
a huge learning process. Damping is a huge
problem and they will have to experiment to
find the best way to avoid too much damping
or allowing too much reverberation. The kind
of materials it is made from also affects the
sound considerably. You may need to add
resonators if the sound is too soft.
Practice
• “It needs to be done by Christmas”.
• Christmas come and goes, along with a few
other holidays and the days keep passing by
at an alarming rate because the instrument
isn’t complete.
• They must finish it in time not only for
tweaking, but for practice, practice and more
practice. Go over the characteristics of their
performance that will be judged with them.
Range of the Instrument
• Range is important. A single octave will
get you through the event, but going for
something more such as the 1.5 octave
and 18 notes will give the team more
versatility and more points. Limiting
your range makes it tough to find music
that they enjoy playing and the judges
will enjoy hearing.
Choosing Music
• Think about the instruments that are being
played.
• If you have a flute and a xylophone you will
not want to choose a heavy classical piece
like Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” or a
Tchaikovsky piece. Choose something light
and airy - Mozart or “California Dreaming”.
Keep it light. Choosing a fast-paced tune for
a pan pipe or soda bottle instruments can
leave the team member ready to collapse
before they finish the piece.
What to Study
• Waves
– Transverse
• with crests and troughs
– Longitudinal
• with compressions and rarefactions
What to Study
• Sound Properties
– Pitch and frequency
– Intensity and amplitude (Decibel scale)
– Speed of sound
– Human perception of hearing and the ear
What to Study
• Behavior of sound waves
– Interference
– Beats
– Doppler Effect
– Movement around a boundary
– Reflection, refraction and diffraction
– Bernoulli Effect
What to Study
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Natural frequency
Timbre
Forced Vibration (sound box)
Standing wave
– Node - points that appear to stand still
due to destructive interference.
– Antinode
– Fundametal frequencies and Harmonics
What to Study
• Mathematical calculations of harmonic
frequencies and where the nodes are.
• To properly mount the parts of a
marimba, xylophone or other percussion
instrument you need to know where the
node nearest the end is.
What to Study
• Resonance
• Closed-end vs opened-end air column
instruments
• Scales - what is a 12 tone tempered
scale? Hmmm. It might help to know.
Sources
• Books: Any book by Bart Hopkins, but
his Musical Instrument Design:
Practical Information for Instrument
Design is the best. Available on sale
for $12.89 at Amazon. Very thorough.
They suggest a couple of others which
are okay, but more specific.
Sources
• Website:
• http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/
– Fun clips about music - interactive.
• YouTube - How to build a….; Science of
music etc.
• http://positron.ps.uci.edu/~dkirkby/music/html/
lectures/Lecture12.pdf
– Mostly about wind instruments. Good illustrations.
It is a pdf of a powerpoint. Good reference.
Sources
• Websites:
• Physics of Sound and Music
http://hendrix2.uoregon.edu/~dlivelyb/ph
ys152/home.html home page
• This person has a great sense of humor
and offers good explanations as he
teaches. Also some good diagrams.
Sources
• Websites:
• http://www.school-forchampions.com/science/sound.htm
• Good information on general physics
topics including sound.
• http://method-behind-the-music.com/
• Good site for general information on
music and physics.
Sources
• Websites
• http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/
sound/ My favorite. Gives good
information to get students started. Will
need to go to other sources for specific
needs, but this is great for the
beginning. Well organized.
Questions?
• Patty Sherman
• [email protected]
• I can email a copy of this presentation if
you want it.