Selected and Reviewed by ANDREW EALES
Find out more: ABOUT PIANODAO REVIEWS
Fans of the beloved A Dozen A Day series of piano exercise books from the Willis Music Company (reviewed here) may have noticed the recent arrival of a new title in the series. A Dozen A Day: Counting Rhythm supplements the popular piano books with a slim volume of “pre-practice rhythm exercises for all instruments”.
The book’s writer remains uncredited, but is not Edna Mae Burnam (1907-2007), who created the original classics. Nevertheless, this modest addition to the series respectfully aligns with the look and feel of her originals, as well as progressively matching the concepts, rhythmic values and meters of the first four Dozen A Day books.
I have begun trialling this material with a few elementary learners, and am finding it a distinctive and useful studio addition…
Counting, Clapping & Playing
Introducing this new book, Willis Music tell us,
“This addition to the series is intended for learners of any instrument, addressing the challenge of counting and understanding rhythm at beginner level. It is a practical handbook presenting sequenced, unpitched exercises, each preceded by a counting example for comprehension.”
In series style, the book delivers five “Groups”, each comprising twelve short rhythms to clap, tap, or play. And yes, they are given imaginative titles and illustrated with the stick-people who have long been a signature element of the Dozen A Day identity.
Each Group begins with a simple Counting Time exercise, in which the learner counts aloud while clapping or playing simple note values, followed by the first six of the main exercises. The process is then repeated, with another Counting Time section, and six further rhythm exercises.
The book includes accompanying audio via the Hal Leonard PLAYBACK+ multi-function audio system, which allows for slowing down and speeding up. The files, which can also be downloaded to the learner’s device, comprise a simple metronome keeping the pulse, the written rhythm exercises superimposed using a single piano pitch.
The six-page rhythm index at the back of the book includes each occurrence of the different note and rest values that appear. I wonder whether including the crotchet, minim, semibreve, and quaver could be overkill, but for complex values such as triplet crotchets, this will prove useful for quick reference.
Meanwhile, the simpler Group Rhythm Summary page which precedes the main index offers an excellent overview of the book’s progression:
Group 1:
• semibreve note value and rest
• minim note value and rest
• crotchet note value and rest
• simple quadruple metre
Group 2 adds:
• quaver note value (in pairs and in fours)
• single quaver note value and rest
Group 3 adds:
• simple duple metre
• simple triple metre
• semiquaver note value (in fours, and beamed with quavers)
Group 4 adds:
• dotted crotchet note value and rest
• dotted minim note value
• beamed dotted quaver-semiquaver note values
• tied notes and syncopation
• compound metres
Group 5 adds:
• triplet quaver groupings
• triplet crotchet groupings
• single semiquaver rest
From this list we can see that the book covers a significant developmental and progressive range, and as such it is perhaps primarily one to dip into in lessons as required, while also recommending it as a practice resource where needed.
But I think that more imaginative teachers will also recognise that this material could be put to more creative use…
Simultaneous Creativity
At a basic level first, advocates of the MTB Exams, which include generic “Rhythm Skills” reading tests similar to those found here, tell me that they often prove a useful resource to support learning. They will no doubt similarly value the superb preparatory material here, suitable from beginner to around Grade 4 level.
But I think that such rhythm and notation-reading exercises will be equally useful for all learners, whether taking exams with MTB, another board, or none at all.
And the exercises can easily be combined with creative strategies that further empower musicianship and holistic learning. For example, why not use these rhythms as a stimulus for improvisation in lessons, combining them with the notes of a specified five-note range, pentatonic or scale pattern?
Perhaps the teacher might vamp a simple left hand chord pattern, while the learner plays the Dozen A Day rhythm choosing notes within the pentascale pattern. More advanced students might finally develop their own piece with both hands together.
The rhythms could equally be used as a launchpad for composing a written melody with an answering phrase, and this again would positively empower a connected, enjoyable education. How about adding chord symbols? The possibilities for creativity using this material are compelling.
Closing Thoughts
Developing our sense of pulse, pace, and rhythmic timing are fundamental building blocks for all music making, but can perhaps be overlooked in the early stages of piano playing. They mustn’t be.
A Dozen A Day: Counting Rhythm is thus a timely, useful, and important learning and practice resource to have at our disposal, and one which could be used with imagination to significantly enhance piano lessons.
To find such useful material for creative and rhythmic development presented with the same infectious fun that underpins the whole Dozen A Day series, and at a similarly appealing price, is a gift indeed.
PIANODAO MUSIC CLUB members receive 15% discount on sheet music from Musicroom. Retail links are directly sponsored, and to protect your privacy, this site does not use affiliate links or tracking code.
PIANODAO includes 700+ FREE articles.
Please DONATE HERE to support the site.
For FREE email notifications SUBSCRIBE HERE.
