An Approach To Contemporary Music

University of Iowa
Iowa Research Online

Theses and Dissertations
Fall 2013
An approach to contemporary music pedagogy for

beginning and intermediate level bassoonists,
including sixty-four original etudes
Stephanie Willow Patterson
University of Iowa
Copyright 2013 Stephanie Willow Patterson
This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5038
Recommended Citation
Patterson, Stephanie Willow. "An approach to contemporary music pedagogy for beginning and intermediate level bassoonists,
including sixty-four original etudes." DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2013.
http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5038.
Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd
Part of the Music Commons

AN APPROACH TO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PEDAGOGY FOR BEGINNING
AND INTERMEDIATE LEVEL BASSOONISTS,
INCLUDING SIXTY-FOUR ORIGINAL ETUDES
by
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the
Doctor of Musical Arts degree
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa
December 2013
Thesis Supervisor: Professor Benjamin Coelho

Copyright by
STEPHANIE WILLOW PATTERSON
2013
All Rights Reserved

Graduate College
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL
D.M.A. THESIS
This is to certify that the D.M.A. thesis of
has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Doctor
of Musical Arts degree at the December 2013 graduation.
Thesis Committee:
Benjamin Coelho, Thesis Supervisor
Matthew Arndt
Nicole Esposito
Alan Huckleberry
Andrew Parker
To Cyrle Perry and Rick Meyer
ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express the deepest gratitude towards Professor Benjamin Coelho for his
patience and support throughout the process of completing this project. His guidance has
made this project possible, and his commitment to teaching has inspired my own
dedication to music education. I would also like to acknowledge the members of my
committee who share this dedication to education. I am indebted to Dr. Matthew Arndt
for the exploratory approach to music theory pedagogy I took away from his class, and
inspired by Dr. Alan Huckleberry for his selfless commitment to pedagogy for students in
the earliest years of their musical education. I would also like to thank Professor Nicole
Esposito for her inspirational presence as a world-class performer and teacher, and Dr.
Andrew Parker for his commitment to emotional expression through music.
I am also eternally grateful to my colleagues, students, and teachers, who have been
nothing but understanding and encouraging throughout the process of finishing this
project. I could not have completed this project without the support of my husband,
Christopher, who has listened to more bassoon etudes than he ever thought he would.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES vii
PREFACE xi
INTRODUCTION 1
The Challenge 1
The Etude Project 2
Limitations 3
CHAPTER
I. WARM –UPS 5
Background 5
Warm-up Methods 5
The Etudes 7
Long Tones: Etudes #1-2 7
Scale Patterns: Etude #3 9
II. UNIT 1: SCALES 11
Background 11
Scales in Existing Method and Etude Books 11
The Purpose of Scales 13
The Etudes 14
Major and Minor Scales: Etudes #4-7 14
The Major Modes: Etudes #8-9 16
The Minor Modes: Etudes #10-12 18
Half and Whole Step Scales: Etudes #13-16 20
Intervals, not Scales: Etude #17 24
Concluding Thoughts 25
III. UNIT 2: RHYTHM 26
Background 26
Rhythm in Band Music 26
Rhythm in Existing Method and Etude Books 28
Rhythm in Elementary Music Education 31
Non-Western Approaches to Rhythm 34
Advanced Materials for Learning Rhythm 38
The Etudes 39
Familiar Note Values, Unfamiliar Rhythms: Etudes #18-19 39
iv
Smaller Subdivisions: Etudes #20-21 41
Divisions of Three: Etudes #22-23 43
Divisions of Five: Etudes #24-25 45
Divisions of Seven: Etudes #26-27 47
Mixed Subdivisions: Etudes #28-29 49
IV. UNIT 3: METER 52
Background 52
Meter in Band Music 52
Meter in Existing Method and Etude Books 53
Other Approaches to Learning Meter 54
Meter in Elementary Music Education 54
Non-Western Approaches to Meter 56
Advanced Materials for Learning Meter 57
The Etudes 58
Mixed Simple Meter: Etude #30 58
Odd Simple Meter: Etudes #31-32 59
Compound Meter: Etudes #33-34 60
Odd Meters in Five: Etudes #35-36 61
Odd Meters in Seven: Etudes #37-38 63
Mixed Odd Meter: Etudes #39-41 65
V. UNIT 4: STYLE 69
Background 69
The Importance of Style 69
Style in Existing Method and Etude Books 71
Other Approaches to Style 72
The Etudes 73
Impressionism: Etudes #42-43 73
Jazz: Etudes #44-45 75
Folk and Pop: Etudes #46-47 76
Minimalism: Etudes #48-49 77
Avant-Garde: Etudes #50-52 78
Aleatoric and Improvisatory: Etudes #53-54 80
VI. UNIT 5: EXTENDED TECHNIQUES 83
Background 83
The Importance of Extended Techniques 83
Extended Techniques in Existing Method and Etude Books 85
The Etudes 87
v
Vibrato Manipulation: Etude #55 87
Pitch Bending: Etudes #56-57 88
Timbral Trills: Etude #58 90
Tremolos: Etudes #59-60 91
Multiphonics: Etudes #61-62 92
Harmonics: Etude #63 95
Tonguing: Etude #64 96
CONCLUSION 99
APPENDIX
A. THE ETUDE BOOK 101
B. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RELATED LITERATURE 197
BIBLIOGRAPHY 221
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
1.1 Etude #1: Phrygian mode, mm 1-5: Familiar rhythms, unfamiliar meters. 7
1.2 Etude #2: Shapes for long tones. 9
1.3 Etude #3 Groups of 3, mm 19-30: Contour reinforces groupings. 9
1.4 Etude #3 Groups of 5, mm 46-52. 10
2.1 Etude #4 mm 1-6: The melody lands on most ascending scale degrees. 14
2.2 Etude #5 mm 9-12: Upward motion through flattened 6ˆ and 7ˆ to 1ˆ in m 9,

Phrygian cadence in m 12. 15
2.3 Etude #6 mm 16-19: Melodic minor motion into a cadence. 16

! ! !
2.4 Etude #8 mm 1-4: Articulation and meter in the chant style. 17
2.5 Etude #10 mm 5-9: The need for subdivision and spin on the long notes. 19
2.6 Etude #11 mm 15-18: Character change to D major from F-sharp Phrygian
and back. 19
2.7 Etude #12 mm 1-6: Directionless motion. 20
2.8 Etude #13 mm 1-6: Chromatic scale in small chunks. 21
2.9 Etude #13 mm 24-29: Patterns and rhythmic variation on the chromatic scale. 22
2.10 Etude #14 mm 1-8: Setting up a musical context for the whole tone scale. 22
2.11 Etude #15 mm 14-19: Alternation of notation in flats and sharps. 23
2.12 Etude #15 mm 1-6: Motivic repetition. 23
2.13 Etude #15 mm 29-35: Motivic building to an arrival on G3. 24
3.1 Section I Introduction: Spatial notation of syncopation. 40
3.2 Etude #18 mm 29-32: Syncopation offset by a quarter-note beat. 40
3.3 Etude #18a mm 29-32. 41
vii
3.4 Etude #19 mm 15-18: Eighth notes reinforcing subdivision between
syncopations. 41
3.5 Etude #20 mm1-2 and mm 6-7: Smaller rhythms, pulse stays the same. 42
3.6 Etude #22 mm 14-18: Introduction of quarter-note triplets. 43
3.7 Etude #23 mm 12-15: Sextuplets beamed in groups of three. 45
3.8 Etude #24 mm 14-18: Eighth-note quintuplets become sixteenth-note

quintuplets. 46
3.9 Etude #25 mm 1, 5, and 13: The beginning of the melody. 47
3.10 Etude #26 mm 10-14: Eighth-note septuplets to sixteenth-note septuplets. 48
3.11 Etude #27 mm 23-25: Preparation of new rhythms in septuplets. 48
3.12 Etude #28 mm 13-14: Sixteenths followed by a quintuplet. 50
3.13 Etude #29 mm 1-4: Back to back changing subdivisions. 50
4.1 Heart beat pattern in 6/8. 57
4.2 Etude #30 mm 1-6: Metric stress patterns, and melodic changes to
accompany the meter changes. 59
4.3 Etude #31 mm 4-6(a), 13-15(b), and 18-20(c): Different-length rests

between phrases. 60
4.4 Etude #34 mm 1-3: Dolce markings and legato articulations. 61
4.5 Etude #35 mm 32-35: Beaming as 3+2, melody seems to be 2+3. 62
4.6 Etude #35 mm 9-14: Rhythms must be counted in eighth notes first. 63
4.7 Etude #36 mm 27-31: Challenging rhythms with rests. 63
4.8 Etude #38 mm 9-12: Quarter-eighth and eighth-quarter rhythm. 64
4.9 Etude #38 mm 29-32: Tricky rhythms in the 7/8 section. 65
4.10 Etude #39 mm 1-2 and 17-18: One melody, two meters. 66
4.11 Etude #40 mm 69-80: Replace the rests with notes to practice. 67
viii
4.12 Etude #41 mm 11-15 and 20-23: Hemiola in 3/4 and 6/8. 67
5.1 Etude #42 mm 5-9: Implied A minor between whole-tone sections. 74
5.2 Etude #43 mm 32-37: Hemiola. 75
5.3 Etude #44 mm 1-2 and 8-9: Motion between key chordal pitches. 76
5.4 Etude #45 mm 1-2, 17-18, and 31-32: The basic rhythm and variations. 76
5.5 Etude #46 mm 11-15: Running eighth notes replaced by rests. 77
5.6 Etude #47 mm 9-12: Rhythm changes from steady eighths. 77
5.7 Etude #49 mm 7-11: Consistent groupings versus unclear groupings. 78
5.8 Etude #50 mm 1-5: The chromatic half step in a disjunct melody. 79
5.9 Section V Introduction, Etude #51 mm 1-5: Making longer phrases. 80
5.10 Etude #52 mm 1-6: Repeated contour but not pitch material. 80
6.1 Etude #55 mm 8-10: Vibrato speed notated above the etude. 88
6.2 Etude #56 mm 5-8: Bends, scoops, falls, and glissandi. 89
6.3 Etude #57 mm 10-16: Vocal pitch bends in the melody. 89
6.4 Etude #58 Introduction: Finger the main note while depressing the left
hand keys notated below. 90
6.5 Etude #59 mm 1-4: Tremolos play the melody over a pedal tone. 91
6.6 Etude #60 mm 17-21: Tremolo counterpoint. 92
6.7 Section V. Multiphonics, Introduction: multiphonics transitioning to a pitch. 93
6.8 Section V. Multiphonics, Introduction: Overblown low notes and

under-supported high notes. 93
6.9 Etude #61 mm 7-13: Real notes, followed by multiphonics. 94
6.10 Etude #62 mm 7, 9, and 12: Transitions between pitch and multiphonics. 95
6.11 Etude #63 mm 4-9: Real fingerings followed by harmonics. 96
ix
6.12 Etude #64 mm 1-4 and 7-9: Flutter- and double-tonguing on repeated
sections to hear if the pitch changes. 97
6.13 Etude #64 mm 22-25: More active rhythms. 98
x
PREFACE
As a young bassoonist and then as a teacher of young bassoonists, I noticed that many
student musicians do not have enough exposure to music written in the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries.1 When younger musicians encounter this music they are not
prepared with techniques for deciphering the challenging rhythms, meters, extended
techniques, and musical phrasing that are part of this idiom. Even students at the
collegiate level do not perform contemporary music enough, and as a result they often
reject it as aesthetically not pleasing, or too difficult. The lack of sufficient educational
materials that focus on music from this time period can sometimes even cause musicians
to pay less attention to musical interpretation and phrasing, perpetuating the stereotype
that it is not pleasing music. Additionally, this lack of educational materials can lead
some students to develop ways of performing extended techniques that are detrimental to
the fundamentals of technique and tone production. If taught correctly, these problems
can be avoided.
I composed these etudes to introduce contemporary music to students early in their
studies. Through these etudes, students learn how to approach challenging music, learn
techniques for deciphering rhythm, meter, different scale patterns, incorporate extended
techniques, and play in different styles. These skills are applicable to music from any
century. The etudes guide the student to approach contemporary music as they would
classical or romantic music, finding the phrasing and interpretation in addition to learning
the notes and rhythms. Students who are exposed to this music early can develop their
1
From this point onward, music from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries will be
referred to as contemporary music.
xi
own opinions about its value, before they think that contemporary music is inaccessible
or extremely difficult.
xii
1
INTRODUCTION
The Challenge
This project was inspired by my own experiences performing twentieth-century music
in college. I struggled to sight-read music in mixed meter or with unusual scale
collections. Even after I was able to technically execute a piece, I had trouble developing
a personal interpretation of the music because I was preoccupied with the execution of
the rhythms and techniques. Eventually, learning this kind of music became easier, but
only because I made an effort to study these pieces more, and then the style became more
familiar.
Many bassoonists face similar challenges in performing contemporary music. They
all learn to play from the same few beginning etude books, and are often not exposed to
contemporary music until much later. As I taught private lessons at the junior high and
high school level, many of my students struggled with fundamental skills: learning new
rhythms, internalizing subdivisions, and playing in unfamiliar meters. I noticed that when
given the opportunity to experiment with these new skills through improvisation and
creative games, younger students were very receptive. They were still developing their
own ideas about what music should sound like, so they were more receptive to a variety
of music and an unusual sound palette. To fill the void of materials for teaching
twentieth-century techniques to bassoon students at this level, I decided to compose a
series of etudes that gradually introduce the different skills needed to play this music.
These etudes are designed to be fun, creative, and beneficial to students' development as
complete musicians.
2
The Etude Project
I composed these etudes after research into existing bassoon pedagogical material,
different styles of contemporary music, especially pieces for the bassoon, as well as
systems of music education that include contemporary scales, meter, rhythm, and new
performance techniques. Some highlights of this research are included in Appendix B, an
annotated bibliography of related literature. Combining this research with my own
knowledge of pedagogy, I composed a series of beginning and intermediate level etudes
that guide the student through the process of learning music in a contemporary style. The
units of the etude book address each of the larger concepts: scales, rhythm, meter, style,
and extended techniques. The individual sections provide specific examples of the
concept, each etude building on previous etudes in the unit. Technical mastery is not the
sole purpose of these etudes; throughout the book, the student is encouraged to play with
a beautiful sound and with musical intention. Many performers are capable of playing
contemporary music accurately and even impressively, however, interpreting and
developing expressive phrasing in this music is a more elusive goal.
Contemporary music includes a variety of styles and sounds, and performers often
take more liberty in creating their own interpretation of this music. Composers from the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries explore many new sound possibilities with their
music, creating one of the most diverse periods of classical music. As a result, performers
often feel a freedom to explore similar directions in performance, testing the limits of
tradition. By activating this freedom of interpretation, these etudes allow the student to
explore their musical imagination. This is beneficial to all music students, including those
3
who go on to other careers, because it teaches creative problem solving and provides a
satisfying creative outlet.
Learning contemporary music techniques also helps students to develop fundamental
technique on the bassoon. Through learning different scales, the student develops
technical facility in typical as well as less typical combinations of fingerings. The rhythm
unit guides students to decipher rhythms on their own, through subdivision and
expressive counting.2 Playing music in mixed meter is invaluable for developing acute
subdivision, and learning to organize notes into groups of two and three is an expressive
tool for music from any century. The unit on style gives the student more creative
control, but also guides them towards more nuanced listening to understand subtle
differences in style from different musical genres. Lastly, the extended techniques are
taught so that they help students build fundamental skills, avoiding bad habits of
embouchure, air support, and technique. The extended techniques guide the student to
make new sounds, giving them license to sound "bad" before they sound good. This is
one of the most important lessons in the book: when approaching a musical challenge
students must be willing to take risks and explore their own limits in order to find a
solution.
Limitations
These etudes are not intended to replace any existing pedagogical material for the
bassoon, rather they are meant to supplement the student's main course of study and
complement the development of fundamental skills. It is not a comprehensive guide to
every new concept in contemporary music, and there are many rhythms, meters, scales,
2
Expressive counting is a method of counting a rhythm out loud with dynamics,
phrasing, and direction, but not necessarily on the correct pitches.
4
styles, and extended techniques that are not covered in these etudes. However, the book
provides a starting point for students to learn these concepts, as well as the tools
necessary for them to approach any additional challenges they might find in other music.
Advanced concepts are not included because they can be overwhelming for a student
without much experience playing contemporary music. There are already many bassoon
etude books that address the more advanced concepts of contemporary music, many of
which are listed in the related literature appendix.
It is impossible to provide a comprehensive explanation of all the compositional
styles of contemporary music, or to explain every extended technique on the bassoon.
Music is still developing, as composers and performers continue to discover and invent
new styles and techniques. The best possible use of this book is to inspire students to join
the conversation and contribute to the growth of music as a living, evolving art form.
5
CHAPTER I
WARM-UPS
Background
Scales and long, sustained tones comprise an essential part of a student's daily
practice. This section provides a different approach to these elements of practice, in case
the student is bored of his or her current scale and long tone exercise. These etudes
introduce concepts explained later in the book, including different scales, meters,
methods of notation and creative interpretation.
Warm-up Methods
Some bassoon method books mention the importance of playing scales and long
tones, but they rarely include specific exercises. They usually provide one pattern for
playing all the major scales, and some provide more exercises for technique development.
For example, Julius Weissenborn's Practical Method for the Bassoon3 provides scale
patterns in one major and minor scale, and the student is expected to transpose them to
other keys. There are additional technique books that are solely focused on scale patterns,
including Ludwig Milde's 25 Studies in Scales and Chords Op.24,4 and Alamiro
Giampieri's 16 Studi Giornalieri di Perfezionamento,5 but these are advanced technique
books suitable for advanced high school and college level bassoonists.
3
Julius Weissenborn, Practical method for the bassoon; augmented and adapted for the
modern bassoon by W.F. Ambrosio (New York : Carl Fischer, 1941).
4
Ludwig Milde, 25 Studies in Scales and Chords, ed. Simon Kovar (New York:
International Music, 1950).
5
Alamiro Giampieri, 16 Studi Giornalieri di Perfezionamento (Milan: Ricordi, 1990).
6
Additional methods of practicing scales have been developed by famous bassoon
pedagogues and passed down through their students. Norman Herzberg, who performed
in symphony orchestras throughout the United States and taught at the University of
Southern California, developed a pattern of practicing scales each time starting on a
different first note with a different articulation. There are additional books of scale
patterns, such as Fernand Oubradous' Enseignment Complet du Bassoon,6 with rhythm
and articulation patterns for each scale, as well as thirds, fourths, fifths, arpeggios, and
broken arpeggios. Alan Hawkins' series of books, Melodious and Progressive Studies,7
contain similar patterns, as well as technique studies. Although these scale patterns are
beneficial, often students do not play them seriously until college, because they are
challenging and require a significant amount of practice time. The scale pattern in this
book is intended to be an intermediate step for students, so they can begin to develop
technique before they are able to play these more difficult and full range scale patterns.
Long tone etudes in bassoon method books are less common. Several of the technique
books mentioned above have a single etude for long tone practice, which students may be
tempted to skip so that they can jump right into the technique patterns. Therefore, I
composed two long tone etudes and one scale etude, so that students will see that long
tones are equally if not more important than technical scale work.
Some of the most effective long tone exercises have been passed down by famous
bassoon pedagogues, and are not notated in method and etude books. Famous bassoonist,
conductor, and pedagogue Arthur Weisberg provides several methods of developing a
6
Fernand Oubradous, Enseignment Complet du Bassoon (Paris: A. LeDuc, 1944).
7
Alan Hawkins, ed., Melodious and Progressive Studies (San Antonio: Southern Music
Company, 1982).
7
clean beginning, middle, and end to each note in his book, The Art of Wind Playing.8
Additionally, Norman Herzberg passed down a long-tone exercise that involves repeating
a single note throughout the dynamic range. Another father of bassoon pedagogy, K.
David van Hoesen, who taught at the Eastman School of Music for many years,
developed a pattern of arpeggios that helps students to develop smooth legato and steady
tone throughout the registers. Richard Woodhams, oboist with the Philadelphia Orchestra
and professor at the Curtis Institute of Music, advocates playing slow scales for
developing an inner sense of intonation and clarity of tone. The long tone exercises in this
book are inspired by these exercises, but also take a new approach to long tones in a way
that is relevant to learning contemporary music.
The Etudes
Long Tones: Etudes #1-2
The introduction explains many expressive possibilities of playing long tones. The
student is reminded to always keep a consistent air stream for a steady tone, even when
experimenting with note shape and articulation.
Etude #1 is a series of rhythms that cycle through different meters and modal scales.
The student may begin to understand the meters while still counting steady quarter notes,
and the rhythms should all be familiar (figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1 Etude #1: Phrygian mode, mm 1-5: Familiar rhythms, unfamiliar meters.
8
Arthur Weisberg, The Art of Wind Playing (New York: Schirmer, 1975).
8
In Unit 3: Meter, the student will learn the exact meaning of these different meters, but
they will already be somewhat familiar. By playing the modal scales here, students will
have some familiarity with their sound leading into the explanation of modes in Unit 1:
Scales. This exercise serves all the purposes of a traditional long-tone exercise: it requires
steady air for the sustained notes to not change pitch or waver in tone, the dynamics
challenge the student to maintain consistent pitch and tone, and the rhythms require a
steady air stream as the student articulates the same note or a new note with clarity and
delicacy. It should be practiced with a metronome and a tuner, or with a drone, so the
student can make sure the rhythm is correct and each pitch is in tune.
Etude #2 asks the student to improvise or prepare a musical interpretation of graphic
notation. This exercise challenges the student to explore his or her own imagination and
versatility of expression. Most bassoonists have been taught with notated music always in
front of them, taking the notation away gives them the freedom to explore their abilities
on the instrument. This can be frightening to them because they see so many possibilities,
and because they might be afraid of sounding "bad" or doing something wrong. However,
it gives them the opportunity to create when nothing is wrong, because there is no pre-
existing significance of the notation. Breaking down the boundaries of wrong and right
will free them to take musical risks and have a more fulfilling experience playing music.
The pictures in Etude #2 (figure 1.2) take away the safety of musical notation, forcing
students to listen more carefully to the sounds they are creating.

9
Figure 1.2 Etude #2: Shapes for long tones.
They will begin to hear differences in articulation, timbre, consistency, and releases of
the notes. Listening like this is an invaluable skill to develop at a young age.
Scale Patterns: Etude #3
The scale pattern in this section is intended to be an intermediate step between
learning major scales and playing more challenging patterns. The exercise groups notes
differently every time so that the student will play the scale many different ways,
developing even technique. The introduction emphasizes three very important aspects of
practicing scales: 1) keeping the tempo slow enough that they are always clean and
accurate, 2) maintaining steady air support, and 3) always playing with phrasing and
musical intention.
The scale exercise is a set of metric patterns, from groups of two notes to groups of
seven notes, divided into smaller groups of two and three notes that are reinforced by the
articulation pattern. The patterns are repetitive to build proficiency in smaller sections of
the scale, while the contour of the pattern reinforces the groupings of notes (figure 1.3).
Figure 1.3 Etude #3 Groups of 3, mm 19-30: Contour reinforces groupings.

10
Additionally, the student is asked to play the pattern an octave higher on the repeat, to
learn the pattern in multiple registers. The groupings of five are set in 5/8 meter, and
organized in two- and three-note groups by beaming and articulation. The student is
encouraged to count each eighth note at first, and later speed up the tempo and count the
eighths in groups of two and three notes. The contour once again supports the groupings,
helping the student count to five (figure 1.4).
Figure 1.4 Etude #3 Groups of 5, mm 46-52.
In the section of six- and seven-note groupings, the pattern grows to include longer
sections of the scale. By playing every single eighth note in the meter, the student hears
the subdivision, and the scale is essentially teaching the student how to count in that
meter. This will benefit students later in the Unit 3: Meter, as they play etudes in these
different meters.
11
CHAPTER II
UNIT 1: SCALES
Background
Scales are one of the building blocks of music, and they are one of the first elements
of music theory taught to young students. Elementary music classes often introduce
major scales through songs and simple melodic patterns, while instrumental method
books teach scales through melodic etudes. Once students have learned the fingerings for
all the notes on their instruments, they are expected to memorize major and sometimes
minor scales for auditions for honor bands and college music programs. A musician who
can play all the major and minor scales in any dynamic, tempo, articulation, and
expression, can play practically any piece of music. In the Warm-Ups section of this
etude book the major scales are even used to introduce meters from 2/8 through 7/8.
Scales in Existing Method and Etude Books
In bassoon method books, little or no attention is given to scales that are not
diatonically major or minor, such as the modes, octatonic and whole tone scales, and
other collections of pitches. These scales can be found in some more advanced technique
books, including Alberto Orefici's Bravoura Studies9 and Marius Piard's Quatre Vingt
Dix Etudes.10
9
Alberto Orefici, Bravoura Studies (New York: International Music Company, 1965).
10
Marius Piard, Quatre Vingt Dix Etudes (Paris: Éditions Billaudot, 1946).
12
There are a few books that do include these scales, including Elliot del Borgo's
Contemporary Rhythm and Meter Studies for Bass Clef Instruments.11 Each of del
Borgo's studies is based on one scale or collection, ranging from D dorian and E-flat
pentatonic to scales invented by the author. These studies produce simple melodic
material from these scales, but the studies are actually quite difficult because they
combine new scales with new rhythms and meters all at the same time. Because the main
purpose of the book is to teach contemporary rhythm and meter, the later studies have
complicated meter changes that require very exact subdivision. The result is that students
must focus mainly on the rhythm, and they may not notice the qualities of the scale.
In contrast, I composed the etudes in this book to focus on one concept at a time, so
that when students are learning the sound of a new scale, new rhythms and meter do not
distract them. Additionally, the rhythm and meter provide continuity with styles of music
the student has already played, so that the style doesn't seem so completely foreign.
Other etude books that successfully incorporate new scales include a series by Elliot
del Borgo and Willard Musser, titled The Modes of Contemporary Music12 and The
Tonality of Contemporary Music.13 In the modes book, a brief introduction introduces
each mode and provides each scale before the etude in which it is used. The first etudes
are easy, leading to more difficult ones later in the book, which also incorporate
unfamiliar meters and key signatures. The mode etudes exclusively use the given mode,
11
Elliot del Borgo, Contemporary Rhythm and Meter Studies for Bass Clef Instruments
(Ft. Lauderdale: Meredith Music Publications, 1996).
12
Willard I. Musser and Elliot del Borgo, The Modes of Contemporary Music (NY:
Alfred, 1971).
13
Willard I. Musser and Elliot del Borgo, The Tonality of Contemporary Music (NY:
Alfred, 1971).
13
but the tonality etudes explore modulations, atonality, synthetic scales and tone rows. As
in the other book, each section is explained first, so that the player can identify the
technique used in each etude. These etudes could be useful to a bassoon student if they
were transcribed into bass clef.
I composed the etudes in this book using some of these other books as inspiration, but
with several significant differences. Each etude focuses on only one technique, in this
case one specific kind of scale. The melodies are designed to accentuate the differences
between each scale and the familiar major and minor scales, so that the unfamiliar
elements can be used for musical expression.
The Purpose of Scales
Composers use diatonic modes to produce a sound that is outside the traditional
major/minor system, whether in imitation of folk music, jazz, or even ancient music. In
his Young People's Concerts, Leonard Bernstein taught students the modes as they relate
to major and minor scales, providing examples of music that use modes, from classical
pieces to popular tunes.14 The Kodaly method of elementary music education teaches
students the modes because they are commonly found in folk songs.15 After learning the
songs students learn how the modal scales are related to the major (do) or minor (la)
scales. Learning the modes can help young musicians recognize the tonal properties of
music. Other kinds of scales are valuable because they are common in contemporary
14
Jack Gottlieb, ed., Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts (New York: Anchor
Books, 1992).
15
Lois Choksy, The Kodaly Method I: Comprehensive Music Education 3rd ed. (Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999), 149.
14
music. They also illustrate the many different textures and sounds that can come from
different combinations of the same twelve notes.
The Etudes
Major and Minor Scales: Etudes #4-7
The first four scale etudes are based on the major and three kinds of minor scales,
introducing the concepts of half and whole steps (and the augmented second) using
familiar material. Through the process of spiral learning, as presented by Michael Rogers
in Teaching Approaches in Music Theory, students will have a better understanding of
new material if it is presented as an offshoot of older material, and then developed into a
distinct concept.16 Therefore, each of the modes is taught as a variation on a major or
minor scale, so that students recognize the connection to scales they already know.
Etude #4 presents the major scale through a simple melodic arch, accenting the steps
of the scale as short resting places in the ascending melody (figure 2.1).
Figure 2.1 Etude #4 mm 1-6: The melody lands on most ascending scale degrees.
The two eight-measure phrases imitate a period, stopping on the dominant after four
measures, and then returning to the tonic for a resolution. This melody gives students a
basic template to which they can compare later melodies that lack the same harmonic
structure, which is so strongly connected to a major scale. Many early etudes in the
16
Rogers, Michael, Teaching approaches in music theory: an overview of pedagogical
philosophies (Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, 2004), 57.
15
Weissenborn method and Joseph Skornica's Rubank elementary method book17 follow the
same pattern, so the form will sound familiar to a beginning bassoonist.
Following an introduction of the types of minor scales, Etudes #5-7 illustrate the
natural, melodic, and harmonic minors by musically emphasizing their differences. Etude
#5, based on the G aeolian mode, stays strictly within the natural minor scale, so that the
upward motion from E-flat318 and F-natural3 to G3 in measures 9 and 13 are especially
striking to any musician expecting a raised leading tone. Despite the lack of a leading
tone F-sharp, the harmonic motion from D to G implies some kind of motion from
dominant to tonic harmony. In addition, the motion from E-flat3 to D3 in measure 12 hints
at a Phrygian cadence, accentuating the flattened 6ˆ (figure 2.2).
Figure 2.2 Etude #5 mm 9-12: Upward motion through flattened 6ˆ and 7ˆ to 1ˆ in m 9,

Phrygian cadence in m 12.
! ! !
Etude #6 explores the melodic minor scale in small fragments that juxtapose flattened
6ˆ and 7ˆ with major 6ˆ and 7ˆ . In C melodic minor, students can identify the raised pitches
by the natural accidentals, and cautionary accidentals show when the same notes have
! ! ! !
returned to their minor position (measures 7-8 for example). The passage from measure
17
See Appendix B. Related Literature, for more beginning bassoon method books.
18
Throughout this paper specific notes will be labeled using the Acoustical Society of
America's octave designations, denoted by subscripts following the pitch name.
16
16 to 19 illustrates use of major 6ˆ and 7ˆ , first only 6ˆ is raised, and then both as they lead
to the cadence in measure 19 (figure 2.3).

! ! !
Figure 2.3 Etude #6 mm 16-19: Melodic minor motion into a cadence.
The cadence in measure 27 shows how the leading tone (major 7ˆ ) leads into a cadence,
as C3 dips to B-natural3 and back to C3.

!
Etude #7 is based on the B harmonic minor scale, and the dance-like style imitates a
style of dance that might use augmented seconds, such as music from the Middle East or
Eastern Europe. The style is not meant to be culturally accurate, but it imitates how the
harmonic minor scale can be used in other cultures. The repetitive patterns and
symmetrical phrases imitate popular or folk music, so that students can identify the music
as a part of their culture and not just high art. Studies in contemporary music education
have shown that students who identify the musical techniques they learn with the popular
music that they enjoy are more likely to be engaged in the learning process.19 The Kodaly
method uses folk melodies to teach musical concepts in the context of the students own
culture, using spiral learning to introduce new concepts with familiar material.
The Major Modes: Etudes #8-9
These etudes are based on the modes closely related to the diatonic major scale: the
lydian and mixolydian modes. Each of the etudes has an introduction, which illustrates
19
Vulliamy, Graham and Ed Lee, editors, Pop Music in School (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1980).
17
how the mode relates to starting on a different pitch in the C major scale, as well as how
the scale differs from the major scale of the same pitch. Using the pattern of whole and
half steps, it then explains how to find the specific scale used in the etude.
Taking its inspiration from the original use of the modes in liturgical chant, Etude #8
is a chant-style study on the B-flat lydian scale, emphasizing the qualities of raised 4ˆ .
This etude is also inspired by contemporary music that uses the modes to imitate an older
!
style. The cut-time signature guides the student into understanding a 2/2 measure in a
context other than a band march, while the chant style negates a strong metrical structure,
allowing students to place emphasis on different beats in the measure. This style also
encourages the student to imagine he or she is singing, giving a vocal quality to the tone
and connection between the notes, and developing control of the air stream and
embouchure. This skill translates into more nuanced playing if the student is able to
imagine playing as a vocalist would sing. The articulation is marked with long phrase
markings as well as tenuto lines to help the student interpret the legato tonguing style of
the piece (figure 2.4).
Figure 2.4 Etude #8 mm 1-4: Articulation and meter in the chant style.
Etude #9 in E mixolydian is written in 4/2, but with a slow tempo and constant eighth
notes that allow students to continue to count quarter note beats. At a faster tempo, the
beaming of four eighth notes at a time guides the student to feel the beat in half notes,
while still subdividing eighths. The basic motive is an arpeggio, but the tempo is slow so
18
that students can focus on sound production as well as technique as they shift between
registers. Approaching a modal scale with arpeggiated chords is used frequently in jazz
exercises, preparing them to improvise in a modal style. Composers influenced by jazz or
pan-diatonicism use these patterns in contemporary music, and they are useful patterns
for students to recognize. The early study of arpeggios teaches the students to look for
patterns rather than reading every single note. The first (and many more) of the Julius
Weissenborn's Fifty Advanced Studies is based on similar arpeggios to help students
develop their technique.
The Minor Modes: Etudes #10-12
These etudes are based on the modes closely related to the natural minor scale: the
dorian, phrygian and locrian modes. Each etude is preceded by an introduction that
explains how the mode can be derived from starting on a different note in the C major
scale, and then illustrates how the scale is similar to the natural minor scale of that same
pitch. Using that pattern of whole and half steps, it shows how to find the specific scale
used in each etude.
Etude #10 is based on the C dorian scale, which is very similar to the natural minor
scale (C minor has three, rather than two flats in the key signature). It is also similar to a
major scale with two flats added, which becomes obvious in C dorian when comparing
the key signature to C major. A student is more likely to remember the concept after
seeing several ways of reaching the same result.
The etude moves slowly through the degrees of the scale, pausing on each step to
allow the student to feel the relationship between the C, and other pitches in this mode.
The rhythm of this etude provides an opportunity to discuss subdivision; the long notes
19
are consistently followed by eighth notes, so the student should be subdividing eighth
notes continuously (figure 2.5).
Figure 2.5 Etude #10 mm 5-9: The need for subdivision and spin on the long notes.
This subdivision is not just for counting purposes, but can give life to the longer notes as
they lead into more eighths, creating a longer phrase. It can almost be considered a long
tone exercise with melody. As the students hear how the different scale degrees relate to
the "tonic" of C, they can decide how to shape each long note depending on its place in
the melody as well as its role in the scale.
Based on the F-sharp phrygian scale, Etude #11 is a melodic etude that plays on the
tendency motion from flattened 2ˆ to 1ˆ . This is illustrated best from measure 3 to 4, and at
the final cadence, measure 24 to 25. The half step motion from flattened 6ˆ to 5ˆ shows its
! !
melodic pull in measure 11 to 12, for an implied Phrygian cadence. In measure 16, the
! !
etude temporarily tonicizes D major, the relative major to this mode. This sudden arrival
on a familiar cadence reminds the student of how the major scale differs from the
phrygian mode, providing an opportunity for a character change in the music (figure 2.6).
Figure 2.6 Etude #11 mm 15-18: Character change to D major from F-sharp Phrygian and
back.
20
Although the locrian mode is seldom used in classical music, it has a distinct sound
and shows students the difficulty of finding harmonic motion when both the leading tone
and 5ˆ are flattened. This etude illustrates how important these two points are to a major
scale. The melody complements this harmonic character, a rhythmic gesture that wanders
!
aimlessly up and down the scale (figure 2.7).
Figure 2.7 Etude #12 mm 1-6: Directionless motion.
The etude is written as a waltz to show that despite the rhythmic motion, harmonically
and melodically it is akin to a dancer only moving in place, never across the ballroom.
However, at the very last cadence, scale degrees 5ˆ - 7ˆ are raised to lead into the final G3
and illustrate what happens musically when these pitches are altered back to the "major"
!!
form.
Half and Whole Step Scales: Etudes #13-16
Scales that are not related to major and minor are less common in beginning method
and etude books. They are also less familiar to most musicians, since the patterns of notes
are different from the patterns that most musicians practice regularly. The chromatic
scale is an exception, as is often required on junior high and high school band auditions,
and it occurs the more frequently in Western classical music. However, the whole tone
and octatonic scales are rarely used prior to the twentieth century. These scales pose a
technical challenge because they contain unfamiliar note combinations, and a mixture of
flats and sharps in the spelling of the scales, which can be confusing to students who are
21
not used to seeing both flats or sharps in the same passage. They are valuable to know,
because performer who is well versed in these scales will be prepared to play music by
Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Hindemith, Debussy, and even Mahler and Brahms.
The chromatic scale is an important scale for young musicians because it helps them
develop technique in half steps, and practice every fingering on their instrument.
However, many bassoon students practice the chromatic scale in a way that hinders their
own success, fumbling through difficult passages and occasionally skipping notes. Etude
#13 addresses this issue by breaking the scale into smaller, rhythmic chunks (figure 2.8).
Figure 2.8 Etude #13 mm 1-6: Chromatic scale in small chunks.
An adept student or teacher may take this technique and apply it to a longer chunk of the
scale and different rhythms, to practice segments of the scale in groups of three, four, or
five notes, and then put them together to play the whole scale. This technique not only
insures that the student is learning small chunks well, but it gives students rhythmic
markers throughout the scale, to phrase the notes musically and notice if they miss a note.
This etude includes several other ways of playing chromatic notes, including a back and
forth pattern in measures 23-26, and rhythmic variation from measure 27 to 33 (figure
2.9).
22
Figure 2.9 Etude #13 mm 24-29: Patterns and rhythmic variation on the chromatic scale.
By indicating the character of this etude as "slinky," students can find playful ways of
making it musically meaningful, not just a technical exercise.
The whole tone scale is a natural sequel to the chromatic scale, comprised of
successive whole steps instead of successive half steps. It is found much less often in the
repertoire, and is not studied as much. I wrote two whole tone etudes, one for each whole
tone scale, and in two different styles. Etude #14 shows the funky side of the whole tone
scale, setting up a bass ostinato with jazzy articulations, and introducing a melody as if
over a continuation of the bass line (figure 2.10).
Figure 2.10 Etude #14 mm 1-8: Setting up a musical context for the whole tone scale.
Many whole-tone scale etudes are merely technique exercises,20 but these etudes are
designed to show the more expressive side of the scale. Imitating functional harmony is
difficult with this set of intervals, so the etude creates a regular pattern that returns to a
20
Etudes # 9 and 14 from Alamiro Giampieri's 16 Studi Giornalieri di Perfezionamento
are examples of technique etudes on the whole tone scale.
23
specific pitch (D3 in the first four measures). The student can discover the "home" pitch
and recognize when the phrases end. The rhythm of this etude includes syncopation and
hemiola in a compound meter, but the student can learn them and find the rhythmic
groove by subdividing eighth notes.
Etude #15 takes a more scalar approach to the whole tone scale, using broken thirds
and stepwise passages to highlight the open sound of the whole steps. The notation
switches between flats and sharps, illustrating how the same scale can be notated in two
different ways (figure 2.11).
Figure 2.11 Etude #15 mm 14-19: Alternation of notation in flats and sharps.
Although there is not a familiar harmonic structure to this etude either, the motivic
repetition imitates development in the melody. For example, the material in measures 1-3
is repeated in 3-6, starting at a different point on the scale (figure 2.12).
Figure 2.12 Etude #15 mm 1-6: Motivic repetition.

24
The descending thirds return in measures 20-25, providing continuity. Finally, the last
section builds on a fragment from measures 29-30, repeating and ascending from
measure 31 through an arrival in measure 35 on the G3 that started the piece (figure 2.13).
Figure 2.13 Etude #15 mm 29-35: Motivic building to an arrival on G3.
The consistent return of G throughout makes that pitch feel like a home base, even
though the scale itself sounds ambiguous.
Etude #16 is composed as a cadenza using the three octatonic scales, scales which
alternate half and whole steps. Sections marked a piacere (loosely translated: as you like)
are interspersed with sections marked in tempo. This format helps the student to learn
these scales at his or her own pace, and the loose structure of a cadenza requires the
student to decide which points on the scale are the most important, and which are not.
The octatonic scale is tonally ambiguous, since each of its many half steps can feel like
leading tones to different home pitches. Therefore the student must decide which notes
are structurally important through personal interpretation, which will guide the dynamic
and rhythmic shaping of the etude. Each section, which features each of the three scales,
is marked by a double bar and changes in melodic content.
Intervals, not Scales: Etude #17
The final etude in this section is atonal, or not based on a scale nor a functional
harmonic background. Etude #17 introduces the student to music that does not have a
strong harmonic or melodic tonal structure. Instead, the melody of this etude is based on
25
motivic repetition, using a variety of intervals, which are explained briefly in the
introduction.
Some sections of Etude #17 fall into one or another pitch collections that resemble a
key, which are included to provide a sense of familiarity for the student. In addition,
motivic and rhythmic repetition guides students through the structure and phrasing of the
etude, even though the pitches do not follow a familiar pattern. This way, students have
two familiar elements: rhythm and repetition, and one unfamiliar element: pitch content.
If students can grasp one aspect of the music, they will learn to understand the rest. In the
process they may develop an appreciation for music that is atonal, rather than dismissing
it as foreign or not understandable.
Concluding Thoughts
Students practice major and minor scales to learn to play Western classical music,
much of which is based on the major and minor diatonic scales. However, in the past
century, composers have incorporated different scales, and non-scalar systems of
composition. Musicians who only practice diatonic scales are therefore less prepared to
play these pieces from the twentieth century. On the other hand, musicians who play jazz
or world music often do practice these other scales, building their own versatility. If
students practice all kinds of scales, not only will they be better prepared to play all kinds
of music, but they will also start to hear the subtle differences, improving their listening
skills.
26
CHAPTER III
UNIT 2: RHYTHM
Background
Rhythm serves as one of the three main pillars of music, the other two being melody
and harmony. A student without a solid understanding of rhythm will also have difficulty
with harmonic, melodic, and technical mastery. Often neglected in deference to scales
and technique exercises, rhythm can challenge students well into their college studies,
and even professional musicians sometimes have difficulty with complicated
subdivisions of the beat. However, any musician who fully understands division of the
beat and has a firm grasp on Western musical notation can learn the most complicated
rhythms with time and a little patience.
Rhythm in Band Music
Most beginning bassoon method books have very similar methods of teaching
rhythm. Most elementary band books introduce whole notes first, teaching the student to
count to four and then release, and then dividing into half and quarter notes. They slowly
introduce new rhythms while also teaching the first pitches on the instrument.21 The
emphasis is on learning fingerings and playing technique, not on developing a solid
understanding of rhythmic notation and subdivision. Other methods of music education,
which are discussed below, teach rhythm separately from pitch before combining them,
21
See Appendix B for Bruce Pearson's Standard of Excellence: Enhanced
Comprehensive Band Method. Bassoon Book 1, and Tom Rhodes' Essential Elements:
a comprehensive band method. Bassoon Book 1, two popular beginning band books.
27
giving the students time to understand the rhythm before they are expected to play the
rhythm while also thinking about tone production on their instrument.
In my own experience, students are able to play a rhythm correctly when they hear it
first, either from a teacher or the rest of their school ensemble. However, some students
have difficulty figuring out what a rhythm sounds like on their own, and will guess when
playing it. To combat this, some elementary music education systems teach students to
associate words with rhythm, or syllables for specific notes that they can put together to
learn the rhythm. These are effective as long as the student is able to remember them.
Another challenge for bassoonists in junior high school is that the bassoon part in
most band music typically does not contain difficult rhythms. Because of the harmonic,
bass-line role that they play in the band, the bassoon and other low voices often play only
quarter and half notes, with more difficult rhythms occasionally. The students must be
exposed to more diverse rhythms elsewhere so that they can learn many more rhythmic
patterns and build up a "memory bank" of rhythms that they know.
High school band repertoire, in contrast to junior high repertoire, presents student
bassoonists with some of the most complicated rhythms they see during that time. In my
own experience, the number one problem that students have when learning a new piece
for school or honor band is figuring out the rhythms. While playing these pieces
improves their comfort level with rhythm, it also exposes a large gap between the music
they play in private study and the music that is written for their ensembles. When
students are not able to decipher theses new pieces on their own, they rely on a private
teacher to guide them through the process. One of my goals in composing the etudes in
28
this section was to improve their ability to decipher new rhythms on their own, and to
expand the number of rhythmic patterns in their memory.
Rhythm in Existing Method and Etude Books
Beginning bassoon etude books include some challenging rhythms, however the
emphasis is still on development of finger facility rather than rhythmic diversity. Joseph
Skornica's Rubank method books have short etudes of increasing difficulty, and the
rhythms include sixteenth notes by the end of the first book.22 Each lesson explores one
new rhythm, but there is no written explanation, so a teacher must explain the rhythms in
the examples given at the top of each lesson. Several lessons address syncopation,
illustrating the same rhythms written in quarter and half notes, as well as in eighths and
quarters.23 However, it does not include a sixteenth-note version, which would help the
student become more familiar with these rhythms as they can be diminished or
augmented. Once students understand that a rhythm can be diminished into smaller
divisions while retaining the same internal relationship, they can decipher unfamiliar
rhythms by augmenting them until the note values become more familiar. This is an
important step in the process of learning rhythms on their own. Another Rubank lesson
alternates triplets and dotted eighth-sixteenth note rhythms, challenging the student to
differentiate between two subdivisions. A teacher must explain the difference between
the two and how to switch subdivisions from groups of three to groups of four.
The Weissenborn method has complicated rhythms in some of the etudes, yet they
also have no written explanation. Some editors have tried to revise this book, adding
22
Joseph E. Skornica, Rubank elementary method. Bassoon: a fundamental course for
individual or like-instrument class instruction (Chicago: Rubank, 1935).
23
Skornica, 31.
29
preliminary exercises and text to explain the etudes, but the best explanation still comes
from a private teacher who can explain the rhythms as they appear. Each section of the
Weissenborn method simultaneously presents concepts such as new key signatures, an
expanded range, articulations, and several new rhythms, so the student is still expected to
multitask. Early sections introduce sixteenth notes and triplets, but the majority of etudes
employ only quarter and eighth notes, so the student becomes much more comfortable
with those note values. The Fifty Advanced Studies, played by many high school students
and some college students, are mostly technical etudes.24 Most employ only one rhythm
throughout the study, focusing on finger control and dynamic contrast rather than
rhythmic variety. However, the last ten etudes alternate between triple and duple
subdividions, including quarter-note triplets and thirty-second notes. The final study, #50,
is a virtuosic cadenza-like etude with groups of seven, nine, and eleven notes in one beat,
the student's introduction to odd divisions of the beat. Unfortunately, nothing earlier in
the book prepares the student to count seven or eleven notes in one beat.
In addition to these etude books, many junior high and high school students play
solos: arrangements of famous melodies, original compositions for their ability level, or
easier pieces from the classical and baroque eras. Usually the arrangements and solo
pieces written for students this age use simpler rhythmic and melodic language. However,
solo literature from the baroque period includes many smaller subdivisions of the beat
and rhythmic syncopations. For example, in Antonio Vivaldi's bassoon concerti or a
François Devienne's bassoon sonatas, the slow movements often include passages of
32nd and even 64th notes. Because of the slow tempo, these figures are not technically
24
Julius Weissenborn, Practical method for the bassoon; augmented and adapted for the
modern bassoon by W.F. Ambrosio (New York : Carl Fischer, 1941).
30
fast, but students can have difficulty counting these gestures because they are not
accustomed to these subdivisions. Music from this time period also includes notated
ornaments that can present rhythmic challenges for students. A more advanced student
who has played several of these baroque pieces can become familiar with these rhythms,
and will ideally transfer that knowledge to future pieces that have similar rhythms.
Younger students might never encounter music that incorporates odd divisions of the
beat: five, seven, nine, or eleven notes per unit rather than just two or four. These
rhythms are foreign to most classical music students because they mostly listen to and
play music based on divisions of two and three. However, a student who can accurately
learn to divide the pulse into different numbers will have a stronger sense of inner
subdivision, regardless of the style of music. Some etude books for other instruments
present contemporary rhythms at a more intermediate level, such as del Borgo's Rhythm
and Meter Studies,25 and Willard Musser's The Rhythm of Contemporary Music.26 These
books present new rhythms in musical context, but they do not teach the student how to
count the rhythms. In these books there are only a few etudes that incorporate odd
subdivisions, most of the etudes include mixed meter and some triplets and quintuplets.
Also, because these books are written for any bass clef instrument, the level of technique
required is beyond the average junior high school level bassoonist.
25
Elliot del Borgo, Contemporary Rhythm and Meter Studies for Bass Clef Instruments
(Ft. Lauderdale: Meredith Music Publications, 1996).
26
Willard I. Musser and Elliot del Borgo, The Rhythm of Contemporary Music (NY:
Alfred, 1971).
31
The etude books for bassoon that use odd subdivisions are intended for more
advanced players, such as Virginio Bianchi's Twelve Etudes for Bassoon,27 Roger
Boutry's Douze Etudes Atonales,28 and Arthur Weisberg's 15 Etudes in the style of 20th
Century Music.29 These books are each very technically and musically challenging, and
they include only a few types of odd divisions, without enough repetition for students to
internalize the subdivision and feel comfortable transferring it to other contexts.30
The problem presented by contemporary rhythms is two-fold: students have difficulty
with complicated rhythms in the typical duple and triple divisions, but they also have
very little exposure to other subdivisions, such as five, seven, nine, and eleven notes per
beat (these groupings are also presented in Unit 3: Meter). Ultimately, these two rhythmic
challenges break down into one skill: subdivision. Each etude in this chapter uses
repetition, consistency, and slight variation to help students learn and develop a strong
internal subdivision.
Rhythm in Elementary Music Education
Although there exist many methods of teaching elementary education, this section
will focus mainly on the Kodaly method as well as concepts of physical expression from
Dalcroze Eurythmics. These concepts can be used to help students improve their sense of
pulse, subdivision, and comprehension of challenging rhythms. These educational
methods teach rhythm alone, before putting it into musical context. This is not how
27
Virginio Bianchi, Twelve Etudes for Bassoon (New York: G. Shirmer, Inc., 1971).
28
Roger Boutry, Douze Etudes Atonales (Paris: A. Leduc, 1972).
29
Arthur Weisberg, 15 Etudes written in the style of 20th Century Music for bassoon
(United States: Arthur Weisberg, 2004).
30
For a more detailed analysis of the related etude books see Appendix B.
32
students generally learn rhythm in the American band classroom, where they learn
rhythms while also learning to play an instrument (although they may have a brief
introduction to rhythm if they are lucky enough to have an elementary music class). The
following methods of music education have found that students who learn rhythm first
have a more solid internal pulse, subdivision, and then are more prepared to learn other
musical concepts.
Zoltan Kodaly revolutionized the structure of Hungarian music education, and his
system has been adapted around the world as the "Kodaly method" for early music
education. One way for students to learn pulse and rhythm is to walk around the room
and clap or snap rhythms learned by ear.31 The action of walking provides a physical
embodiment of the pulse, and the students learn the feel and sound of a rhythm through
imitation before seeing it notated. Teachers may give the students rhythmic examples
from a song or piece so that the students hear the rhythm in a musical setting, and the
students sing it back by ear.32 After these students learn a rhythm through its physical and
musical context, they learn it through notation. Eventually, the students must learn
rhythms from the notation alone, so in more advanced levels they are given a rhythm and
guided through the process of figuring out what it sounds like. This process includes
finding an ostinato of the smallest notes (subdivision) and slowly tying these notes
together to produce the given rhythm. Students also learn to compare unknown rhythms
31
Lorna Zemke, Sr., The Kodaly Concept: it's History, Philosophy, and Development,
(Champaign, IL: Mark Foster Music Company, 1977) 39-40.
32
Lois Choksy, The Kodaly Method I: comprehensive music education, 3rd ed. (Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999) 15.
33
to known rhythms through augmentation and diminution.33 Once the students have
learned a new rhythm, they use it to compose new songs or partial melodies, and to
improvise melodic gestures in games.34 These activities test the students' understanding
of the rhythm, and give them a chance to make the rhythm part of their internal musical
thesaurus, a creative investment in the new concept. Similar composition and
improvisation games are included in the introductory materials in this etude book, in the
"Creative Corner" sections.
Many educational methods teach rhythm through physical embodiment, which is one
of the main tenets of Eurythmics training, developed by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. Dalcroze
believed that students who learned correct rhythm through motion would have a more
stable foundation for rhythm later. He found that musical training in rhythmic motion was
very closely tied to the development of the nervous system. His goal was to help
musicians use rhythmic movement to develop his or her creative potential as an artist.35
Training in rhythmic movement helped students perform complicated rhythms
expressively and perfectly in sync; Dalcroze also claimed that students from the program
were able to invent rhythms that were more interesting than those found in most
contemporary music.36 Through movement and repetition, Dalcroze also taught students
immediate shifts between complicated rhythms and patterns. Because they had learned
33
Choksy, 135-36.
34
Choksy, 69-70.
35
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, The Eurythmics of Jaques-Dalcroze, trans. P. & E. Ingham
(Boston: Small Maynard and Company, 1913) 18-21.
36
Jaques-Dalcroze, 22-23.
34
musical patterns physically as well as aurally, they were able to do rapid shifts between
very different subdivisions, meters, and tempos.37 These techniques can help instrumental
music students, especially learning changing subdivisions or meters. If the student learns
each rhythm first, with a physical movement that is musically satisfying, then applying it
to the instrument becomes much easier and more musically expressive. Not only does this
help the students to express themselves even while playing complicated rhythms, it also
allows the students to learn natural and musical movements. They can avoid the tense,
detrimental motions that students often make when attempting to decipher rhythm, pitch,
and musical expression all at the same time. Physical movement also helps students feel
the joy that comes from playing music and internalizing the combination of pulse,
rhythm, and melody.38 As for its application to contemporary music, Eurythmics was
even used to help the dancers of the Paris ballet successfully execute the difficult dances
in Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring.39 Some simple motions are incorporated into the
rhythm and meter sections in this book to help students begin to understand the physical
connection to pulse and subdivision.
Non-Western Approaches to Rhythm
Cultures outside the traditional Western art music often have a very different
approach to rhythm. Many types of African and South American music draw heavily on
drums and use complicated rhythmic patterns. In some ways, comparing two different
cultures' approach to music is like comparing apples to oranges: the performance
37
38
Virginia H. Mead, Dalcroze Eurythmics in Today's Music Classroom, (New York:
Schott Music Corporation, 1994) 4-5.
39
Mead, 3.
35
practice, notation (or lack thereof), and musician training is extremely different.
However, studying these cultures allows teachers and students to approach rhythm from
different perspectives, including focusing on rhythm aurally, rather than on written
notation.
In the case of traditional South Indian music, called solkattu, the rhythms and scales
are taught through individual syllables that can be combined and reordered depending on
the organization of the music and the inflection of the phrase. Musicians learn the
syllables first without any pitch content, to get the rhythm first. A system of hand
gestures reinforces the rhythmic patterns, for example, a clap, then tapping the pinky, and
then the ring finger for a group of three.40 This connection between aural and physical
rhythm echoes the emphasis on physical connection to the music that is integral to the
Dalcroze and Kodaly methods. Only after the musicians have mastered the syllabic
patterns are they allowed to learn the corresponding patterns on the Indian drums. The
different syllables teach a more musical and less mechanical kind of rhythm, as different
inflections of different syllables create shape and direction within the pattern.
From the simplest patterns, the student can build up to groups of seven, nine, and
more, but these are always divided into smaller groups of two and three syllables. With
rests and a mixture of patterns, the music can become quite complex, but with only a few
building blocks. Students are encouraged to memorize existing patterns and then
experiment with their own variations on these patterns, to reinforce the learning
40
David P. Nelson, Solkattu Manual: an introduction to the rhythmic language of South
Indian music, (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2008) 1-3, 15.
36
process.41 These concepts can help Western students learn rhythms of five, seven, and
more divisions by first seeing them as groups of two and three, rather than a large group
of seven notes. Syllables also help students with difficult rhythms, especially if the
inflection of the syllables complements the inflection of the rhythm. Some etudes in this
unit incorporate syllabic exercises.
Another musical tradition that is rich in polyrhythms and metric changes, Afro-Cuban
music gained popularity in the United States in the twentieth century. This music is
traditionally taught through a close relationship between teacher and student, and through
immersion in the culture. In the U.S., it is more difficult to cultivate such a close
relationship with the culture and a private teacher, so music students who wish to learn
the style can find books with notated patterns to understand the rhythms. Alan Dworsky
and Betsy Sansby's book, A Rhythmic Vocabulary: A Musicians Guide to Understanding
and Improvising with Rhythm, is a guide for people with little or no prior musical training
to learn some of the rhythms used in jazz and Afro-Cuban style music.42 To present
music that is traditionally taught orally to an audience that may not know Western
musical notation, the authors use spatial notation to teach pulse and rhythm. The pulse is
shown in linear boxes labeled: 1+2+3+4+, which are shaded when the student should clap
or accent a beat. The accompanying CD provides a background track, which is also
notated in graphic form above the student's boxes. Using this notation, students with no
formal music training can quickly learn to play a clave rhythm, which would take much
41
Nelson, 16-17.
42
Alan Dworsky and Betsy Sansby, A Rhythmic Vocabulary: A Musicians Guide to
Understanding and Improvising with Rhythm, (Minnetonka, MN: Dancing Hands Music,
1999) 32-33.
37
longer if they had to learn Western notation. The player immediately feels the groove of
that repeated pattern, rather than first learning the notation. Although the audience for the
bassoon etudes included in my book will already know how to read music notation,
occasionally spatial representation is used to reinforce traditional notation.
Like the other methods discussed so far, the Dworsky and Sansby book teaches the
rhythms on a single note first, and allows the player to experiment with pitch after
developing a steady rhythmic foundation. The authors present 6/8 meter as the sound of a
heart beat (lub-dub, lub-dub), grouping the 3rd eighth note with the next pulse, not with
the pulse that came before.43 This grouping automatically gives a sense of direction to the
pattern, and the relation to a bodily rhythm helps the reader internalize the feeling and
sound of the rhythm. Within the 6/8 pattern, the authors introduce hemiola by having the
reader accent beats 1-3-5, and then 1--4--, each eighth note notated spatially in boxes.
The student also learns 3:2 and 3:4 by listening to the CD and spatially visualizing the
different patterns.44
By the end of the book, the reader has learned cross-rhythms, changes in meter from
6 to 4 and back again, triplets with notes missing, and duples in 6/8 meter. With spatial
notation, the reader understands not only the onset of the rhythm, but also the duration of
each note as it relates to the steady pulse. For readers with little musical background, it
may take a lot of practice to execute the more complicated rhythms, but due to the groovy
nature of the material and the backing track, the exercises are interesting and enjoyable.
43
Dworsky, 130.
44
Dworsky, 134-136.
38
Students are more likely to repeat exercises that are enjoyable, so many etudes in this
book are specifically designed to have a groove and be fulfilling to play.
Advanced Materials for Learning Rhythm
Most contemporary music theory and musicianship books incorporate challenging
rhythms as well. Composer Paul Hindemith wrote Elementary Training for Musicians as
a music theory primer for singing, conducting, and score reading.45 The rhythms in the
book gradually become more complicated, culminating in a section on odd divisions of
the beat. There are several challenging exercises for students to practice these rhythms
while conducting, but his explanation of unusual subdivisions is intended for a more
advanced student. This book is very useful for a college-level musicianship class, but it is
too advanced for junior high and high school musicians with no prior aural skills training.
Bassoonist and conductor Arthur Weisberg wrote Performing Twentieth Century
Music for performers and conductors.46 Most of the book deals with rhythmic and metric
challenges in the contemporary repertoire, and is intended for trained musicians who
already have a solid rhythmic foundation. Weisberg identifies the challenge of rhythms in
groupings of five and seven as a lack of symmetry. Musicians are comfortable with
divisions into two, three, and four notes because they are symmetrical, familiar patterns.
However, a lack of early training materials that use five- and seven- note divisions means
that musicians are less able to recognize patterns within these rhythms. Weisberg
suggests practicing these subdivisions on a single note, removing the element of pitch, as
45
Paul Hindemith, Elementary Training for Musicians, (London: Schott & Co., 1974)
115-120.
46
Arthur Weisberg, Performing 20th Century Music (New Haven: Yale University Press,
1993) 3-6.
39
mentioned earlier. For additional exercises he suggests having a metronome on constant
subdivisions, and the musician moves or taps on the beginning of each group of five or
seven, learning to hear the groups as well as to play them.47 This is a very advanced
concept that eliminates smaller groupings but can be useful for more experienced
performers. His exercises are beneficial, but they teach only one aspect of learning this
concept, presenting the rhythms outside of a musical context.
The Etudes
Many of the etudes in the rhythm (and meter) units use these techniques to present
new rhythms to a younger audience. As in the scale unit, the other musical elements of
the etude will be familiar, including pitch content, structure, and style, so that the student
can focus on learning the rhythm.
Familiar Note Values, Unfamiliar Rhythms: Etudes #18-19
These two etudes introduce less familiar rhythms, but with familiar notes values,
including quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes. The introductory section uses a principle
from the Kodaly method, whereby the student finds the smallest subdivision and counts
through an ostinato of those notes, then adds ties to create the given rhythm. This is
simply subdivision, but sometimes students forget how to do it on their own. The rhythm
in the example from the two etudes is a syncopated ragtime rhythm of eighth-quarter-
eighth and its diminutions. It is also shown in spatial notation so that the student can see
the 1:2:1 ratio of the durations (figure 3.1).
47
Weisberg, 15.
40
Figure 3.1 Spatial notation of syncopation.
Etude #18 presents the rhythm with only eighth and quarter notes at first, later
incorporating the diminutive version with sixteenth notes and eighth notes. The cakewalk
style helps the student feel the dance-like quality of the rhythm, and repetition in the
melody reinforces the rhythm. The technical demands are few, so the student can focus
on a steady subdivision and executing the rhythm accurately. At first the rhythm is
presented only once a measure, so the student can practice transitioning from steady
eighth and quarter notes into the syncopation. Then, the rhythm happens twice in a row in
measures 9 and 11, challenging students to remember where the strong beat falls.
Eventually the student can think of the meter in two rather than four pulses per bar, which
actually makes this rhythm easier. Next the student can try Etude #18a, the same melody
notated in notes that are half the value. At the very end of both etudes, the syncopated
rhythm is offset by one beat, a quarter note in #18 (figure 3.2).
Figure 3.2 Etude #18 mm 29-32: Syncopation offset by a quarter-note beat.
Counting steady quarter notes with an eighth-note subdivision, the student can figure out
this rhythm slowly, and then internalize it. In Etude #18a, the rhythm is offset by an
eighth note (figure 3.3) to imitate the same passage in #18.

41
Figure 3.3 Etude #18a mm 29-32.
Although this rhythm may seem advanced for a junior high school level bassoonist,
following the Kodaly model, any student with a solid foundational understanding of
subdivision will be able to study, practice, and eventually execute this rhythm as with any
difficult technical passage that requires extra effort.
After successfully learning Etude #18, students are ready for Etude #19, which
introduces variations on this syncopated rhythm. For several measures the student must
play consistent offbeats, as in measures 5-7, and later the diminutive version is included.
However, the faster rhythm in sixteenth and eighths is never mixed with the original
rhythm. Instead, the steady eight note melody encourages the student to keep subdividing
eighth notes between examples of the new rhythm (figure 3.4).
Figure 3.4 Etude #19 mm 15-18: Eighth notes reinforcing subdivision between
syncopations.
Smaller Subdivisions: Etudes #20-21
The introduction to the next section shows an extension of the graph of rhythmic
relations, dividing the pulse further into thirty-second and sixty-fourth notes. Once again
taking the Kodaly approach, students are guided to decipher these rhythms by
42
augmenting the note values until the notes are familiar eighth and quarter note values,
with the same internal ratio. Students are also taught to make their pulse the smaller
divisions, such as eighth or sixteenth note values. The student is encouraged to learn each
rhythm alone in the exercises before moving into the etudes and adding more musical
elements.
Etude #20 alternates between rhythms in very small divisions of the beat, and the
same rhythms in more familiar notation. The tempo remains the same, so that the
rhythmic figures sound exactly the same from one version to the other (figure 3.5), and
introducing the concept of tempo relationships as well.
Figure 3.5 Etude #20 mm1-2 and mm 6-7: Smaller rhythms, pulse stays the same.
Because the rhythms sound the same from one section to another, the student can aurally
compare to see if he or she is playing them correctly. Repetitive reinforcement helps
students learn the feeling and sound of these notated rhythms, which they will encounter
in other pieces that they play.
Etude #21 does not provide examples of the rhythms in more common notation, but it
is beamed and metered in a way to allow the student to practice counting with an eighth
note pulse, rather that a quarter or half note pulse. The tempo is slow, and many of the
rhythms are repeated so that once the student understands the flow of the melody, the
rhythm makes sense musically. The slow movements from Vivaldi's concerti for bassoon
43
inspired this etude. Although the style is very different, the use of very small divisions of
notes for a slow movement is characteristic of many of those baroque pieces, and
students learn to count with an eighth or sixteenth-note pulse.
Divisions of Three: Etudes #22-23
This section covers division of the beat into three equal parts, as well as division into
six, which is often two groups of three. The introductory material provides techniques for
practicing the triplet rhythm before studying the etudes, including a physical way to feel
subdivisions of three versus two.
Etude #22 begins with a simple alternation of quarter notes and eighth note triplets, so
that the student can practice subdividing in triplets, without having to switch between
subdivisions of two and three. The melodic material is simple and matches the rhythm,
often the triplets are just used to add a neighbor note to the melody note, as in measures
1-5. In measure 12, standard eighth notes are introduced for the first time, but with
practice and guidance from a teacher, the transition between subdivisions of three and
subdivisions of two can become more fluid. Measures 14-18 rhythmically ease into
quarter-note triplets (figure 3.6).
Figure 3.6 Etude #22 mm 14-18: Introduction of quarter-note triplets.
This passage gives them a musical context for this rhythm, starting from eighth notes and
showing how two eighth-note triplets can be combined to create a quarter note triplet.
44
From here to the end of the etude, the melody includes eighth notes, eighth-note triplets,
and quarter-note triplets.
The introduction introduces sextuplets as two groups of three. By learning sextuplets
as two groups of three, students will become familiar with the rhythm, and eventually
they can alter it to different groupings as necessary (2+2+2 or 2+4, etc). This is another
example of spiral learning, once the student understands triplets, sextuplets are just an
extension, rather than a completely new rhythm. Teachers from the Kodaly and Dalcroze
methods, as well as Paul Hindemith and Arthur Weisberg, and the solkattu tradition, all
advocate counting larger groups of notes by dividing them into smaller groups of two and
three notes.
Etude #23 starts with sixteenth note triplets, notated in 4/8 time so the student can
count eighth note beats and get used to the sixteenth note triplets. As with the last etude,
at first there are no regular sixteenth notes, so the subdivision can be constant triplets. In
measure 5, the triplets morph into sextuplets, which are the same speed as the previous
triplets. The groups continue to be slurred in groups of three to show this grouping. The
next section, from measures 6-11, changes from 4/8 to 2/4, so that the student can start
counting in larger quarter note beats. The sextuplets have different types of articulation,
to show that sometimes they can be a larger group of six, or 2+4, but it is still possible to
count them as two groups of three. The middle section, measures 12-22, changes into
sextuplets that are really just two eighth note triplets put together. They are beamed in
groups of three to show that they can be counted in groups of 3 still (figure 3.7).
45
Figure 3.7 Etude #23 mm 12-15: Sextuplets beamed in groups of three.
This section includes one quarter-note triplet in measure 15 to insure the student can
understand that rhythm from the last etude. Starting in measure 23, the final section
returns to sixteenth-note sextuplets, as well as triplets and eighth notes, as in measures 23
and 25, to show that the student should still be subdividing eighth notes while feeling the
pulse in quarter notes.
Divisions of Five: Etudes #24-25
Subdivisions greater than four are not very common in beginning or intermediate
repertoire, and even advanced players see divisions of five and seven notes relatively
infrequently. The introduction to this chapter teaches the student this rhythm vocally,
before playing it on an instrument. Fives are taught primarily through language, words
that have five syllables or combinations of words that can easily be put into one beat. The
words op-por-tun-it-y and hip-po-pot-a-mus are good examples of five-syllable words
that carry very little extra stress on any one syllable. Since it is important to continue a
subdivision of fives during longer notes, the student is guided through speaking out loud
and then thinking the same syllables during a held note, to feel a continuous quintuplet
subdivision. The student also learns to divide a quintuplet into two groups, either 2+3 or
3+2, like the groupings of three notes in the sextuplets from the last section. These can
also be made from different combinations of words, such as yum-my straw-ber-ry (2+3)
and choc-o-late brow-nie (3+2). However, it is important to not make these into two
46
equal groups, stretching the group of two longer to make it equally as long as the group
of three. By having students move in a physical gesture with each quintuplet, they or their
teacher can recognize when part of the rhythm is stretched or compressed.
Etude #24 features a constant subdivision of fives. Most of the material comes from a
chromatic scale, so that the evenness of subdivision is matched by an evenness of half-
step intervals; the student will not be tempted to elongate any of the notes based on scale-
degree function. Half notes occur between the quintuplets, so a savvy student can
continue to subdivide groups of five during every half note, preparing for the next
quintuplet. The meter is 2/2 to encourage this counting in half notes, instead of trying to
put five notes over two quarter-note beats. In measure 16 the meter changes to 2/4. The
previous half note beat is equal to the new quarter note beat, so that the quintuplets
maintain the same speed although they are notated with halved values. The sixteenth-note
quintuplets seem less intimidating because of their association with the eighth-note
quintuplets in the previous section (figure 3.8).
Figure 3.8 Etude #24 mm 14-18: Eighth-note quintuplets become sixteenth-note

quintuplets.
The quintuplets in Etude #25 are introduced through a slow 5/4 meter. The whole
etude is based on one melody that starts in 5/4 and is transcribed to 5/8 meter in measure
5, but at the same speed as before. If students are confused by these meters, they can look
ahead to Unit 3:Meter. In measure 13 the melody is transformed into quintuplets, still at
47
the same speed but notated as eighth note quintuplets in 4/4 meter. By continuing to
count at a steady rate, the student is guided into playing other rhythms within the
quintuplet, because the melody has remained the same from the very beginning (figure
3.9).
Figure 3.9 Etude #25 mm 1, 5, and 13: The beginning of the melody.
Divisions of Seven: Etudes #26-27
Division of the beat into seven parts is taught in a similar way to the quintuplets in
Section IV. A brief explanation of the concept and notation is followed by several spoken
phrases that form a septuplet. There is an exercise to practice subdivision during a long
note, continuing to imagine a septuplet over the duration of the held note, and finally
examples of some of the different groupings within a septuplet (2+2+3, 2+3+2, 3+2+2).
Etude #26 teaches the student to play whole septuplets and then to practice
subdividing septuplets during the long notes (half notes). The melodic material is simple
stepwise motion, so that the student can focus on rhythm. A group of seven is a unique
number that perfectly fits a major scale, allowing the student to start on 1ˆ and end on the
same note an octave higher on the next pulse (as in measure 1). In this etude the B-flat
!
major scale is teaching the student how to play a septuplet. After the first few measures,
the contour of each septuplet shows the groupings of notes, emphasized by the slur
patterns, illustrating the different groupings of two and three that can make seven. The
first section, from measures 7-11, uses the grouping 4+3, which is a variation on 2+2+3.
48
The second section changes meters from 2/2 to 2/4, with the same tempo, so that eighth-
note septuplets become sixteenth-note septuplets (figure 3.10).
Figure 3.10 Etude #26 mm 10-14: Eighth-note septuplets to sixteenth-note septuplets.
The slurred groupings in this next section stay 4+3 for several measures and then change
as the contour of the septuplets change. Measures 14-15 use the 4+3 groupings, and then
evolve into the 2+2+3 groupings for measures 16-18. The grouping of 3+2+2 is
introduced in measures 19-21, and the etude finishes with the 2+3+2 grouping from
measures 22-25.These groupings may seem complicated at first, but students slow the
melody down and learn each grouping individually, they will be ready to play septuplets
in any context in the future.
The septuplets in Etude #27 evolve out of a string of metric sevens: the melody starts
in 7/4, then the same melody is written in 7/8, and finally in septuplets in 4/4. While
Etude #26 presents septuplets as a cohesive entity, this etude builds them up as individual
notes, so that eventually the septuplet can be divided in different ways with quarters and
eighths within the seven (figure 3.11).
Figure 3.11 Etude #27 mm 23-25: Preparation of new rhythms in septuplets.

49
Taken out of this context, these rhythms are difficult, but because the melody of this
etude remains the same, the student is guided through the process of figuring out the
rhythm. The steps are: 1) slowing down the tempo, 2) giving the smallest division the
beat (one of the septuplet eighths), and 3) gradually speeding the tempo back to counting
groups of seven as one pulse. This is the same process described in Section I to figure out
a challenging rhythm: the student must first find the subdivision, and then build the
rhythm from that. This section gives students the tools they need to figure out unfamiliar
rhythms in the future.
Mixed Subdivisions: Etudes #28-29
In musical context, odd divisions of the beat usually occur amidst every other division
of the beat. The last section of etudes uses these new rhythms in an integrated context,
and the subdivision changes on almost every beat. In many of the easier contemporary
rhythm books, there is little mixture between these subdivisions; usually one type of
subdivision is presented in each etude, and the student does not get an opportunity to
practice alternating subdivisions. These last two etudes present a culmination of the
rhythm unit, and present a much bigger challenge to students.
Etude #28 integrates quintuplets into a more familiar context, along with eighth,
triplet, sixteenth and quarter notes. The subdivision changes on almost every beat, but
there are plenty of quarter notes to help the student find the pulse again. Most of the
quintuplets are surrounded by quarter notes, so that the student can prepare by
subdividing a quintuplet before the group, and can begin another type of subdivision on
50
the quarter note after the quintuplet. However, occasionally the student must switch
immediately from a sixteenth note rhythm to a quintuplet (figure 3.12).
Figure 3.12 Etude #28 mm 13-14: Sixteenths followed by a quintuplet.
In Etude #29, the odd subdivisions are interspersed with longer notes, so the student
must subdivide very carefully to keep the tempo steady. However, the etude is marked
rubato, so the tempo is relatively flexible as long as the fluctuations make musical sense.
For every amount that the student speeds the tempo faster, there must be a section that
makes the tempo slower to compensate for these fluctuations. This etude includes more
variety of subdivision, including eighth- and sixteenth-note septuplets and quintuplets,
and quarter-note triplets. Additionally, these rhythms are placed successively, so the
student has no time to regroup between different subdivisions (figure 3.13).
Figure 3.13 Etude #29 mm 1-4: Back to back changing subdivisions.

51
The slow tempo makes the odd divisions seem more ornamental, and the student must
know how to group and practice these so that they are clean and sound easy.
Concluding thoughts
As students learn to play different groupings of notes, their flexibility of phrasing in
other contexts increases greatly. Steady sixteenth notes can be grouped into combinations
of two, three, four or more notes, giving a run of notes phrasing and direction. By
practicing subdivision in odd numbers, students are reinforcing their subdivision in
general, and will continue to do it as they play more familiar rhythms in Western classical
music. Also, by learning rhythms through words and phrases, they are associating the
music with language, and articulation on the instrument with vocal articulation. This not
only allows the student to play with more variety of articulation, but it brings the rhythm
to life as more than just a mechanical division of the beat.

52
CHAPTER IV
UNIT 3: METER
Background
Just as much of the bassoon pedagogic material does not sufficiently teach rhythm, it
also lacks a full explanation of meter. However, many contemporary pieces require
musicians to play in asymmetrical meters and in mixed meters. It has already been 100
years since Stravinsky's Rite of Spring was first performed, and the meter changes in it
are still challenging for many musicians. Teaching meter means not only teaching odd
and mixed meters, but also the purpose and significance of metric organization. Meter is
more than just an organization of notes in time, it is also a hierarchical organization of
beats by importance and an essential component of melodic and harmonic structure. A
solid understanding of meter is important for playing music from every time period.
Meter in Band Music
Band books typically introduce meter more gradually than rhythm, starting students
in a 4/4 pattern and gradually adding 2/4, 3/4, and cut time. Students often struggle the
most with cut time, since they must feel the pulse in half notes rather than quarter notes,
each note value filling the beat differently. However, by high school they have
experienced it repeatedly through the many marches played by school bands in the
United States. Most of the early band books also introduce 6/8, but no other compound
meter.48
In contrast to the band books, the repertoire played in most band classes includes
more complicated meters, much of it written by composers in the twentieth and twenty-
48
For more information about the band books, see Appendix B. Related Literature.
53
first centuries. Students regularly see meters such as 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8, and 5/4 in their
band music. Because they have a conductor to guide them, they usually develop a basic
understanding of that meter. However, often the same students cannot learn a new piece
in that meter entirely on their own. If they develop a better comprehension of different
meters, their ability to sight-read and play in any meter improves greatly.
Meter in Existing Method and Etude Books
Most elementary and intermediate bassoon etude books introduce meter as the band
books did, beginning with 4/4 and leading up to 6/8 and cut time. The Weissenborn
bassoon method introduces different meters like 6/4 and 3/8, but these meters are used
only rarely in the etudes.49 The books in the Rubank series also introduce different kinds
of meter, but the study etudes do not use them.
Advanced bassoon books use a variety of meters, but these etudes are technically
demanding and more appropriate for an advanced student. These include the books by
Virginio Bianchi, Eugène Bozza, Kenneth Lowman, Henri Martelli, Otto Oromszegi,
Karel Pivo!ka, Giuseppe Ruggiero, and Arthur Weisberg.50 It is important for every
student to be exposed to a variety of meters, and the earlier a student can start learning
different meters, the better they will understand them and the less likely they will be
intimidated by them in musical context.
Other Approaches to Learning Meter
As mentioned in the chapter on rhythm, there are several etude books for other
instruments that address contemporary rhythm and meter. Del Borgo's Contemporary
49
Weissenborn, 11, 40.
50
For a complete list of the contemporary techniques in these books, see Appendix B.
54
Rhythm and Meter Studies for Bass Clef Instruments include studies that use all kinds of
meters, up to 5/16 and 7/16. These etudes incorporate a mixture of new meters, rhythms,
and scales all at the same time. They are not impossible for a high school student, but the
student cannot focus on one element at a time, and must learn all these new concepts at
once. For a student with little experience playing contemporary music, the etudes have no
familiar elements (such as rhythm, meter, or key) and therefore can be challenging to
learn.
Kenneth W. Davies' 20 Pieces in Changing Meters for Unaccompanied Trombone
has excellent studies using meter changes and various rhythms. However, they are
technically advanced, and many of the pieces develop specific skills for trombone.
Everett Gates' Odd Meter Etudes for All instruments in Treble Clef also contains etudes
on asymmetrical meters. These etudes use repetitive patterns to reinforce the meter, but
these technique studies contain little melodic and harmonic variety. However, as they get
more difficult the etudes have more melodic content, and the final study contains the
melody of the waltz in 5/4 from Piotr Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony.
Meter in Elementary Music Education
Elementary music techniques for teaching rhythm are useful for teaching meter, with
a few adjustments for pulse and accent patterns. As mentioned earlier, in the Kodaly
method students use walking patterns to learn meters.51 For example, 2/4 is a "stepping
meter" and 6/8 is a "skipping meter."52 To learn asymmetrical meters, students listen to
and sing a song first, trying to conduct in a way that shows the pattern of stressed pulses
51
Zemke, 39-40.
52
Choksy, 27.
55
(the meter). Next, they learn to tap patterns of 2+3 or 3+2 while singing the melody. To
reinforce this concept, they might rewrite familiar songs in asymmetrical meters.53
Similar to learning a rhythmic subdivision of five or seven, when students learn a meter
in five or seven they break it down into smaller groups of two and three pulses.
In Dalcroze Eurythmics, students are taught arm motions that correspond to meters
ranging from 1/4 to 11/4.54 While they mark the meter with their arms, they express the
rhythm of the music with their feet, learning to internalize both at once. By expressing
the pulse physically, they feel the weight on the strong pulses in a certain meter, in
contrast to the weak pulses. Eurythmics students are expected to change from one section
of music to another on cue. Often this includes a meter change, as well as changes in
rhythm and key signature. By starting with simple examples and reinforcing every
musical action with a physical motion, the students learn to alternate between different
meters through muscle memory and the internalization of each gesture.55 These students
also learn to perform counterpoint in different simultaneous meters, and to prepare a new
pattern while still performing the previous one.56 While not every music student is lucky
enough to be trained in Dalcroze Eurythmics, these techniques can be useful when
learning odd and changing meters. Physical embodiment of the pulse and groupings in an
odd meter can help a student with the asymmetrical pattern, just as repetitive study of
these patterns will make them more familiar and less intimidating. A more modern
53
Choksy, 144-145.
54
Jaques-Dalcroze, 34, 48.
55
56
56
approach to Eurythmics in the American school system includes tapping the pulse in an
asymmetrical meter with the fingertips, as well as composing music in those meters.57
Non-Western Approaches to Meter
As explained in the rhythm chapter, some non-Western music utilizes odd or
changing rhythms and meters more frequently, so musicians learn them at an earlier age.
As discussed in the rhythm section, the solkattu method of teaching drumming uses
syllabic groups and hand gestures to reinforce the stress pattern.58 These groups of
syllables or notes are then combined to make a longer pattern. This kind of music does
not have a repetitive meter like Western classical music, instead it constantly adds or
subtracts syllables to the pattern so that the location of stressed pulses changes. This style
of metric addition inspired some contemporary composers, especially Oliver Messiaen,
who augmented rhythms beyond the usual groupings of note values into regular beats.
Dworsky and Sansby's book on Afro-Cuban music teaches rhythm and meter without
spatial notation, as discussed in the rhythm chapter. The play-along CD emphasizes the
meter with drums and bass. This may seem simplistic, but after teaching a basic 4/4
pattern, it presents 6/8, comparing the feel to a heartbeat (figure 4.1).59
57
Mead, 22, 196.
58
For more information, see Chapter III, Unit 2: Rhythm.
59
Dworsky and Sansby, 130.
57
Figure 4.1 Heart beat pattern in 6/8.
With that analogy, they teach the players to think over the barline, counting the meter in
two dotted-quarter-note beats. After the players get a strong feel of the 6/8 time, the
graphic notation shows them a hemiola pattern (3/4 in 6/8) by accenting the first, third,
and fifth eighth notes. Eventually, the players learn to fit four notes into one beat in the
6/8, a very tricky aspect of Afro-Cuban musical patterns, which is difficult for trained
musicians as well. However, the spatial notation and the backing track make this
progression easier. This unit uses some spatial notation to help students understand the
implications of meter.
Advanced Materials for Learning Meter
Music theory and contemporary performance materials teach meter from a
musicianship perspective. Weisberg's book on performing contemporary music teaches
asymmetrical meters in smaller groupings of two, three, and four eighth-note pulses.60
Once students learn the smaller groupings, they can put them together to form any meter.
These groupings are similar to the syllable groups taught in North Indian solkattu music.
Hindemith's musicianship book takes a similar approach to meter.61 The students learn to
conduct each pattern, and then do exercises with simple rhythms in asymmetrical meters,
60
Weisberg, 3-4.
61
Hindemith, 136-141.
58
progressing to more difficult rhythms. Although his book is titled Elementary Training,
these exercises are best suited for a college student.
The Etudes
The etudes in this chapter are preceded by a preliminary introduction to meter, which
illustrates the implied accents in simple meters. Like the other chapters, each etude
focuses on one skill at a time, so the introduction of 5/8 is almost exclusively in 5/8, and
the pitch content and rhythms within that etude reinforce the groupings of eighth-note
pulses. The student will feel confident in learning a new skill, because the music is not
too foreign or unfamiliar. If a student struggles with odd meters, the warm-up section
contains scale exercises that use these meters in a clear format.
Mixed Simple Meter: Etudes #30-32
The first three etudes illustrate the structural role of meter, through the implied accent
patterns of different meters. This will prepare students to understand more complicated
meters, and the effect that different meters have on the inflection of a melody.
Etude #30 has two parts: the first includes marked accents for each meter, showing
the stronger beats and how the melody's accent patterns change when the meter changes.
The second half of the etude does not include accent patterns, so the student must
remember the stress patterns for each meter. The melody complements the metric shifts:
the first four measures in 4/4 can be grouped into pairs of quarter notes. After the change
to 3/4 in measure 5, the rhythm changes to groups of three quarter notes that repeat. This
helps the student feel the abrupt change in the pattern from four to three (figure 4.2).
59
Figure 4.2 Etude #30 mm 1-6: Metric stress patterns, and melodic changes to accompany
the meter changes.
Although 5/4 meter may look strange to some students, it can be explained as an
alternation between 2/4 and 3/4. As long as the student keeps a steady quarter note pulse,
it is relatively simple. After playing Etude #30, students should understand the difference
in accent patterns between 2/4 and 3/4, so that in 5/4 they can feel the groupings of two
and three as a changing accent pattern that makes the melody feel lopsided.
The waltz in Etude #31 plays on the idea of 5/4 meter as an alternation of 3/4 and 2/4
meters (as 3+2). Just as Tchaikovsky wrote a lopsided waltz in his Sixth Symphony, this
waltz has three beats, plus two extra added to every measure. The melody supports the
meter, repeating the same rhythmic gesture in each grouping of two or three beats, so that
the student can feel the groove of 3+2. However, after the first phrase, the meter shifts
between 3/4 and 5/4, and waltz material appears interspersed with extra beats in a
different order (2+3). The rests between each phrase also interrupt the flow of the waltz.
In measure 5 there is only one beat of rest before the anacrusis to the waltz, but in
measure 15 the same figure actually occurs on the downbeat. Later, in measure 19 there
is a whole beat and a half before a new anacrusis leads into the last phrase (figure 4.3).
60
(a)
(b)
(c)
Figure 4.3 Etude #31 mm 4-6(a), 13-15(b), and 18-20(c): Different-length rests between
phrases.
The counting pattern is simple, steady quarter notes, but the student must keep a steady
internal pulse during these rests because they are unpredictable. This etude reinforces
steady counting skills because rests are often more difficult for students to count than the
rhythms themselves.
Etude #32 mixes meters in a more ambiguous way, imitating an unmetered Gregorian
chant. The quarter note pulse remains steady, but the rhythms are ambiguous and do not
follow groupings clearly. The 2/2 meter indicates that it should be phrased in half-note
beats, complementing the groupings of two and three in the 5/4 measures.
Compound Meter: Etudes #33-34
This section introduces compound meter with 6/8 and 9/8 so that the student learns to
subdivide groups of three eighth notes consistently before alternating between groups of
three and two eighth notes. The introduction provides examples of several common
rhythms seen in compound meter, and ways to count them, including the heartbeat
61
analogy from Dworsky and Sansby's book, comparing the lub-dub of a heartbeat to the
long-short-long rhythm in compound meter.
Etude #33 imitates a style that young musicians know relatively well: the American
march. Marches in 6/8 are less common than cut time, but the regular accent pattern of a
march makes the two-beat feel in this meter obvious, even though it looks like 3/4 to
some students. The rhythms are simple so that the student can focus on the meter, and
most of the rhythms are derived from the lub-dub example, grouping the anacrusis eighth
note with the next beat, reinforcing forward direction in the phrasing.
The rhythm in Etude #34 is more complicated, but the tempo is slow so that the
student can learn the rhythms by counting in eighth notes first and the bigger beats later.
This process is explained in the introduction. As a lullaby, the challenge for a bassoonist
is to keep the tone of the instrument sweet and not harsh or edgy, especially in this
register and in the key of A minor. The student must sing through the sixteenth notes and
not allow them to become snappy, which would ruin the character of a lullaby. The
markings dolce and legato reinforce this character (figure 4.4).
Figure 4.4 Etude #34 mm 1-3: Dolce markings and legato articulations.
Odd Meters in Five: Etudes #35-36
Because 5/4 meter is introduced earlier in Unit 2: Rhythm, 5/8 can be explained as a
diminution of 5/4. The biggest difference is that the tempo in 5/8 is sometimes too quick
62
to count each eighth-note pulse, so it becomes necessary to combine the eighth notes into
groups of two and three. The student has already experienced these groupings in
quintuplets in the rhythm section, as well as alternating measures of 2/4 and 3/4 in 5/4
meter. As discussed above, many pedagogical methods teach asymmetrical meters in
groups of two, three, and sometimes four pulses. The earlier a student is able to hear
these groupings, the stronger that student's internal subdivision will be. This introduction
teaches a physical motion for each group of two and three, as well as a spatially notated
version, to help the student understand the equality of each pulse and the inequality of the
groupings.
The melody in Etude #35 begins with steady eighth notes, to show the student the
pulse without any interfering rhythms. The groupings remain constant 3+2 throughout the
etude, so that even when the rhythm is actually similar to 2+3 (as in measures 33-34,
figure 4.5) the beaming still reinforces the 3+2 pattern.
Figure 4.5 Etude #35 mm 32-35: Beaming as 3+2, melody seems to be 2+3.
If the student has trouble counting when the rhythm incorporates quarter notes, he or she
can slow the tempo down to count each eighth-note pulse (as suggested in the
introduction). The rhythms that use quarter and eighth notes (figure 4.6) require steady
counting of the eighth-note pulse.

63
Figure 4.6 Etude #35 mm 9-14: Rhythms must be counted in eighth notes first.
Slowing down the tempo to count each eighth-note beat reinforces subdivision, which
should remain in eighth notes as the student speeds up the tempo and returns to counting
in groups of two and three eighth notes.
Etude #36 contains rhythmic groups and slurring patterns that contradict the
groupings of 2 + 3. The rhythms are simply eighth and quarter notes with rests, but the
student must subdivide very steadily to count over rests in unexpected places. Often rests
are more challenging to count than notes, so this etude is designed to address this
challenge. The introduction includes an exercise to practice rests by putting a note in the
rest, usually a repeated note the same pitch as the prior note from the example, and later
taking that note out but still imagining it while resting. This exercise helps in some
sections of this etude (figure 4.7), and the student may also choose to write in triangles
and slashes above the music to show the groups of two and three.
Figure 4.7 Etude #36 mm 27-31: Challenging rhythms with rests.
Odd Meters in Seven: Etudes #37-38
Once the student understands how to combine groups of two and three eighth notes,
7/8 is an extension of 5/8. However, learning how to play in 7/8 meter still requires
64
repetition and practice. The introduction includes examples of each possible combination
of two- and three-note groupings to make seven, with words and motions to reinforce the
groupings. The student is also taught common rhythms in this meter that are used in the
etudes.
Etude #37 begins in 7/4 meter and then the rhythm is reduced to fit in 7/8. The
student can count each of the seven pulses at first, rather than diving into the groupings
immediately. The tempo stays the same from one meter to the next, but eventually tempo
should be fast enough that the student can count groups of two and three eighth notes.
The first few phrases keep the subdivision simple with continuous eighth notes, but in
measure 13 the rhythms become more complicated. The beat groupings stay the same
(3+2+2) and the rhythms in this section should be familiar from the introduction. If
necessary, the student can to go through the steps and practice the rhythms with every
eighth note subdivision articulated, before tying them together and playing the rhythm as
written. The rhythm is repetitive enough to seem familiar after a few measures, but
occasionally it changes so that the student must stay focused.
Etude #38 explores the similarity between familiar 6/8 and less familiar 7/8, which
seems more complicated. The etude starts in 6/8 with a few tricky rhythms (figure 4.8),
which reinforce the subdivision of continuous eighth notes.
Figure 4.8 Etude #38 mm 9-12: Quarter-eighth and eighth-quarter rhythm.

65
The 6/8 transitions to 7/8 in measure 17, and the rhythms are translated to a 3+2+2
pattern instead of a 3+3 pattern. The rhythm in this second section is only as complicated
as eighth and quarter notes, with a tricky tied rhythm in measure 23, and some rests in
measures 29-31 (figure 4.9).
Figure 4.9 Etude #38 mm 29-32: Tricky rhythms in the 7/8 section.
However, if the student studies the etude, practicing slowly with the eighth note beat and
paying attention to the subdivision, it is an entirely reasonable exercise for a player
learning to subdivide.
Mixed Odd Meter: Etudes #39-41
Once a student can alternate between groups of two and three, any combination of
meters is possible as long as the eighth note remains constant. The student may also need
to decide if the eighth notes are in groups of two or three. This section has a very short
introduction, which reiterates several important techniques, including how to figure out
rhythms by dividing longer notes into the eighth-note beat, or counting in eighth notes as
the pulse first. This section also introduces the concept of hemiola, an alternation
between two and three larger pulses in the meter, shown here as an alternation between
3/4 and 6/8 meter. This concept is also shown through spatial notation and physical
movement, and is the subject of Etude #41.
As an intermediate study in mixed meter, the melody in Etude #39 begins in 5/4 time,
and transforms into 7/4 time with a similar melody, illustrating the similarities between
66
these two meters. In measure 17 the 5/4 melody is translated to 5/8, and the previous
quarter-note tempo becomes the new eighth-note tempo. Since the student counted the
5/4 and 7/4 by quarter note pulse, now the 5/8 and 7/8 can be counted by the eighth note
pulse, which is the same tempo. At a faster tempo then the student can count the 5/4 and
7/4 in groups of two and three quarter notes, and the 5/8 and 7/8 in similar groups of
eighth notes. The sixteenth notes in 5/8 and 7/8 are not as intimidating because they are
like the eighth notes earlier in the etude (figure 4.10).
Figure 4.10 Etude #39 mm 1-2 and 17-18: One melody, two meters.
Etude #40 takes a different approach to meter changes, the same melody goes through
rhythmic alterations as the meter changes. The rhythm does not remain exactly the same,
as in Etude #39, but changes slightly to fit into each new meter, illustrating the effect that
metric accent has on rhythm and melody. The rhythms are more challenging than
previous etudes, as it tests the student's comprehension of all of the information presented
in this chapter, especially the importance of steady subdivision. The rhythms should be
learned at a slow tempo, counted in eighth notes, and eventually sped up to a quarter- and
dotted-quarter-note pulse. In measure 69 (figure 4.11), the rhythms are examples from the
5/8 and 7/8 sections of this unit, so the student can replace the rests with repeated notes to
learn the rhythm, eventually putting the rests back.

67
Figure 4.11 Etude #40 mm 69-80: Replace the rests with notes to practice.
The concept of hemiola inspired Etude #41, which includes both 3/4 and 6/8 meters.
Now that students can alternate between groups of two and three eighth notes, they can
feel the alternation of two and three pulses that forms a hemiola, either two groups of
three notes, or three groups of two notes. The alternation of groupings of two and three in
5/8 and 7/8 prepares the student to accurately accent the different groupings that create
the hemiola. In this etude the same rhythms are notated in 3/4 and in 6/8, so the student
can figure out what makes them different in each context (figure 4.12).
Figure 4.12 Etude #41 mm 11-15 and 20-23: Hemiola in 3/4 and 6/8.
Concluding Thoughts
This section is intended to complement and reinforce the counting skills from the
rhythm unit, and to teach the significance of meter and its importance to musical
structure. These skills are important for all students, and the etudes are also appropriate
68
sight-reading or skill-building etudes for advanced students who struggle with
asymmetrical and mixed meters. Ideally, students who are exposed to this kind of music
at a young age will struggle less with the concepts, similar to younger students learning a
foreign language. Some of the concepts may seem difficult at the time, but even if
students play the etudes at a slow tempo, they will be more confident when they see the
same concepts later. By learning these meters, their ability to subdivide will improve, and
they will become more aware of the importance of meter as a vital component of music
from every century.

69
CHAPTER V
UNIT 4: STYLE
Background
Style is one of the most elusive musical concepts to teach, since it is based mostly on
performance tradition and can be learned best through experience and listening. Style is a
way of composing and performing music based on its historical context, indications in the
score, and personal interpretation. For a younger player, these elements are sometimes
neglected in deference to correct notes and rhythms, even though style makes playing
more musically rewarding. The etudes in this section showcase some prominent musical
genres of the twentieth century: impressionism, jazz, folk and popular music,
minimalism, avant-garde-music, and aleatoric and improvised music.
Importance of Style
Most music theory and history textbooks approach the twentieth century as a diverse
collection of compositional movements. There is such a large variety of compositional
styles, it is difficult to find one characteristic kind of music from the twentieth century.
To many inexperienced musicians, this music is only similar to Stravinsky or
Schoenberg, and they often do not understand music that sounds "ugly" or "foreign." The
goal of this chapter is to teach students about the many styles of contemporary music, and
to give them freedom when interpreting this music. As they develop their own
interpretation, they can transfer that creativity and individuality to the performance of
other styles of music.
These textbooks also tend to focus on compositional styles, and do not address
performance. Even books intended for performers, such as Weisberg's The Art of Wind
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Playing, have extensive information about playing in styles pre-1900, but not many
details about the post-1900 genres. There is not a cohesive performance practice for the
twentieth century and during this time period some musicians have even broken down
older performance traditions. Performers have challenged the traditions of formal attire,
formal concert settings, the definitions of music and performance, and the traditional
relationship between the performer and the audience. While this chapter will not explain
these changes in detail, it will encourage students to explore freedom of interpretation in
contemporary music.
In his Young People's Concerts, Bernstein taught new concepts by showing the
students examples from many different genres of music. For example, his lecture on
modes included musical examples from popular music, jazz, classical, and folk music
from other countries. This not only provides interesting examples, but also illustrates the
cultural relevance of these topics. Music theory books also draw on examples from
different genres to show the application of these techniques. Stefan Kostka addresses
crossover between classical and other genres of music in the preface to his twentieth-
century music theory textbook, in which he intends to teach twentieth-century music in
accessible terms, using musical examples from all genres.62
Taking music from students' lives is an essential element of student-centered music
teaching, as explained by Graham Vulliamy in his book on popular music education in
England.63 In this book he studies a school that allows the students to study any kind of
62
Stefan Kostka, Materials and Techniques of Twentieth-Century Music 3rd Ed. (Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006) xv.
63
Vulliamy, 49-52.
71
music, including popular and rock music. When students study this kind of music in
class, they are more engaged and more interested in the material and the teacher, even if
the information comes from classical music. Through many genres, the students are
exposed to information from other kinds of music that they may find interested or
exciting.
The more varieties of music students study when young, the more likely they are to
appreciate and understand different genres of music, instead of forming judgments about
what is good or bad from what is familiar to them. Students who are exposed to many
different kinds of music develop a more diverse musical vocabulary, from which they can
draw upon later.64 My book brings contemporary styles to a younger audience to ensure
that future generations will be interested in living composers and the process of creating
new music.
Style in Existing Method and Etude Books
In most etude books for bassoon, there is very little information about style. Some
early band material includes "Hungarian" or "Turkish" marches, as well as folk songs
from other countries, but it does not address any differences in style between different
eras of music. Most etude books are written in the style of the time period when the
author lived, often classical, romantic, or occasionally twentieth century. Each of these
books is wonderful for learning the style of that composer and time period, but generally
those composers do not attempt to imitate other composers or time periods.
Many of the etude books written in the twentieth century are technique books written
by European composers and performers, including Pierre Max Dubois, Henri Martelli,
64
Patrician Shehan Campbell, Lessons from the World: A Cross-cultural Guide to Music
Teaching and Learning (New York: Schirmer Books, 1991) 84.
72
Alberto Orefici, and Giuseppe Ruggiero. These books address the difficult technical
demands of contemporary music, including chromatic passages and dissonant intervals.
Most books that claim to represent contemporary music actually imitate a specific kind of
complex rhythmic and pitch-based music that grew out of the Second Viennese School
(composers Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Alban Berg). These include several
very advanced etude books by Roger Boutry, Arthur Weisberg, and Virginio Bianchi.
Some books take a different approach, such as Eugène Bozza's etudes on the carnatic
modes, which use the scales of Indian music to produce contemporary studies. Jazz
bassoonist Paul Hansen wrote an etude book of jazz exercises, and they teach the student
to play in a jazz style, but they are also repetitive technical etudes. Most of these books
are too advanced for pre-college level bassoonists, and these etudes are more technical
studies than exercises in musical style.65
Other Approaches to Style
Most contemporary etude books for other instruments follow the same pattern: they
teach students unfamiliar pitch collections, rhythms, and meters, but not different styles
of the twentieth century. This music can lack emotion or character, and students may
think that contemporary music is just about pitch and rhythm, not phrasing and style as
well.
Some notable exceptions are Charles Campbell's etudes for solo trombone, which
vary in style from blues and rock ballads to mixed meter classical studies. Likewise,
Barney Child's collection of etudes for bass is actually a collection of solo pieces written
by different composers, so each piece is in a completely different style. Aaron Minsky's
65
For more about these etude books see Appendix B.
73
American cello etudes also include diverse styles, based on contemporary American
genres, including rock and folk music.
Typically, if students want to learn the different styles of contemporary music, they
must find that music on their own and study it from either recordings or educational
materials specifically designed to teach that style of music. These etudes are composed to
inspire the student to find out more about the various styles from this time period.
The Etudes
It is impossible to give an example of every genre and style of music from the
twentieth century. However, the following etudes include some of the more familiar,
diverse, and iconic styles, and they are chosen to show the student how much freedom
and creativity comes with playing contemporary music. Each introduction includes a
brief explanation of the compositional process, tools for developing an interpretation, and
suggested listening of other pieces from this genre.
Impressionism: Etudes #42-43
The word impressionism became used to describe a movement in art beginning the
late nineteenth century, including artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
and Paul Cézanne. These painters evoked real images through abstract gestures and color
rather than exact replication. The term was used in the twentieth century to describe a
style of music often associated with Claude Debussy, who depicted scenes and images
with musical gestures and instrumental colors. 66 These composers occasionally used
altered scales to imitate primitive, exotic, or mystical subjects. The etudes in this section
66
Oxford Music Online, s.v. "Impressionism," (by Jann Pasler)
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com (accessed September 8, 2013).
74
play with color and rhythmic gestures, using whole-tone, octatonic, and non-functional
harmony to suspend reality across space and time.
Etude #42 is titled "Underwater," using whole-tone and octatonic scales to create a
suspended universe like the depths of the ocean, where it is difficult to distinguish up
from down, and forward from back. Some sections of the melody briefly reference
functional harmony, as if catching a glimpse of land or ocean floor, providing a sense of
orientation. In measure 3 the half step between C3 and B2 breaks the whole tone pattern
and foreshadows a brief pause on C3 (in measure 4) by acting as a temporary leading
tone. The passage from measures 5-9 implies A minor (figure 5.1) before leading back
into a whole tone pattern again.
Figure 5.1 Etude #42 mm 5-9: Implied A minor between whole-tone sections.
This etude also includes syncopation in groups of three and four notes, shown by the slur
patterns. This rhythmic change supports the feeling of suspension and buoyancy. Despite
the lack of clear harmonic motion and a home key, the phrases in this etude are clearly
defined by rests or pauses on a single pitch following continuous eighth notes. The
continuous eighth notes create constant undulation, like waves in the ocean, and the
pauses illustrate the phrase structure so the student can understand the form.
Inspired by the impressionist interest in nature, Etude #43 is inspired by bugs. This
etude relies on the student's understanding of concepts from earlier sections, including
3/8 meter, hemiola rhythm (figure 5.2) and the octatonic scale.
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Figure 5.2 Etude #43 mm 32-37: Hemiola.
Jazz: Etudes #44-45
In the twentieth century, jazz music grew popular in America and around the world,
and classical music composers drew inspiration from its characteristic harmonies,
rhythms, and style. Almost every classically trained musician has played music inspired
by jazz, for example pieces by Leonard Bernstein and Maurice Ravel and arrangements
of popular jazz tunes. However, this style is challenging because it requires a different
style of performance than most classical music. The rhythms and accent patterns in jazz
are not notated, rather they come from "feel," and when elements of feel are notated in
the classical sense they can seem stilted or unnatural. However, versatile musicians can
learn this feel, developing flexibility and learning the nuanced differences between styles.
A simple 12-bar blues provides the harmonic background for Etude #44. The first
phrase sets up a chord progression, followed by the tune, and then a chorus of notated
improvisation on the tune. The introduction explains the basics of playing jazz, including
rhythm, articulation, and "feel." It also includes a sample of the chord changes for this
12-bar blues used in Etude #44. By subtly highlighting some of the important melodic
changes that occur as the chords change, the student may start to understand the chord
changes. These changes include motion from the 3rd of I (D) to the 7th of IV (D-flat),
and from the 7th of I (A-flat) to the 3rd of V (A) in measures 8-9 (figure 5.3).
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Figure 5.3 Etude #44 mm 1-2 and 8-9: Motion between key chordal pitches.
Etude #45 is based on Afro-Cuban jazz. It is not an actual Afro-Cuban tune but it
employs a few rhythms from this style to show the student that repetition can make
complicated rhythms easier and create a groove. The rhythmic pattern begins in measures
1-2, and the melody varies this rhythm slightly, requiring subdivision in groups three
eighth notes, as presented in Unit 3: Meter (figure 5.4).
Figure 5.4 Etude #45 mm 1-2, 17-18, and 31-32: The basic rhythm and variations.
Folk and Pop: Etudes #46-47
Contemporary composers also find inspiration in folk and popular music. Folk music
has been a source of melodies and style for classical composers from Antonin Dvo"ák
and Igor Stravinsky to Charles Ives and Aaron Copland in the United States. This section
is based on styles of American folk music, teaching students their own folk and popular
music, and elevating this vernacular music to the level of high art. Connecting popular
and high art music engages students and opens new doors of expression.
Etude #46 is inspired by folk music from the United States, specifically bluegrass and
country music. The repetitive, pentatonic melody is simple in rhythm, key, and phrasing,
but the challenge is constant motion like a fast-paced fiddle tune. The melody creates
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syncopations in the contour of running eighth notes, driving the tune forward like a
dance. However, in several sections the notes are replaced by rests, so the student must
have a strong subdivision of eighth notes to maintain forward momentum (figure 5.5).
Figure 5.5 Etude #46 mm 11-15: Running eighth notes replaced by rests.
At the end, it changes to 12/8 in a notated accelerando to the finish, reviewing Unit 3:
Meter.
Etude #47 is based on popular music, but it is written in 7/8. Once the student
understands the 7/8 pattern, the oddity becomes a groove, making it more fun to practice.
Like the etudes in Unit 3: Meter, the melody begins with every eighth note in the 7/8, so
that the student can feel the subdivision. When the rhythm changes in measure 11 the
student must maintain that subdivision (figure 5.6).
Figure 5.6 Etude #47 mm 9-12: Rhythm changes from steady eighths.
Minimalism: Etudes #48-49
Growing out of the influence of popular and folk music, minimalism is a genre of
classical music from the twentieth century in which composers use repetition to create
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and then alter a sound environment.67 Although their repetitive melodies make these
compositions seem simple, they are rhythmically challenging because the groupings of
notes do not necessarily match the meter. This music tests the student's ability to
subdivide as well as to group notes. The repetition in Etude #48 creates an expectation
that the pattern will continue, so when it changes the student must be focused and ready.
Etude #49 plays with the different group combinations in 7/8 meter. It is more
rhythmically challenging than #48 because there is no consistent, repeated pattern. This
music seems simple, but it tests the student's ability to keep track of eighth notes that are
grouped in ways that do not reflect the meter. Some students struggle with repeated notes
if they do not keep track of the beat, and this etude is impossible to play unless they
subdivide and keep track of the beat. Some measures contain a typical grouping pattern
for 7/8 meter, to provide some sense of consistency, while other measures require the
student to pick a grouping pattern and mark it into the music, because without groups it
becomes an unorganized jumble of notes (figure 5.7).
Figure 5.7 Etude #49 mm 7-11: Consistent groupings versus unclear groupings.
Avant-Garde: Etudes #50-52
Avant-garde is a term that refers to many different styles of classical music from the
twentieth century, based on the idea that these composers and this music were ahead of
67
Oxford Music Online, s.v. "Minimalism," (by Keith Potter)
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com (accessed November 22, 2013).
79
the dominant cultural paradigm.68 It is impossible to discuss all the genres of music that
are considered avant garde, so this section focuses on several popular characteristics of
some avant-garde music – atonality and serialism. Both of these styles of music challenge
the student with atypical melodic content, so the introduction illustrates how to find
patterns and connect disparate motives in one melodic thought.
Etude #50 is an exercise in disjunct melody. It is based on the half step, which is
sometimes displaced by an octave or rest (figure 5.8).
Figure 5.8 Etude #50 mm 1-5: The chromatic half step in a disjunct melody.
However, a student should be able to recognize this chromatic motive and interpret the
gestures as they relate to one another. Several longer gestures are also repeated, but with
changes in register or rhythm. The introduction shows one example of a gesture in three
different contexts within the etude, so that the student can highlight the repetition in
performance. This is important for performing new music, since the performers must
make patterns obvious to help the audience understand the piece. This concept is
applicable to all music that uses repetition and pattern to structure form and development.
In Etude #51 the patterns are more difficult to find. It is based on a (014) set and there
are not many exact repetitions of pitch material. However, the gestures may seem similar
to the student, as the intervals are repeated. The introduction shows the student how to
68
Oxford Music Online, s.v. "Avant Garde," (by Jim Samson)
80
connect different statements to make the phrase longer, even if it is are punctuated by
rests (figure 5.9).
Figure 5.9 Section V Introduction, Etude #51 mm 1-5: Making longer phrases.
By thinking about the gestures as colors or characters in a conversation, the student can
understand a different approach to this kind of melody.
Etude #52 uses a tone row in imitation of serialist compositional techniques. The
specific tone row is provided in the introduction and at the beginning of the etude, so the
student can look for the order of the pitches in the etude. The half step is once again used
as a repeated melodic gesture. The melody is repetitive in contour and rhythm, so that
even when the pitches seem odd, the other elements of the music are relatively familiar.
In the first few measures, the rhythm and contour repeat even though the pitch material
never repeats (figure 5.10), so that the melody does not seem as strange.
Figure 5.10 Etude #52 mm 1-6: Repeated contour but not pitch material.
Aleatoric and Improvisatory: Etudes #53-54
The final section of style etudes gives the student freedom to create music from
melodic fragments, graphic notation, and suggestions for improvisations. This creative
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freedom allows students to explore their own musical imagination and learn about the
elements of composition, from melody and rhythm to interpretation and expression. The
introduction includes suggestions for playing music with more freedom, prompting the
student to think about melody, repetition, and musical character to make the music more
engaging. Students may be more likely to take risks when they have complete freedom,
and later they can learn to take similar risks with notated music.
Etude #53 is a series of musical fragments that can be played in any order, including
repetitions. By exploring different combinations of motives, the student learns about
composition of musical line, deciding which fragments go well together. As students gain
this freedom of composition, they may start to see other melodies as groups of fragments,
and understand why composers make certain choices. Some of the fragments are only a
few notes, so the student must put expression into every gesture using articulation,
shaping, and placement of each note. All of these interpretive tools can transfer to
traditionally notated music as well.
Etude #54 is spatially notated. The student must think about what the lines, dots, and
dashes mean in musical terms, taking into account the vertical height on the page,
thickness, and gaps in the line. The interpretation must be convincing, so the student must
also listen carefully to the sounds are coming out of the instrument. Often the best
listening occurs when a student is not distracted by notation, and the visual score
provides a perfect opportunity to really listen.
Concluding Thoughts
Although it is one of the more abstract musical concepts in this book, style is also one
of the more creative aspects of music because it encompasses personal interpretation. It is

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also one of the most difficult concepts to teach, as it is learned best through listening,
playing, and experimenting. These etudes are designed to represent specific styles of
composition from the twentieth century, so that the student can learn the characteristic
elements of those genres and use them to develop a way of performing those pieces. The
music of the twentieth century allows great freedom of interpretation, and once students
learn how to understand contemporary styles and genres, they can start to explore that
same process with style and interpretation with music from other centuries.
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CHAPTER VI
UNIT 5: EXTENDED TECHNIQUES
Background
It is very important for bassoonists to learn the fundamentals of tone production and
technique early in their studies. When students develop detrimental habits, it is more
difficult to correct these habits later. Some teachers believe that extended techniques
should be only be taught to advanced students because they cause problems with
fundamental development. However, some extended techniques can actually help a
student develop solid foundational skills.
The Importance of Extended Techniques
The first purpose of this section is to open students' imaginations and to make them
excited to play the bassoon. If students enjoy learning to play multiphonics, they are more
likely to experiment with sounds and learn more about the acoustics of the bassoon. This
can be comforting when they make mistakes that produce strange sounds, rather than
immediately feeling embarrassed or afraid. By learning about these sounds, students can
find the confidence to try different things without fear of failing.
Several techniques from this chapter are useful to develop proper tone production.
Multiphonics can break in reeds, and they reveal whether a student is using consistent air
support. If a student is not blowing air at a consistent speed, the pitches in the
multiphonic will fluctuate. Occasionally, some students may not even be able to produce
a multiphonic because they are not producing enough air speed. If the student is pinching
the reed, the multiphonic will turn into a single pitch because the reed is restricted from
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producing the lower pitches. Multiphonics help develop an open and flexible
embouchure.
Pitch bending exercises are also a good indicator of whether the student is using
consistent air speed. The process of slowly covering and uncovering a tone hole to
produce a glissando requires a very steady, fast stream of air, or the tone will break and
jump to a new pitch. This teaches the student to keep air pressure steady even as the
resistance is changing, an important skill to develop true legato playing. Bends also
require flexibility of embouchure, and will not work if the student is pinching the reed.
Vibrato, while not always considered an extended technique, is valuable for
developing control of tone and air support. Some contemporary music requires the player
to play measured vibrato, and the student should always be able to control the speed of
vibrato to match the musical context. If students learn to manipulate their vibrato while
maintaining a strong current of air support underneath, it reinforces the development of
rich tone.
Timbre exercises teach correct fingerings, as well as awareness of tone quality.
Through the timbre etudes, the student can understand the purpose of adding the
resonance key to G3 and why E-flat3 needs a stabilizing fingering. In addition, these
exercises help the student recognize changes in timbre and find the tone that is most
pleasing. It reinforces correct embouchure and air support, as well as listening skills.
The tremolo and harmonic exercises are important for a student who is learning about
voicing, as well as control of intonation. Voicing is essential to playing in tune on the
bassoon, so these etudes are important for students to start learning good habits. They
also help the student develop flexibility between registers, especially leaps downward,
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which require an open, flexible embouchure. Tremolos teach the student to voice the
upper notes inside the mouth instead of pinching the reed. Learning harmonic fingerings
is another way to learn the voicing for tenor register and high register notes on the
bassoon. These exercises teach the student about the acoustics of the bassoon through
relevant experience.
Extended Techniques in Existing Method and Etude Books
There are a few books that explain how to play extended techniques on bassoon.
Pascal Gallois's recent book, The Techniques of Bassoon Playing, is one of the most
extensive explanatory texts about extended techniques on bassoon. However, the book is
intended for composers and advanced performers. There are no introductory etudes or
exercises, only an explanation of the techniques and exercises for mastery. French
bassoonist69 Alexandre Ouzounoff wrote a book of extended techniques, including
fingerings for quarter tones, timbral trills, and multiphonics, as well as examples from
solo literature.70 This book has little actual explanation, and is intended for the French
bassoon, not the German bassoon. Sergio Penazzi's Metodo per Fagotto also includes
fingerings for quarter tones and multiphonics, as well as exercises for practicing them and
69
The French bassoon is an instrument that diverged from the German bassoon (designed
by Carl Almenrader), and now it is primarily only played in France, the rest of the world
preferring the German style. It has a narrower bore and slightly different keywork,
making it more similar to the historical baroque bassoon. For more see Oxford Music
Online, s.v. "Bassoon," (by William Waterhouse) http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com
(accessed November 23, 2013).
70
Alexandre Ouzounoff, Actuellement le Basson: Traité Pratique des Nouvelles
Techniques au Basson, à l'usage des Interprètes et des Compositeurs (Paris: Editions
Salabert, 1986).
86
ways the techniques can be combined.71 This book is an extension of Bruno Bartolozzi's
New Sounds for Woodwinds, which provides similar information for all the woodwinds,
on a less comprehensive scale.72
Few bassoon etude books include extended techniques. Eugène Bozza's Graphismes
includes some quarter tones and flutter-tongue, as well as glissandi and varying speeds of
vibrato.73 A collection of modern etudes by Dieter Hähnchen includes timbral trills,
multiphonics, quarter tones, and other strange notations.74 However, all of these books
are very challenging and suitable only for a very advanced student.
Several books for other instruments introduce contemporary techniques. Robert
Dick's book The Other Flute contains a detailed description of extended technique
possiblities on flute for a more advanced player.75 Linda Holland's Easing Into Extended
Technique books for flute contain introductory material on several popular extended
techniques, including an explanation of each technique and ways to practice it, followed
by simple etudes that are more approachable for young students.76 Barney Childs'
collection of Contemporary Etudes for Contrabass is a book of short pieces for more
71
Sergio Penazzi, Metodo per Fagotto (Milan: Edizioni Suvini Zerboni, 1971).
72
Bruno Bartolozzi, New Sounds for Woodwinds trans. Reginald Smith Brindle (London:
Oxford University Press, 1982).
73
Eugène Bozza, Graphismes: Preparation for the Reading of Different Musical Graphic
Notations for Bassoon Solo (Paris, Alphonse Leduc, 1975).
74
Dieter Hähnchen ed., Musik und Spieltechniken des 20. Jahrhunderts (Leipzig:
Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1986).
75
Robert Dick, The Other Flute (New York : Multiple Breath Music, 1989).
76
Linda Holland, Easing Into Extended Technique Vols 1-5 (Santa Barbara, CA: Con
Brio Publishing, 2000).
87
advanced players.77 A different composer wrote each piece, and many use extended
techniques. The introduction to this collection includes an explanation of each extended
technique to prepare the student for the pieces.
Because there are no introductory books like these for bassoonists, many players do
not learn the correct way to execute extended techniques. This can lead to habits that are
detrimental to fundamental skills, contributing to the misconception that extended
techniques will destroy a musician's ability to play other music. If students learn to
execute these techniques in a way that actually improves their fundamental control of the
instrument, this music will not only help them improve, but will be more rewarding to
play.
The Etudes
Each of the sections in this unit introduces a specific extended technique, and
provides exercises to help the student prepare for learning the etude. The etudes then put
the extended techniques into a musical context. The etudes are short so that the students
do not get frustrated, and so they can feel a sense of accomplishment when they complete
one. Each etude imitates a style in which this technique can be found, so it is a technique
study and also a fun piece to play. The notation is explained in the introduction, and the
student should not need any additional help understanding the etudes.
Vibrato Manipulation: Etude #55
While vibrato manipulation is not necessarily an extended technique, it is used in
some contemporary pieces, and students must learn control over vibrato speed and width
77
Barney Childs et al, Contemporary Etudes for Contrabass (American String Teachers
Association, 1984).
88
so they can play different styles of music and with other instrumentalists who use vibrato
in different ways. The introduction presents a process for learning vibrato for the first
time, in case students have not developed vibrato yet.
Etude #55 uses notation above the staff to show the speed of vibrato (figure 6.1).
Figure 6.1 Etude #55 mm 8-10: Vibrato speed notated above the etude.
This exaggerated style allows the students to overdo the vibrato, so that they learn the
flexibility necessary to produce a resonant sound and vibrato. By overdoing the vibrato,
they learn how to push the limit, and then bring it back to good taste. This is important
for performing, since students often do not test the limits of expression. Learning to go
too far will help them make discoveries in other aspects of their playing. The last section
of the etude allows the student to choose the speed of vibrato, to learn to make
interpretive decisions with vibrato.
Pitch Bending: Etudes #56-57
Learning fine muscle control in the fingers and the embouchure is important to
developing technique on the bassoon. Pitch bending is an isolation exercise for these
muscles, as well as a test of steady air support. When students can keep a pitch bend
steady, they are using a flexible embouchure, not pinching the reed too much, and
keeping the air support fast enough so that the sound doesn't stop or waver. The
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introduction teaches the student the most basic pitch bends between two notes, ones that
require only one finger to move over a tone hole, which is easier than bending with a key.
In Etude #56 the melody bends between two notes, and also scoops, falls, and bends
away and back to the same note (figure 6.2).
Figure 6.2 Etude #56 mm 5-8: Bends, scoops, falls, and glissandi.
Students can make these bends with their fingers as well as their embouchure, techniques
that are explained in the introduction. Between pitch bends, chromatic scales continue the
sliding motion, complementing the character of the pitch bends. Many extended
techniques seem to exist only to show off the sounds that a bassoon can make, but having
an expressive intention in these etudes shows a musical usage of extended techniques.
The pitch bending in Etude #57 imitates the way the human voice can create a
glissando in a melodic context. The melody is a song, and the pitch bends highlight
certain intervals like a lounge singer sliding between notes (figure 6.3).
Figure 6.3 Etude #57 mm 10-16: Vocal pitch bends in the melody.
These bends are used for an expressive purpose in a style of music that is familiar for the
student, rather than an abstract study on glissandi and pitch bending. The student may
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feel an emotional connection to making the melody sound like a song and not just another
etude.
Timbral Trills: Etude #58
This section explains several ways to vary the timbre of a note, including adding the
resonance key and low D-flat key for a brighter sound, and adding the lowest keys (Bb1-
D2) for a darker sound. It also includes a technique of depressing the lowest keys to
create timbral fluctuation on a single pitch (figure 6.4).
Figure 6.4 Etude #58 Introduction: Finger the main note while depressing the left hand
keys notated below.
Learning about timbre changes helps students develop their listening skills and sense of
tone. By exploring altered timbres, they can hear different possibilities and notice when a
note sounds pinched and buzzy or dark and muffled, and eventually decide how they
want their own tone to sound.
Etude #58 uses different ways to alter timbre, contrasting dark fingerings in the low
register with brighter timbral trills in the upper register. These timbre changes take the
place of a singable melody, so musical expression in this etude follows the contrast
between light and dark, high and low, and fast and slow timbral changes. Exploring the
contrast between bright and dark sound helps the student understand color changes.
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Tremolos: Etudes #59-60
Wide range tremolos are a natural extension of timbre, because the wide range
tremolos use the dark-timbre fingerings with the B-flat1-D2 keys, as explained in Gallois'
book.78 Bassoonists can easily play a tremolo from B-flat1 to D4 by leaving the lowest
keys depressed and lifting only a few fingers for the D4. The result is a darker sounding
D4, but the tone color does not matter as much as the ease of execution. The tremolos are
made easier with these fingerings, but the student must keep a flexible embouchure and
an open oral cavity to allow the instrument to traverse a wide range. This technique
inspired the tremolos in Luciano Berio's Sequenza XII for solo bassoon, but can also be
used to play large leaps between registers, including those in Vivaldi's bassoon concerti.
In Etude #59, the tremolos are interspersed with the melody to create a texture
change: while the melody notes continue the lowest note in the tremolo stays the same as
a pedal point (figure 6.5).
Figure 6.5 Etude #59 mm 1-4: Tremolos play the melody over a pedal point.
The notes of the melody are in the same range as the melody before and after the sections
of tremolo, and the material between tremolos give the student a chance to regroup before
playing a different tremolo. The tremolo sections are a variation on the melody, and the
melodic phrase should continue through the tremolos, rather than seeming like a
78
Gallois, 66-98.
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contrasting section of the etude. Incorporating the technique into a musical interpretation
is an important step in learning these concepts.
The use of tremolos in Etude #60 also maintains a melody in the top line, while the
bottom note provides a bass line (figure 6.6).
Figure 6.6 Etude #60 mm 17-21: Tremolo counterpoint.
Occasionally the tremolos stop to allow for faster motion in the melodic rhythm. Since
the melody in this etude is familiar (the "Ode to Joy"), the student can phrase the song as
if singing it, even though it incorporates a new technique. This presents extended
techniques as musical tools, not just as fun sounds.
Multiphonics: Etudes #61-62
Multiphonics are one of the most popular extended techniques on the bassoon, and
they are one of the easiest to produce due to the acoustical imperfections of the
instrument. This section presents three different types of multiphonic, as well as some
other effects that can be produced with these fingerings. The first kind of multiphonic is
produced by changing a fingering slightly to produce conflicting pitches that sound like a
beating, rough sounding "chord." These are useful for breaking in a reed and also for
checking if a student is using a steady air stream and has a relaxed embouchure. These
are also useful for teaching students about the acoustics of the bassoon, because if they
get this kind of sound accidentally, they know that it is probably because the fingering is
93
incorrect and a tone hole is open that should be closed. If the embouchure is tightened,
the cluster of pitches can be reduced to a single pitch (figure 6.7).
Figure 6.7 Section V. Multiphonics, Introduction: multiphonics transitioning to a pitch.
This effect can be very beautiful, but also requires steady control of the embouchure and
air support. This exercise helps students develop control, and it is more interesting than
most long tone exercises.
The second kind of multiphonic is an overblown fundamental. The notes Bb1 to F2
can be overblown (with faster air speed and a tighter embouchure) to produce a cluster of
overtones instead of the fundamental pitch. Students produce this sound accidentally if
they try to play a low note with their embouchure too tight and air speed too fast. By
learning this technique, they can identify the necessary adjustments to produce
multiphonics in the low and high registers. The third kind of multiphonic involves
playing the highest register notes with a loose embouchure and slow air, producing a
series of lower partials (figure 6.8).
Figure 6.8 Section V. Multiphonics, Introduction: Overblown low notes and under
supported high notes.
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Students produce this effect accidentally when playing the highest notes without a
firm embouchure and fast air, and it can be useful for finding the best combination of
embouchure and air speed to produce these high register notes.
The multiphonics in Etude #61 evoke the footsteps of a dinosaur. Each multiphonic is
preceded by a real note with a similar fingering, so that the student can practice the
multiphonic fingerings as slight modifications of familiar notes (figure 6.9).
Figure 6.9 Etude #61 measures 7-13: Real notes, followed by multiphonics.
The introduction explains the notation, including which B-flat key is signified by the
symbol +Bb in the music. These multiphonics are chordal embellishments of the melody,
not just sound effects. The pitches in the multiphonics are part of the melody and should
be included in the phrasing plan for the etude. The imitation of dinosaur steps provides
some interpretational tools and demands a certain amount of musical exaggeration.
Etude #62 explores the space between multiphonics and the pitches that can be
extracted from them. This includes overblowing the multiphonics to a single pitch,
overblowing low notes to produce multiphonics, and transforming high notes into under-
supported multiphonics (figure 6.10).

95
Figure 6.10 Etude #62 mm 7, 9, and 12: Transitions between pitch and multiphonics.
The in-between sounds evoke the supernatural (Zombies). There is no traditional melody,
but the music is a textural exploration of the musical space between multiphonic and
discrete pitch. The student must learn to play with texture as an element of composition,
which will transfer to other pieces from the twentieth century and even earlier.
Harmonics: Etude #63
Learning harmonics are useful for learning to play in tune and also to test reeds.
According to Gallois, the voicing necessary to play a B-flat3 with the fingering for a B-
flat1 (as an overblown harmonic) is the same as voicing necessary to play B-flat3 in tune
with the correct fingering, to avoid pinching the reed.79 In order to produce a higher pitch
from a lower fingering, the student must imagine the higher note internally, and then
make the necessary adjustments to the oral cavity to produce the harmonic. This requires
flexibility of embouchure, directional air support, and control of the throat and oral
cavity, all of which develop refined tone and control of intonation. Harmonics also reveal
if a reed is balanced, because if the harmonic is in tune it means that the reed is in tune
with itself. If the harmonics are very difficult to produce, it could be a sign that the reed is
not balanced or not flexible enough.
79
Gallois, 32-35.
96
Etude #63 is a simple melody that uses harmonics for some of the notes in the tenor
register. The first harmonic is preceded by the real note, so the student can hear the pitch
before playing it with the harmonic fingering (figure 6.11).
Figure 6.11 Etude #63 mm 4-9: Real fingerings followed by harmonics.
The first pitch is not always given, but the melody stays in a close range so the student
can hear if the harmonic is in the right register. The harmonics' airy qualities complement
the light character and dynamic of this etude, illustrating a musical purpose for this
technique. The student should make the harmonics sound easy, as the texture of the music
is delicate and there should be no extraneous noise between notes. Switching seamlessly
between normal fingerings and harmonics requires great control of air support and finger
action.
Tonguing: Etude #64
Variety and control of articulation is an important skill for all bassoonists, and this
section is a brief introduction to a few different kinds of articulation. The first concept
involves starting notes with different consonants, and the introduction includes a brief list
of possibilities, asking the student to think of more. Articulation is important to style and
character, and reflects musical phrasing and expression.

97
The next section is a series of steps to learn double-tonguing. Double-tonguing is
usually taught to more advanced players, but students who are able to single-tongue well
can start to learn double-tonguing. The steps guide the students through rhythmic double-
tonguing exercises with gradual increases in speed, while reminding them to keep their
air support steady so the pitch does not drop. Following the double-tonguing exercises is
a brief introduction to flutter-tonguing, a challenging but fun technique on bassoon. This
section explains two ways to learn to flutter-tongue: with the front of the tongue or the
back of the tongue in the throat. Both flutter- and double-tonguing show a student's air
support: if the pitch goes flat, the student is not keeping a consistently fast stream of air,
or is too open in the throat.
Etude #64 is a simple melody, embellished by flutter- and double-tonguing. The
flutter- and double-tonguing occur during repetitions of the melody, so that the student
can hear if the technique is causing changes in pitch (figure 6.12).
Figure 6.12 Etude #64 mm 1-4 and 7-9: Flutter- and double-tonguing on repeated
sections to hear if the pitch changes.
Towards the end of the etude, the tonguing techniques are not preceded by straight-tone
pitches, and the student must learn to listen if the pitches are in tune while flutter- or
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double-tonguing. The rhythm is more active, so the student must master the technique
before attempting the etude (figure 6.13).
Figure 6.13 Etude #64 mm 22-25: More active rhythms.
Concluding Thoughts
Extended techniques are not only a way for students to build fundamentals but can
inspire students to think about music and sound more creatively. Once students learn how
to execute these techniques without developing bad habits, they can play with sound and
texture as they practice. Improvising with sound is beneficial for all students, and can
open doors to creativity that were previously hidden. Advanced students sometimes fear
improvisation because it is easy to be very judgmental of themselves. However, with
extended techniques there is more freedom in the sounds they can produce, which for
many students makes improvisation more liberating.
These etudes are useful for more advanced students who do not know how to start
learning extended techniques. The etudes can be used by students with no prior
experience with this music, and they progress at a gradual pace. To play the etudes
students are not required to learn five new concepts at once, as they might if they were
playing a contemporary solo piece. Advanced students can also use these etudes to learn
good habits, and to learn to play expressively with extended techniques.

99
CONCLUSION
Over the course of researching and composing these etudes, I met many bassoon
students and teachers who thought the project was an exciting and important resource for
the present era. Even advanced bassoonists are interested in learning contemporary
techniques, but sometimes they are reticent to play this music because it seems
overwhelming to learn extended techniques, complicated meters and rhythms, and play
unusual pitch combinations all at once. These etudes present these techniques in a more
manageable fashion, but still prepare the student to combine the concepts later when
learning a piece from the twentieth century. These etudes can even be useful to practice
sight-reading in contemporary styles, a valuable skill for working musicians.
This process also revealed that it is impossible to introduce all the performance styles
and techniques of the twentieth century in a single etude book. Therefore, these etudes
are intended to teach students ways of approaching this kind of music, and to spark
interest in learning more from additional resources. Each section contains exercises and
ideas for learning new scales, rhythms, meters, and techniques, which can easily be
adapted to other contexts. These techniques for learning are also useful for students
learning music from all the eras leading up through the twentieth century. Even if
students finish this book and have no additional interest in contemporary music, they will
be better equipped to teach and learn whatever kind of music they enjoy.
The final goal of this project is to help younger students find an appreciation for
contemporary music before they have a strong bias against it. Younger musicians are
often more open-minded in their musical taste, and if they are exposed to many different
styles of music, they may continue to be interested in this music when they are older. The
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etudes are specifically designed to not overwhelm the student with newness, which
makes it easier to understand the contemporary elements. They are also intentionally
made to be student-friendly and fun for a younger audience. Teaching young students to
be interested in the music of today will ensure the survival of classical music as a living
field, including living composers as well as the immortalized masters. At a time when
classical music is redefining it's viability as an art form, innovation and creativity are
invaluable skills to teach future generations of musicians.

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APPENDIX A
THE ETUDE BOOK

102
An Introduction to Contemporary Music for Bassoon
With Sixty-Four Etudes
by

103
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WARM-UPS 106
Long Tones and Scales 106

Etude 1. Tones Through the Modes 107
Etude 2. Shapes 110
Etude 3. Scale Exercises 111
UNIT 1: SCALES 113
Section I. Major and Minor 113

Etude 4. Major Fred 115
Etude 5. Aeoli Oli (G natural minor) 115
Etude 6. Miner Melodie (C melodic minor) 116
Etude 7. Dance (B harmonic minor) 116
Section II. The Major Modes 117
Etude 8. Chant du Chien (Bb lydian) 118
Etude 9. Mixtolydia (E mixolydian) 119
Section III. The Minor Modes 120
Etude 10. Doris (C dorian) 122
Etude 11. Phryg (F# phrygian) 122
Etude 12. Melancholic waltz (G locrian) 123
Section IV. Half and Whole Step Scales 124
Etude 13. Slinky (chromatic) 125
Etude 14. Wandering (C whole tone) 125
Etude 15. Wide Open Spaces (C# whole tone) 126
Etude 16. Cadenza (octatonic) 127
Section V. Intervals, not Scales 128
Etude 17. Not a Scale (atonal) 129
UNIT 2: RHYTHM 130
Section I. Familiar Note Values, Unfamiliar Rhythms 130

Etude 18. Mad Hatter's Rag 131
Etude 18a. Little Mad Hatter's Rag 131
Etude 19. Two-tone Cakewalk 132
Section II. Smaller Subdivisions 133
Etude 20. Times Two 134
Etude 21. Rosewood 135
Section III. Divisions of Three 136
Etude 22. Weaving 137
Etude 23. 3 + 3 = 6 138
Section IV. Divisions of Five 139
Etude 24. Quicksand 140
Etude 25. Time for Five 141
104
Section V. Divisions of Seven 142

Etude 26. 7-Up 143
Etude 27. Stairway to Seven 144
Section VI. Mixed Subdivisions 145
Etude 28. Different Strokes 146
Etude 29. Flying 147
UNIT 3: METER 148
Section I. Mixed Simple Meter 148

Etude 30. Song of the River Rats 149
Etude 31. Waltz with 2 Left Feet 150
Etude 32. Chant 150
Section II. Compound Meter 151
Etude 33. March 152
Etude 34. Lullaby 152
Section III. Odd Meter in Five 153
Etude 35. Five at a Time 154
Etude 36. Five of Me, Five of You 155
Section IV. Odd Meter in Seven 156
Etude 38. Seventh Planet 157
Etude 37. Compound Steps 158
Section V. Mixed Odd Meter 159
Etude 39. Catsup 160
Etude 40. Metric Variations 161
Etude 41. Thrix 162
UNIT 4: STYLE 163
Introduction to the Styles 163

Etude 42.Underwater (impressionism) 166
Etude 43. Bugs (impressionism) 167
Etude 44. Blues (jazz) 168
Etude 45. Afro-Cuban (latin jazz) 169
Etude 46. bassoon barn burn (folk) 170
Etude 47. Snap (pop) 171
Etude 48. Circles (minimalism) 172
Etude 49. Square (minimalism) 173
Etude 50. Shooting Stars (avant-garde) 174
Etude 51. The Answered Question (avant-garde) 174
Etude 52. Lucky 13 (12-tone) 175
Etude 53. Choose Your Own Adventure (aleatoric) 176
Etude 54. Spatial (improvisation/graphic score) 177
105
UNIT 5: EXTENDED TECHNIQUES 178
Section I. Vibrato 178

Etude 55. In the Morning 179
Section II. Pitch Bending 180
Etude 56. Trapeze 181
Etude 57. Romanze 182
Section III. Timbral Trills 183
Etude 58. Timber 184
Section IV. Tremolos 185
Etude 59. Tremoling 186
Etude 60. Ode 187
Section V. Multiphonics 188
Etude 61. Baby Dino Walk 190
Etude 62. Zombies 191
Section VI. Harmonics 192
Etude 63. Feathers 193
Section VII. Tonguing 194
Etude 64. Splinters 196
106
WARM-UPS
Long Tones
PLAY LONG TONES EVERY DAY!
Practicing long tones is important for developing air support and a steady, sustained
tone. Always use a fast, consistent stream of air and an embouchure that is shaped like
saying "Oh," to produce a beautiful sound.
Use a metronome to keep your tempo steady and a tuner to stay on pitch.
Scale Patterns
PLAY SCALES EVERY DAY!
RULES FOR SCALES
1. Cleanliness before speed. If you are making mistakes, go slower and keep the
rhythm steady.
2. Keep your air support fast and consistent.
3. Scales are music, too. Play with good tone, intention, and phrasing.
For Etude #3 count each eighth note to make them all the same value. When you can do
this well, speed up and group them in 2s and 3s, as they are beamed in the music.

!

110
2. Shapes
Quarter = 60 bpm 8
Each shape = 4 beats
Each shape represents one note of the scale.

7
You can interpret the shape as dynamic,
color, vibrato, intensity, or a combination
of all four. Start by making each note a
whole note.
6
1
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!

"

#

!

$$
%

&

113
UNIT 1: SCALES
Section I. Major and Minor Scales
A major scale is a collection of notes, following a specific order of whole and half steps.
A half step is the smallest distance between two notes: C to C#.

Two half steps together make a whole step: C to D.
Half step + Half step = Whole step
Every major scale has the same order of whole and half steps:
The minor scales also have a specific order of and half steps. There are three kinds of
minor scale, the natural minor, the harmonic minor, and the melodic minor.
A natural minor scale can be played using the notes of the C major scale, but starting
two scale steps lower, on A. A minor is called the relative minor to C major because it
has the same key signature:
This is also called the aeolian mode, which starts on the sixth note of a major scale ( 6ˆ ).
Creative Corner:
!
What are the differences in character of the major scale and the natural minor scale?
Make up a melody using the minor scale, like the following:
114
The circle of fifths shows the majors (outside) and their relative minors (inside). Each
minor has the same key signature as the major by it:
C
a
F d e G
Majors
Bb g b D
Eb c minors f# A
Ab f c# E
Db bb g# B
d#/eb
F#/Gb
The harmonic minor is a variation of the natural minor, which raises 7ˆ (the seventh step
of the scale) to its position in the major scale. In A minor, play G# instead of G. There is
a large jump between lowered 6ˆ and the major 7ˆ :
!
! !
The melodic minor is another variation on the natural minor. Going up the scale, raise
scale degrees 6ˆ and 7ˆ one half step, so they are the same as 6ˆ and 7ˆ in the major scale
by the same name, also known as the parallel minor. In A melodic minor these are F#
and G# (from A major). When going back down, these notes return to F and G natural:
! ! ! order!of half and whole steps
Different

117
Section II. The Major Modes
A mode is a scale built by starting a different step of a major scale.
The lydian mode starts on the fourth note of a major scale:
The difference between F major and F lydian is 4ˆ , which is raised from Bb to B-natural:
F major F lydian
!
Etude #8 uses a Bb lydian scale: 4ˆ is raised from Eb to E-natural.
The mixolydian mode starts on the fifth note of a major scale:
The difference between G major and G mixolydian is 7ˆ , which is lowered from F# to F-

natural.
G major G mixolydian
!
Etude #9 uses the E mixolydian scale: 7ˆ is lowered from D# to D-natural:
Creative Corner:
Improvise or compose a melody based on the lydian or mixolydian mode: Pick a scale,
using a method shown above. What is the character of your composition?

120
Section III. The Minor Modes
The dorian mode starts on the second note of a major scale:
The difference between D natural minor and D dorian is 6ˆ , which is raised from Bb to B-
natural:
D natural minor D dorian

!
Etude #10 uses the C dorian scale: C natural minor with 6ˆ raised from Ab to A-natural.
The phrygian mode starts on the third note of a major scale:
The difference between E natural minor and E phrygian is 2ˆ : which is lowered from F#
to F-natural:
E natural minor E phrygian

!
121
Etude #11 uses the F# phrygian scale: F# natural minor with 2ˆ lowered from G# to G-
natural.
The locrian mode starts on the seventh note of a major scale:
The differences between B natural minor and B locrian are 2ˆ and 5ˆ , which are lowered
from C# and F# to C and F natural:
B natural minor B locrian

! !
Etude #12 uses the G locrian scale: G natural minor with 2ˆ and 5ˆ lowered from A-natural
and D-natural to Ab and Db.
! !
Creative Corner:
Improvise or compose a melody based on one of these modes. What does it sound like to
alter a scale in each of these ways? What is the character of your composition?

#

!

"

124
Section IV. Half and Whole Step Scales
The chromatic scale is a series of half steps, including every note on the bassoon. The
chromatic scale can start and end on any note. Play a one-octave chromatic scale:
The whole tone scale is a series of whole steps. The chromatic scale can be divided into
two whole tone scales (below). The whole tone scale has an open, ambiguous sound and
can depict supernatural or mystical creatures in music, like wizards, ghosts, or vampires.
Chromatic scale (all half steps) Whole Tone scales
The octatonic scale alternates whole steps with half steps.
There are three kinds of octatonic scale. Can you find a scale that follows the same
pattern of half and whole steps, but is not the same as one of these scales?
Creative Corner:
Pick any two notes and connect them with a chromatic scale, play a melody but connect
all the notes with chromatic scales like a glissando.
Make up a melody with only whole steps. What is the subject of your melody?
Practice the octatonic scales instead of major scales for one day. Can you memorize
them?

128
Section V. Intervals, Not Scales
Sometimes music is not based a scale, but on a set of pitches or intervals.
An interval is the distance between two notes.
Major intervals are from the steps of the major scale (the number is the scale degree of
the upper note). The minor intervals are major intervals reduced by a half step. The
perfect intervals are 4 and 5. When perfect intervals are decreased by a half step they are
diminished (d5), when and increased by a half step, they are augmented (A4):
M = Major
m = minor
P = Perfect
A = Augmented
d = diminished
You can invert the intervals (move one note above the other), to get another interval in
the group of 12 (note: m becomes M, A becomes d, but P stays the same):
Can you identify the intervals in the melody of Etude #14?
Creative Corner:
Make up a melody that is not based on a major or minor scale. Pick a kind of interval and
improvise a tune that uses that interval.

130
UNIT 2: RHYTHM
Section I. Familiar Note Values, Unfamiliar Rhythms
Basic Note Relations:
One half note

=
Two quarter notes
=
Four eighth notes
=
Eight sixteenth notes
Sometimes rhythms are unfamiliar, so here is a way to figure out unfamiliar rhythms:
1. Find the smallest note value, the eighth note:
2. Divide the longer notes into smaller ones, quarter notes are two tied eighth notes:
3. Sing through the rhythm slowly, counting in eighth notes:
The rhythm can be notated like this. Say each count except for beats 2 and 4:
1 + (2) + 3 + (4) +
Creative Corner:
Using this rhythm, play through a major scale. Make up new ways to play the scale using
this rhythm, and then try adding some leaps. Improvise a melody using this rhythm.

133
Section II. Smaller Subdivisions
The eighth note can be divided even more:
One eighth note e

=
Two sixteenth notes x x
=
Four thirty-second notes yy yy
=
Eight sixty-fourth notes
Any rhythm using these smaller divisions can be deciphered by making the notes bigger
into values like eighth, quarter, and half notes.
For example, this rhythm can be multiplied by four (sixteenth notes become quarter
notes, etc.):
x y
q e x
You can also count these rhythms by counting the pulse as eighths or sixteenths, (the
solid lines are beats 1, 2, 3, and the dotted lines are the "ands" of these beats):
1 + 2 + 3 + 1 +2 + 3 +
Practice saying these rhythms while tapping your feet before playing Etudes #20 and 21.

136
Section III. Divisions of Three
A triplet is the division of a note into three equal parts. A note that is one half the beat is
bracketed into a group of three, for example an eighth-note triplet in the space of one
quarter note. Here are triplets worth the value of each given note.
To say a triplet, use a word that has three equal syllables, like tri-ple-a, hum-ma-nah, or
cho-co-late. Move your arm in a circle, feeling three notes like equal points on a wheel.
Count eighth notes followed by triplets:
Feel an angular motion for the eighth notes and a circular motion for the triplet.
A triplet can be over two pulses, like quarter-note triplets (three quarter notes in one half
note's time). The quarter note triplet is like two eighth note triplets with ties:
A sextuplet is six notes, like two triplets put together:
Creative Corner:
Practice alternating between eighth notes and triplets. Stand up and try to make up a
dance that shows each different kind of division. How does your motion change?
Can you come up with more words that make triplets or sextuplets? Find or write a poem
or a snippet of text to set to a rhythm, including triplets. Add pitches and playing the
melody on your instrument. What style of music is your song?

139
Section IV. Divisions of Five
The quintuplet is division of one beat into five equal notes. For notation, take a division
of four notes (four sixteenth notes in a quarter note) and bracket five of them together.
See below several examples of a note and the quintuplet that fits into the same duration:
Count fives with a word like op-por-tun-it-y or hip-po-pot-a-mus. Keep each syllable
equal and clap at the beginning of each word. You are saying fives and clapping the beat!
Move your arm in a circle, and feel the fives at equal points along the circle.
It is important to subdivide in fives as well! Say opportunity, and then think it in your
head during the half note. Repeat it until you feel a constant flow of fives:
A five can also be group of 2 plus a group of 3. Try these:
Groups of 2+3:
Groups of 3+2:
Creative Corner:
Come up with some other word combinations that make five equal notes. Write a
nonsense poem using all the different combinations.

142
Section V. Divisions of Seven
Seven notes in one beat are called a septuplet. Take a division of four notes and bracket
seven of them in the same duration:
Words that make septuplets include gol-den op-por-tun-it-y, or pur-ple hip-po-pot-a-mus.
It is important to subdivide sevens as well! Clap the quarter note pulse and say gol-den
op-por-tun-it-y once, and then think it in your head during the second quarter note:
You can divide 7 into groups of 2 and 3: 2+2+3, or 2+3+2, or 3+2+2. If this is difficult,
slow down and count each syllable as its own pulse. Then speed up again.
Groups of 2+2+3:
Groups of 2+3+2:
Groups of 3+2+2:
Creative Corner:
Come up with some other word combinations that make seven equal notes. Write a
nonsense poem using all the different combinations.

145
Section VI. Mixed Subdivisions
The subdivision can change within a piece of music, so it is important to practice

changing subdivisions while keeping a steady pulse. Try the following exercises:
Clap on the quarter note pulse and sing the rhythm:
During long notes, make sure you are subdividing to get ready for the next rhythm!
You can make up syllables or words to switch between the groupings:
Creative Corner:
Find a poem and set it to rhythm giving each word or group of words a different
subdivision of the beat. Does that sound like normal speech?

148
UNIT 3: METER
Meter organizes rhythm in a piece, but it also implies accents, based on the strong and
weak beats of each meter.
In , beats are 1 and 3 are accented:
In , beat 1 is accented. In , beat 1 is accented, and 3 is accented less.
The first half of Etude #30 shows the accents in each meter, and the second half does not.
Odd meters have 5, 7, or even 11 quarter notes in a bar.

has five quarter-note beats in each measure:
The beats can be grouped in 2 and 3, like playing in and :
You can add symbols to the music to show which is a group of 2 (line) and 3 (triangle).
Creative Corner:
Make up a melody that uses a 3+2 beat pattern. Can you play the same melody in a 2+3
style? What about shifting between the patterns while you are playing?

151
Section II. Compound Meter
Compound meter is meter in which the beat divides into three parts.
has two beats in each measure, and each beat is divided into 3 eighth notes:
has three beats in each measure, and each beat is divided into 3 eighth notes:
Here are some common rhythms seen in compound meters, and ways to count them:
a: double the values: 3 eighth notes become 3 quarter notes:
b: this rhythm sounds like a beating heart: lub dub lub dub
c. count this rhythm in eighth notes first, then speed up and count larger beats:
Creative Corner:
Practice scales in these rhythms. Write a melody using one of these rhythms.

153
Section III. Odd Meter in Five
can be divided into groups of 2 and 3 quarter notes, and can be divided into groups
of 2 and 3 eighth notes.
Count a 3+2 pattern:
And a 2+3 pattern:
Here are some common rhythms in meter:
a: double the values so the 5

eighth note beats are 5
quarter note beats:
b: play all of the eighth notes,

then put the rests back, but
still hear the note as you play
c: count the rhythm in eighth

notes, then speed up and
count larger beats:
Creative Corner:
Practice playing scales with these rhythms. Write a melody using the rhythms.

156
Section IV. Odd Meter in Seven
meter is grouped by 2 and 3 quarter notes, and is group by 2 and 3 eighth notes:
You can use words to count the different patterns:
Here are some common rhythms seen in 7/8 meter, and ways to count them
Find the groups of two and three, and play all of the eighth notes in the measure.
Creative Corner:
Practice scales with these rhythms, or write a melody using one of them.

159
Section V. Mixed Odd Meter
The beginning of this chapter has etudes that alternate , and . Now add and !
When changing meters always subdivide eighth notes and know when the groupings are
2 eighth notes or 3 eighth notes:
and may seem like the same meter, but the accent pattern changes and produces an
effect called a hemiola, the alternation of 2 and 3 pulses:
It can look like this:
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Move with each group of 3 or 2. Notice the movement is different depending on which
group you are counting.
Creative Corner:
Come up with a melody that alternates between and . Can you think of any famous
melodies that use that accent pattern?

163
UNIT 4: STYLE
Introduction to the styles:
Impressionism (Etudes #42-43) is word that came from visual art, where painters like
Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir imitated reality with in color and gesture.
Impressionist composers evoke scenes with gesture and musical colors.
Further listening:
Claude Debussy: Ottorino Respighi:

La Mer (The sea) Pina di Roma (The Pines of Rome)
Maurice Ravel: John Williams:

Daphnis et Chlöé (Daphnis and Chloe) The Five Sacred Trees (for bassoon and
orchestra)
Jazz (Etudes #44-45) developed in the United States from a confluence of folk, African,
and ragtime music. Jazz has influenced classical music, but style in jazz is still very
different.
In jazz, often the eighth notes are played unequally. This rhythm is shown at the
beginning of Etude #44, along with suggested articulations. Etude #44 also uses the 12-
bar blues progression:
Listen to famous jazz performers to learn the style. Jazz drummers often play the high-hat
on beats 2 and 4, so put your metronome on beats 2 and 4 to feel the groove.
Further listening:
Leonard Bernstein: Hye Kyung Lee:

West Side Story (musical score) Dreaming in Colours (bassoon and
piano)
Paquito d'Riviera:
Aires Tropicales (woodwind quintet) Arturo Márquez:
Danzón No. 2 (for orchestra)
Libby Larsen:
Jazz Variations for Solo Bassoon
164
American folk music (Etude #46) includes bluegrass, country, and even spiritual and
rhythm and blues music. Pop music (Etude #47) includes all popular music of the time
period, including rock 'n roll. Classical composers borrow melodies, styles, and
progressions from these genres.
Further listening:
Aaron Copland: Charles Ives:

Appalachian Spring Symphonies #2,4
Michael Daugherty: John Mackey:

Dead Elvis (for bassoon and small Redline Tango
ensemble)
Minimalism (Etudes #48-49) is a style of music that uses repetition create a pattern and
then gradually changes. Minimalist music creates a melody in the notes that change, not
the notes that stay the same.
Further listening:
Michael Daugherty: Steve Reich:

Alligator Alley Music for 18 Musicians
David Lang: Terry Riley:

Press Release for solo bassoon In C
Mark Mellits:
Black for two bassoons
Avant-Garde (Etudes #50-52) describes a kind of music in which composers experiment

with new techniques, including new approaches to melody, harmony, rhythm, and
texture.
This music may have repeated fragments of notes that return in different registers and
rhythms. See the following examples from Etude #50:
It may seem like these etudes have no melody because the notes are so far apart. Imagine
that each gesture in the music is a different color or character, and then tie them together
to make a picture or a conversation. These slurs show phrasing marks in Etude #51:
165
Atonal music does not use familiar scales or a harmony. Some atonal music is based on a
tone row, a group of 12 notes that do not repeat until all have been used, such as the 12-
tone row used in Etude #52:
Further listening:
Elliot Carter: George Perle:

Retracing for solo bassoon BassoonMusic for solo bassoon
Edison Denisov: Karlheinz Stockhausen:

Sonata for solo bassoon In Freundschaft for solo bassoon
Aleatoric music (Etude #53) is music in which part of the compositional process is left
up to chance, or the performer's choice. A guided improvisation is music in which the
performer has cues from the composer, but most of the music is improvised during the
performance. Improvisation can be guided by a graphic score (Etude #54), which notates
the music like a picture.
Character: All music should have expressive characters. Without character it can sound
pointless and unintentional. Start with a character in mind first, and then pick out pitches
and rhythms.
Creative Corner:
Come up with your own guided improvisation. What will you use to determine pitches,
rhythms, form, and character?
Further listening:
Eugène Bozza: Anton Schoof:

Graphismes (etudes for solo bassoon) Two Impromptus for bassoon and piano

! "

!"

177
54. Spatial
improvisation/graphic score
Interpret the lines and dots in any way to create a piece of music.
Think about dynamics, pitch, rhythm, phrasing, and character before you start.
178
UNIT 5: EXTENDED TECHNIQUES
Section I. Vibrato
Vibrato is a pulse of dynamic, tone color, and pitch that occurs during a long held note
for expressive effect. Singers and string players have very noticeable vibrato, and
basssoonists use a more subtle version.
Most bassoon players produce vibrato by pulsing their air stream, not their jaw (which is
how saxophonists produce vibrato). To learn vibrato....
Put your hand on your belly and loudly say:
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Now connect the Ha's:
HAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaaAaa
The little aa's are the strong current of air support that is underneath the tone at all times,
making a beautiful bassoon tone. The big A's are the added pulses that create vibrato.
Exaggerate the pulses now, because once you learn the motion, you can make it smaller
and faster later.
Try the same thing on a long note, first each pulse is in a quarter note, then as eighths,
triplets, and when you feel comfortable with those, sixteenths:
There are some more exercises for vibrato on the next page, then play Etude #55.
Music that uses vibrato manipulation:
Karlheinz Stockhausen:
In Freundschaft for solo bassoon

180
Section II. Pitch Bending
Pitch bending, or glissando, is a technique of gradually moving in and out of a pitch by

moving the fingers very slowly between fingerings and cushioning the glissando with
slow embouchure adjustments while keeping your air stream very steady and strong.
Play downward bends between the following notes by slowly covering and uncovering
the holes with your finger. Keep your air support steady and embouchure flexible:
Now play upward bends. You can even string them together to make a longer glissando:
You can also use your embouchure and air to bend down and back from one note. To
lower the pitch, loosen your embouchure, pull the reed farther out of your mouth, and
decrease the speed of the air. To raise the pitch, firm the corners of your embouchure,
take more of the reed into your mouth and increase the speed of the air:
Be sure not to get discouraged if you don't get it right away!
A. Pitch bends from a single note

B. Bends into and out of a note
The best way to learn glissandi is to experiment to find the best fingerings for you!
Further listening:
Luciano Berio: John Steinmetz:

Sequenza XII for solo bassoon Sonata for bassoon and piano
Libby Larsen: Isang Yun:

Concert Piece for bassoon and piano Monologue for solo bassoon

183
Section III. Timbral Trills
The qualities of a sound are described by timbre (pronounced like amber with a T), or
the color of the note.
A note is bright if it sounds buzzy, sparkly, or resonant. To make a note bright add either
of the left hand pinkie keys (Eb or Db) - like 1 and 2 below. A circle indicates whether
the note is to be normal (half filled in), bright (not filled in) or dark (filled in).
A note is dark if it sounds mellow or covered. To make a note dark add the left hand
thumb keys (D-Bb). Notice how the tone changes on 3-6 (notated below):
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Bb
B B
C C C
Eb D D D D
Exercise A. Use the left hand thumb keys from Bb-D to change the timbre of a held note:
Exercise B. Use your own fingerings to change the timbre of a held note:
In Etude #58, the timbre changes are a trill, a rapid alternation between the fingerings.
Further listening:
Luciano Berio: Amelia Kaplan:

Sequenza XII for solo bassoon Blow for solo bassoon

185
Section IV. Tremolos
A tremolo is a rapid trill between two notes that are larger than a Major 2nd apart. A few
tremolos are shown below. Play them with the normal fingerings, and then with the given
fingerings.
The fingering for the lower note is shown, and the rest follow the same pattern.
Bb Bb Bb Bb
B B B B
C C C C C C C
D D D D D D D
These fingerings can also be used when jumping between registers rapidly, like in a
Vivaldi Concerto!
Creative Corner:
Take an easy etude or melody that you have played already, and add a lower tremolo note
to each melody note. You can pick lower notes that sound good, or ones that clash and
create tension and dissonance. This really changes the original character of the melody!
Further listening:
Elliot Carter: Luciano Berio:

Retracing for solo bassoon Sequenza XII for solo bassoon

188
Section V. Multiphonics
A multiphonic is a sound which contains several pitches. Usually the bassoon only plays
one pitch at a time, but certain fingerings cause the instrument to produce several pitches
at the same time. This causes a rapid beating sound, quick alternation between the
pitches, which some people think sounds ugly or dirty. However, when they are played
delicately, multiphonics can also sound hauntingly beautiful.
Here are some examples of a few simple multiphonic fingerings, as well as the way they
are notated in this book. Examples D-F are normal fingerings overblown:
Bb
B B
C C C
D D D D
Eb
Bb Bb Bb
The notation above includes the pitch for the base fingering (for A. low F), and any
changes to the fingering above the note are written written above the staff (for A: +Bb,
meaning to add the Bb key in the right hand thumb).
If you speed up the air and tighten your embouchure, one of the pitches becomes
dominant. Play these and try to get a smooth glissando from multiphonic to pitched note:
189
There are other ways to produce sounds like this on the bassoon. If you play any of the
lowest notes (from Bb up through F) and overblow, or use faster air and a firmer
embouchure, you can produce a spectrum of overtones that sound like a multiphonic.
Likewise, if you play a very high note and relax your embouchure and air support, the
pitch will fall into a lower multiphonic. The following example shows the notation used
in this book:
Creative Corner:
There are many resources online and in books that explain additional multiphonic
fingerings. However, the best way to learn new ones is to experiment with odd fingerings
on your instrument!
Further listening:
Dai Fujikura: Philippe Hersant:

Calling for solo bassoon Niggun for bassoon
Sofia Gubaidulina: Lewis Nielson:

Concerto for bassoon and low strings Around...among...within for solo
Duo sonata for two bassoons bassoon
Quasi Hoquetus for bassoon, viola, and
piano

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Section VI. Harmonics
A harmonic is a technique in which you play use a low note fingering to produce a pitch
in the overtone series an octave or more higher than the original low note.
The overtone series is a collection of pitches that are produced by sympathetic vibrations
when a musical pitch is produced. The first seven pitches in the series for Bb are:
All of these pitches can be produced with the fingering for the low Bb, with changes in
embouchure firmness and air speed. At first you might produce the overblown
multiphonic, but try to zero in on each pitch before producing it as a harmonic.
Here are some examples of a few more harmonics, as well as the way they are notated in
this book. The notation above gives the fingering in the low diamond note, and the pitch
above is the pitch that should sound. The circle above the notes imply that it is a
harmonic.
Creative Corner:
For each note below open F, it is possible to produce any number of harmonics. See how
many harmonics you can make!
Further listening:
Luciano Berio:
Sequenza XII for solo bassoon

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Section VII. Tonguing
There are many different ways to articulate notes. Try these syllables to start a note.
Ta Tah To Too Da Dah Do Doo Ti Di

Always have your air support ready when you start a note.
Double-tonguing can take some time to learn, so start slowly and practice in slow steps.
First, try ending each note with the beginning syllable for the next articulation:
Now sustain the note until the next articulation, keeping your air support strong. If the
pitch drops the speed of your air is not steady before and after the articulation.
Try this in different rhythms as well, starting with ta or starting with ka:
Gradually speed up the tempo:
To check your steadiness, use odd-number rhythms so that the syllables alternate:
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Flutter-tonguing is a technique of rolling the tongue rapidly so that the airstream pulses
and creates a flutter sound in the tone.
First, Roll your rr's as in the double rr in Spanish. If this is difficult, you can loosely buzz
your lips like saying "brrrr" or "hrrr" and then transition to just making the sound with
your tongue. Try it with the reed in your mouth.
Another way to produce the flutter sound is to pretend you are gargling water in your
throat. Try this with the reed in your mouth.
Make sure your air stream is fast enough and your embouchure is relaxed.
Once you can produce a flutter sound on the reed, try playing the following.
Creative Corner:
Add some flutter-tongue to a familiar melody, or try playing a tongued passage with
double-tonguing and see if you can make it as clean as the single tonguing version.
Further listening:
L.v Beethoven: W.A. Mozart:

Symphony No. 4 Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro
Luciano Berio:
Sequenza XII for solo bassoon

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APPENDIX B
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introductory Method and Etude Books
Introductory method and etude books are designed to teach new concepts to
beginning students, and build and strengthen skills through etudes and short exercises.
The goal of my etudes is to supplement standard beginning method books, which
introduce fundamental concepts such as rhythm, meter, pitch, and notation. This
appendix contains a brief overview of the most commonly used bassoon beginning
method and etude books, which have provided examples of organization, structure, and
pace for my etude book.
Allard, Maurice. Methode de Basson. Paris: Billaudot, 1975.
One of the most well known French bassoon pedagogues of the twentieth century,
Maurice Allard was also the dedicatee of many bassoon pieces written in France during
this century. His method book covers the basics of playing the French bassoon, which
differs most notable from the German bassoon in its tone quality, fingering chart, and
reed design. The book is organized into a section about posture, breathing, and
embouchure formation, followed by sections that introduce new notes and then use them
in short etudes to reinforce the new information. The fingerings included are for French,
not German, bassoon, and there is no explanation of rhythm, meter, or clefs. Unlike the
American style beginning books, this one introduces as many as eight new fingerings at
one time, and then progresses rapidly through etudes of increasing difficulty. It could be
frustrating for a student who learns at a slower pace and requires more repetition.
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However, by requiring students to progress rapidly, they are able to develop technique at
a quicker pace.
Pearson, Bruce. Standard of Excellence: Enhanced Comprehensive Band Method.

Bassoon Book 1. San Diego, CA: Neil A. Kjos Music Company, 2004.
This book is intended to start a beginning bassoonist in a band classroom, including
short pieces for the full band. The introductory pages show how to form an embouchure,
and then introduce fingerings and notes along with clef, meter, and the staff lines. Every
new concept is introduced in a separate box at the top of the page, which appears more
organized than some other books (see Essential Elements). Each new note or rest value is
introduced with a name and a picture, followed by exercises using those notes and rests.
Concepts such as accidentals and new rhythms are explained more thoroughly, with short
prose explanations and also diagrams. Fingerings, however, are included next to the
exercises. Some exercises for band have corresponding exercises just for bassoons, which
are included at the end of the book and push the student further than the band version.
Following these exercises, the book also includes scale and rhythm studies. Two CDs are
included with the enhanced edition, providing an example as well as a background track
for all of the band exercises. This allows students to hear how each exercises should
sound, and then practice with the background on their own.
Rhodes, Tom C. et al. Essential Elements: a Comprehensive Band Method. Bassoon Book
1. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard, 1991.
This band-based instruction book includes a brief section about putting together and
playing the bassoon, including a graphic representation of a note value for students to
play their first note before reading music notation. The first few pages include
explanations of new fingerings, counting (and foot tapping), staff lines and eventually
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meter and clef. Gradually new concepts are introduced, followed by short exercises that
demonstrate these new concepts. Occasionally in between exercises there are short
explanations of concepts and composers in terms of theory or history. Through these
explanations students learn about famous composers, intervals and conducting patterns.
Skornica, Joseph E. Rubank Elementary Method. Bassoon: a Fundamental Course for

Individual or Like-instrument Class Instruction. Chicago: Rubank, 1935.
This book can be used to start a beginning bassoonist, however it must be used with a
private instructor because there is no explanation of tone production on the bassoon. The
fingering chart is difficult to read, and the student must look up each note as it is
introduced in the book, because no fingerings are included in the book. New notes,
rhythms, key signatures, and meters, are introduced at the top of every lesson, but there is
no written explanation of these new symbols, so a student needs an instructor to explain
them. The lessons proceed very gradually and progressively introduce new concepts,
including scales, articulations, meters, and rhythms. Within the lessons the individual
etudes allow the student to focus on one skill at a time, and then a final etude draws the
skills together in a more melodic, cohesive piece.
Weissenborn, Julius. Practical Method for the Bassoon; Augmented and Adapted for the
Modern Bassoon by W.F. Ambrosio. New York : Carl Fischer, 1941.
The Weissenborn method is used frequently for beginning through early college level
bassoon students. Several new editions include more information about posture,
embouchure, and air support, as well as the history of the bassoon. Some editors have
also added material to the beginning etudes to explain the meters and notation, because
the original book has little explanation of the articulations, meters, and rhythms that it
introduces. However, the studies and etudes include many important topics for a
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beginning to intermediate bassoonist. The "Practical Exercises" are a series of chapters
that introduce a single key area and a set of concepts with progressively more difficult
etudes. For some students, these etudes become difficult too quickly, so they may require
supplementary materials to practice. The sections include major and minor scales, as well
as duets. The final sections introduce tenor clef, embellishments (trills and mordents), but
the explanations are too brief for most students to really understand the concepts. The
"Daily Studies" section provides scale and chord patterns intended for transposition to all
keys. Finally, most editions contain Weissenborn's "Fifty Advanced Studies Op. 8," a
collection of etudes that progress from advanced beginner to an intermediate level of
difficulty. These studies drill students on rhythms, articulations, scales and arpeggios,
style and embellishments. Occasionally they include odd divisions of the beat but they do
not include any twentieth-century techniques, as they were written in 1880.
Advanced Contemporary Bassoon Books
Almost all method and etude books written in a contemporary style are intended for a
bassoon student with advanced technique and musical knowledge. The method books are
instructional by nature, explaining techniques and skills rather than providing practice
etudes for the player. The etude books, by contrast, have little or no explanation of the
techniques included, but instead are a collection of etudes designed to build and test
skills. The etudes included in these books teach students the language of contemporary
music by complex rhythmic, harmonic, melodic, metric, and notational devices. They are
intended for a student with strong fundamental skills, but can be frustrating for a less
experienced player. My etudes will help a less experienced bassoonist prepare to learn
these more advanced etudes.

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Method Books
Gallois, Pascal. The Techniques of Bassoon Playing. New York: Barenreiter, 2009.
In this book written both for bassoonists as well as composers, Pascal Gallois
explains every extended technique he knows for playing the bassoon. Born out of his
collaboration with composer Luciano Berio for the Sequenza XII for bassoon, these
techniques range from timbral changes, percussive sounds, and double circular breathing,
to the traditional microtones and multiphonics. The largest section is dedicated to tremoli,
which are used extensively in the Sequenza and require special fingerings. They can also
be used with fluttertongue, which produces a special combination of overtones. Gallois
recorded all the techniques on a CD that comes with this book, so that students can hear
the appropriate sounds. Although there are no etudes, there are exercises for most
techniques, all of which are recorded on the CD. The book is intended for a bassoonist
with a mastery of the fundamentals of bassoon playing; however, Gallois explains how
learning some extended techniques, such as harmonics, can help students develop
fundamental skills, such as voicing notes and learning correct air support.
Ouzounoff, Alexandre. Actuellement le Basson: Traité Pratique des Nouvelles

Techniques au Basson, à l'usage des Interprètes et des Compositeurs. Paris: Editions
Salabert, 1986.
Alexandre Ouzounoff is a well-known French bassoonist, composer, and champion of
contemporary music. His book is intended for the French bassoon, and the fingerings will
not translate directly to the German bassoon, but they are still useful to learn about the
techniques. As its title suggests, this book describes the current uses of the bassoon's
traditional fingerings and range, as well as possible demands from contemporary
composers. He explains each of the common extended techniques: a fingering chart of

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quarter-tones, multiphonics, and alternate methods of producing articulation and sound.
There are no exercises or etudes for practicing these techniques, but a section at the end
of the book includes an example of every technique from bassoon repertoire, which
provides the player with additional pieces to research. The book has only been published
in French, and will likely not be translated due to the very limited use of the French
bassoon outside of France.
Penazzi, Sergio. Metodo per Fagotto. Milan: Edizioni Suvini Zerboni, 1971.
As one of the first published books on extended technique for bassoon, Sergio
Penazzi's Metodo per Fagotto grew out of a collaboration with Bruno Bartolozzi, who
was developing a book on new techniques for woodwind instruments. Penazzi had
already been experimenting with new techniques on bassoon, so he wrote his own book
of techniques. The introduction explains the embouchure, air support, and fingering
changes needed to produce these effects, followed by fingering charts for microtones and
tone color changes. He also wrote many exercises of quarter-tones scales, arpeggios,
broken intervals, as well as tremolos and 24 tone rows of quarter tones for practice. The
book also includes etudes that use different effects, including timbral changes, vibrato
changes, oscillations (pitch bends), smorzato, and portamento. The second section has
fingerings and chordal representations of the multiphonics that Penazzi found possible on
the bassoon, followed by exercises to use these effects in combination with other
techniques, including glissandi, trills, and smorzato. Many other contemporary bassoon
technique books use this text as a primary reference, but it is out of print and often
difficult for students to find.

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Etude Books
Bianchi, Virginio. Twelve Etudes for Bassoon. New York: G. Shirmer, Inc., 1971.
These etudes familiarize the player with odd number meters and subdivisions, and
include some technically challenging passages. The meters are accentuated through
patterns of melodic material that are mostly tonal and singable, which makes the etudes
interesting and enjoyable to play. In contrast to many advanced books, the etudes mix
extremely challenging passages with less challenging material, so they are more
approachable for an intermediate-level player. However, the key signatures and wide
range can be challenging even for an advanced player. Because its focus is so specific,
divisions of five and seven, by the end of the book any musician can feel much more
comfortable with those meters.
Boutry, Roger. Douze Etudes Atonales. Paris: Alphonse Leduc, 1972.
Roger Boutry, who also wrote a solo piece for bassoon and piano, composed these
twelve short etudes with many different meters, scale collections, and compositional
styles. The etudes are intended for an advanced player, with large leaps, unexpected
accidentals, rapid rhythm, meter, and grouping changes, and changing style markings
throughout. They challenge the player's technical facility, rhythm, and focus, as they shift
styles rapidly within a musical framework. Each etude has musical material and
development that challenges the player expressively as well as technically.
Bozza, Eugène. Eleven Studies in Karnatic Modes for Bassoon. Paris: Alphonse Leduc,
1972.
Before the etudes in this book, Bozza provides a table of the 24 karnatic modes,
which do not coincide with the diatonic scales. The karnatic modes come from Indian
music, as closely as those scales could be represented using the Western system of equal
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temperment. There are also nine practice patterns for the modes, each one with a different
rhythm for learning the scales. Each etude has a completely different style and
compositional approach, some have no meter while others have rapidly changing meters.
Bozza alternates between slow, lyrical etudes and fast, technically challenging ones.
Often the tempo, articulations, and phrase markings change within the etude; each is
musically complex and could be performed as a solo piece, but they are all intended for
an advanced student.
Bozza, Eugène. Graphismes: Preparation for the reading of different musical graphic
notations for bassoon solo. Paris, Alphonse Leduc, 1975.
These four etudes are written in Bozza's version of graphic notation, usually with a
staff but with symbols representing different contemporary techniques, including
glissandi, acceleration and deceleration, and variable note order. The notation for
acceleration or deceleration is a standard symbol, while the symbol for glissando and
variable note order is not standard at all. The pieces provide examples of all kinds of
graphic notation, and they are intended for an advanced player.
Dubois, Pierre Max. Douze Études pour Basson. Paris: Alphonse Leduc, 1957.
These etudes, which have no explanatory material, are technical challenges for
intermediate to advanced bassoonists. The challenge of each etude is primarily a
technical skill, from rapid tonguing to large leaps and rapid finger motion, although they
incorporate some twentieth-century compositional language. Often the scales are not
diatonic collections, but contain chromatically altered notes and unusual intervals, and
the harmonic progressions are unexpected. Rhythmically the etudes are much more basic,
presenting few challenges. The etudes use several different styles, including polka,
gavotte, and a few slower, more lyrical melodies. These are ideal for a student wishing to
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become more familiar with early twentieth-century French music, and the chromatic
alterations to melodic and harmonic language that is often used by those composers.
Hähnchen, Dieter, ed. Musik und Spieltechniken des 20. Jahrhunderts. Leipzig:
Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1986.
This collection includes short etudes and pieces for solo bassoon from the twentieth
century. Several works provided the inspiration for the collection, and then more were
commissioned specifically for this project, supported by the Deutscher Verlag für Musik.
The twentieth-century techniques in these pieces include graphic notation, extended
techniques, and other interpretational challenges. The editor, Dieter Hähnchen, provides
an insert that explains many of the techniques required to play these pieces, including a
fingering charts for micro-intervals (taken from the Penazzi book), harmonics,
multiphonics, tone color changes, extreme high notes, and slap-tonguing. Each includes
an example from one of the pieces in the book, as well as explanation about the technique
and different ways of producing those results. Every piece in this book can be used as an
etude or as a solo piece, although one requires electronic processing. A student must be
technically advanced and have some experience with extended techniques and
contemporary notation to learn these etudes well.
Hanson, Paul. Technique Studies for Jazz Bassoon Improvisation. Berkeley, CA:
Manzanita Ranch Music Press: 2003.
Paul Hanson is a well-known jazz bassoonist in the United States, and his book of
studies is an excellent resource for students to expand their melodic and harmonic
technique. Although he strongly emphasizes diatonic scales, Hanson also provides
patterns in modes, which relate to contemporary styles such as impressionism and pan-
diatonicism. The studies and chord patterns help students to learn arpeggios and
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harmonies outside traditional tonal progressions. If students learn to improvise, they have
more flexibility to explore contemporary music. This book can be used at almost any
level for students familiar with the diatonic scales. Hanson provides some tips for
improvisation, but also points the student to other resources.
Lowman, Kenneth. Ten Etudes for Bassoon. Los Angeles, CA: Western International
Music Inc., 1969.
Each etude in this collection is a technical study on one scale. The first seven are
based on modes, followed by a 12-tone set, and 9- and 8-note scales invented by the
author. Each etude begins in the mode or scale derived from C major, and then deviates
into other transpositions of the scale. Most of the etudes incorporate mixed meter and
unusual intervals, but they are primarily technical studies on scalar patterns, with no
genre, style, articulation, or phrasing indications other than slur markings.
Martelli, Henri. Quinze Etudes pour Basson. Paris: Henry Lemoine & Cle, 1954.
Dedicated to Gustave Dhérin, professor at the Paris Conservatory, these etudes are
technically and musically challenging in a French style, using the same melodic,
harmonic, and rhythmic language as many pieces for bassoon written by French
composers in the early twentieth century. They include rhythms of thirty-second notes,
meters of 6/16, 9/16, 4/8 and 7/4, and diminished, whole tone, and other chromatically
altered scales and chords. The etudes are stylistically diverse, and appropriate for an
advanced student.
Orefici, Alberto. Bravoura Studies. New York: International Music Company, 1965.
These etudes are technical studies for advanced players, with a few slow lyrical
etudes that include technique as well as phrasing challenges. While they make no claim
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to be contemporary, the etudes use a rich chromatic language that includes unexpected
chords and key changes.
Oromszegi, Otto. Tíz Modern Fagott-Etüd. Budapest: Zenemukiado Vallalat, 1966.
In his preface, Oromszegi states that older etudes do not prepare students for the
challenges of modern music, but he has designed these etudes so that musicians can be
prepared for the music currently being written. He identifies the challenges of new music
as new scales, rapid changes between scale collections, unusual intervals and chords,
challenging meters, and large leaps. The etudes address these challenges, the first five
mostly explore scales, and the later etudes use unusual meters, large leaps, and have more
complex style and phrase markings. Some of the etudes have more complicated musical
material, but others are only technical studies and have little or no motive development.
Ouzounoff, Alexandre. 36 Nouvelles Études: Pour Basson. Vol. 1-2. Paris: Gerard
Billaudot, 2008.
Written as a two volume set, which become gradually more difficult, each of
Ouzounoff's 36 etudes is based on an interval, technique, or new possibilities of phrasing
and expression. The intervals include fourths, fifths, octaves, thirds, and ninths, as well as
extremely wide intervals and augmented chords. Some etudes use pentatonic collections,
broken arpeggios, and transposed pitch collections. The other etudes are based on
expression and phrasing, dynamic contrast, and various rhythmic devices. Although the
tonal language is modeled after many twentieth-century styles of composition, there are
no extended techniques or complicated notational devices. The books are intended to be
intermediate through advanced, but some other contemporary etude books for bassoon
are more challenging. The organization of the book allows students to focus on one skill
at a time, later etudes use more than one of the new skills. The layout is similar to Verne
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Reynolds' etudes for horn, which proceed through gradually increasing intervals.
However, because Ouzounoff alternates interval studies with expression and rhythmic
studies, the etudes offer a diversity of study that retains student interest and provides
opportunities to practice new skills in different contexts.
Pivo!ka, Karel. Rytmické Etudy pro Fagot. Prague: Statni hudebni vydavatelstvi, 1961.
Pivo!ka's rhythmic etudes challenge students with rhythm and meter, while the scales
and style is familiar from older centuries of music. Most of the mixed meter alternates
different divisions of simple meters, for example 2/4 to 4/4, and the last etudes introduce
more complicated meters, such as 5/8, 8/8 and 2/8. The rhythms are also familiar,
groupings of three, four, five, and six notes in the space of one beat. Most of the
challenges come from changing subdivisions and unexpected rhythms.
Pivo!ka, Karel. Virtuosni Etudy pro Fagot. Prague: Statni Nakladatelstvi Krasne
Literatury, Hudby a Umeni, 1952.
Although written in the twentieth century, the melodic and rhythmic language of
these etudes is very similar to that of the late nineteenth century. Pivonka's virtuosic
etudes use modal and richly chromatic language, but within a largely tonal framework.
These etudes are technically demanding, with large leaps, odd intervals, and highly
chromatic patterns, along with style and tempo changes.
Ruggiero, Giuseppe. Huite Etudes Atonales. Paris: Alphonse Leduc, 1971.
Giuseppe Ruggiero was a clarinet professor in Palermo, but wrote these technically
and rhythmically challenging etudes for advanced bassoonists. Alternatingly slow and
fast, these etudes each contain leaps of odd intervals, small melodic motives that are
altered but not overly developed, and relatively specific markings for articulation and
dynamic contrast. The etudes are designed to help a player develop technical proficiency
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with odd collections of notes, and to learn to recognize motives when transposed or
altered within an atonal framework.
Schoenbach, Sol ed. 20th Century Orchestra Studies for Bassoon. New York: G.
Shirmer, Inc., 1970.
From a series of books of orchestral excerpts from the twentieth century, this
collection includes the difficult or exposed passages from many popular pieces from the
first half of the century. The editors state that the goal is to help players gain a "mastery
of contemporary musical language and instrumental techniques." However, in standard
orchestral works up to 1970, this contemporary musical language was mostly just non-
diatonic scales, occasional mixed meter, and influence from other genres, including jazz
and other folk music. The book includes some challenging passages, but it no longer
presents a comprehensive study of the techniques used in twentieth and twenty-first
century orchestral music.
Weisberg, Arthur. 15 Etudes Written in the Style of 20th Century Music for Bassoon.
United States: Arthur Weisberg, 2004.
In the introduction, Arthur Weisberg explains the main concepts included in his 15
Etudes, including rhythmic, metric, and melodic techniques of twentieth-century music.
Each etude incorporates mixed meter, unfamiliar scales and pitch collections, and varying
tempos, and also addresses a specific challenge for bassoonists, always at an advanced
level. Sometimes these challenges are explained before each etude, such as large leaps,
fast slurs and register changes, odd groupings of notes, and metric modulation.
Contemporary Books for Other Instruments
There are method and etude books written for other instruments that introduce
contemporary techniques and compositional styles at an beginning to intermediate level.

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Many of these books include musical challenges that every musician faces: difficult
rhythms and meter, unfamiliar melodic and harmonic material, and new methods of
notation. While some of these etudes can be used to teach bassoon students as well, they
cannot address instrument-specific challenges that bassoon students face.
Listed below are several books that provide unique approaches to teaching
contemporary music, through a gradual approach or isolation of skills. These books
provide valuable examples for introducing contemporary music techniques, however
some of them are intended for advanced players.
Method Books
Bartolozzi, Bruno. New Sounds for Woodwinds. trans. Reginald Smith Brindle. London:
Oxford University Press, 1982.
In the process of writing this book of extended techniques for woodwind instruments,
Bruno Bartolozzi consulted experts on each instrument to find correct fingerings and
manipulations necessary for the techniques. For the bassoon section he worked with
Sergio Penazzi, who then went on to write his own method for learning extended
techniques on bassoon (see Penazzi's Metodo per Fagotto). Most of the information from
the bassoon section of Bartolozzi's book is expanded and refined in Penazzi's book.
Bartolozzi's book has a relatively comprehensive listing of the techniques possible,
including timbre changes, quarter tones, multiphonics, vibrato and tone color oscillations,
smorzato, tremolos, and combinations of these techniques. Generally the directions for
producing these sounds are easy to understand, but there are no exercises to learn them,
and only a few examples of notation.

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Holland, Linda. Easing Into Extended Technique. Vols 1-5. Santa Barbara, CA: Con Brio
Publishing, 2000.
This five volume series introduces contemporary performance techniques on the flute,
including microtones (volume 1), harmonics (volume 2), multiphonics (volume 3), pitch
bends and finger slides (volume 4), and singing while playing (volume 5). Each volume
has an introduction, steps for a player to start learning the technique, practice tips, and
performance notes for the etudes that utilize this technique. Each volume includes several
short etudes that use the technique in a musical setting. Some are arrangements of
popular tunes or familiar classical melodies, and others are original compositions. They
are easy enough for a player who is just starting to learn the techniques, yet musically
interesting.
Sigel, Allen. The Twentieth Century Clarinetist. New York: Franco Colombo, Inc., 1966.
In the preface to his book, Allen Sigel states that his goal is to prepare clarinetists to
play music written in the twentieth century, a genre of music he believed to be neglected
in most college and conservatory music programs. Since its publication in 1966, this
genre of music has become much more standard in a music curriculum, but it is still
possible for musicians to complete a degree program in performance and not have played
very many pieces from the twentieth century. This is especially true for instruments that
do not play a primary role in contemporary chamber music, like the bassoon. Sigel's book
includes exercises and etudes that explore mixed meter, odd subdivisions, large leaps,
and other stylistic characteristics of early twentieth-century music. The book also
includes alternate fingerings for performing challenging technical passages. All of the
etudes are quite challenging and would not be accessible to a student without a great deal
of technical prowess. At the end of the book Sigel discusses fundamentals such as
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embouchure and breathing, as well as double and triple tonguing, flutter-tonguing, and
glissandi. However, there are no etudes for these techniques.
Weisberg, Arthur. Performing 20th Century Music. New Haven: Yale University Press,
1993.
This book is intended for advanced instrumentalists and conductors, with several
chapters dedicated entirely to conducting in odd meters and score preparation. The other
chapters cover mostly rhythm and meter, including changing subdivisions, cross rhythms
and metric modulation. Weisberg identifies the challenge with odd subdivisions and
meters as asymmetry in the patterns, so he suggests practicing with note groupings of 2,
3, and 4 notes. Many of his exercises are repetitive patterns, which lack musical context
but are useful for building skills. When he discusses metric modulation, he addresses the
musical conflict between flow and accuracy, and suggests ways to deal with this in
performance. He advocates using metric accents to show the rhythmic structure while
still maintaining flow in the music, such as a performer would in more advanced music
by Brahms or Beethoven. This book and its exercises are beneficial for advanced players,
but are too complex for a younger audience with no experience with this kind of music.
Etude Books
Campbell, Charles J. 30 Contemporary Etudes for Solo Trombone. NY: University of

Miami Music Publications, 1974.
In his preface, Campbell states that his goal was to produce etudes for contemporary
practice that were accessible to an intermediate player. The etudes range in style from
classical to rock so the student learns to play in many genres, but also so the student with
enjoy playing the etudes. The melodically and rhythmically diverse etudes are a good
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introduction to this kind of music, exploring dissonant intervals, rapid key changes, some
atonality, and some difficult rhythms.
Childs, Barney et al. Contemporary Etudes for Contrabass. American String Teachers
Association, 1984.
This collection includes pieces for solo bass by Barney Childs, Donald Erb, Tom
Johnson, and Bertram Turetzky. Each section is a unique collection of movements or
etudes that use extended techniques, different styles, and new compositional methods.
The composers each wrote an introduction and performance notes to explain the pieces,
including the contemporary styles, extended techniques, and occasionally the
compositional process, so that the player understands how to interpret the piece. Some of
the movements are written in conventional notation, but with complex meter, rhythm, and
harmonic elements. Others are written entirely in graphic notation and require the player
to interpret the piece as freely as he or she wishes. All of the etudes are intended for an
advanced player with strong fundamentals and flexible technique, as well as an
understanding of twentieth-century music.
Davies, Kenneth W. 20 Pieces in Changing Meters for Unaccompanied Trombone.

Teaneck, NJ: Puna Music Company, 1999.
In his preface, Davies explains that these etudes are meant to teach changing meters,
as well as phrasing, intonation, interval recognition, and different genres of music. He
deliberately limits the range and technical difficulty so that the player can focus on the
metric changes and the musical expression. Davies also encourages students to program
the etudes as solos in recital or solo contests. He suggests that the student learn to feel the
meter rather than trying to strictly count it. Each etude has a description that explains the
style, purpose, and sometimes its compositional method, and there are comments hidden
214
after some etudes that suggest performers or pieces from the twentieth century for the
students to research.
Decker, Charles. Intermediate Serial Studies for Trumpet. Delevan, NY: Kendor Music,
Inc., 1978.
In the introduction to this book, Charles Decker explains that his studies are intended
to draw the connection from tonal literature to more difficult atonal literature for trumpet.
Each study uses a tone row based on one interval, which grows larger in later studies.
Every other study uses two adjacent intervals, testing the student's assimilation of
previous studies. The studies are written in various meters, emphasizing a consistent
subdivision and changing between time signatures. The earlier studies use relatively
common meters, and the rhythm is simpler, progressing to more complicated meters and
rhythms and even spatial and/or meterless notation in later studies. Before each study,
Decker provides the row, and each study uses only the prime and retrograde forms so that
the student can analyze the row relatively easily. Decker has also taken care to make each
study musically interesting, so that the student learn to phrase in serial music, and he
suggests any of them can be performed as a solo piece. He also suggests several pieces
for further study of contemporary music.
del Borgo, Elliot. Contemporary Rhythm and Meter Studies for Bass Clef Instruments. Ft.
Lauderdale: Meredith Music Publications, 1996.
These studies for any bass clef instrument are an intensive study of mixed meter and
changing rhythmic subdivisions. They are each composed with a modal scale, pitch class
set, or other derivation of the diatonic scale. As they are intended to be used also a solo
pieces, the melodic development and form of each etude is clear as well. They are not
technically challenging, nor is the range very big, as they are all at an intermediate level.,
215
There are no other contemporary techniques used beyond the rhythmic and melodic
content.
del Borgo, Elliot. Contemporary Rhythm and Meter Duets for Bass Clef Instruments. Ft.
Much like the studies mentioned above, the Rhythm and Meter Duets by Elliot del
Borgo are intended to teach students to play in changing meters, more complicated
subdivisions of the beat, and with different pitch collections. Each etude is labeled by the
scale or pitch collection used. The later duets use more complicated rhythmic material
and pitch collections, working up to an etude using an atonal pitch-cell for melodic
material, and alternation divisions of 4/4 and 8/8 (3+3+2). The beat is only divided into
two, three, or four parts, and the meters include 2/4 to 7/8 and 8/8. In the introduction
students are encouraged to learn the parts thoroughly, including the scales, chords, and
intervals between the two parts, and to use the duets for performance if desired.
Girard, Anthony. 50 Études Faciles et Progressives: Pour Tuba Basse. Vol. 1. Paris:
Billaudot, 2000.
These etudes are prefaced with a brief statement that they target "intonation,
flexibility, technique, phrasing," and other things. The short etudes begin in simple scalar
patterns, often without a meter but with a tempo marking. Girard progressively increases
the range and the size of jumps, and adds unusual intervals and unexpected meter
changes as the etudes get harder. The later etudes also explore modal and basic atonal
melodies. These etudes are easy for beginners to play, and the absence of barlines force
students to determine phrase shape on their own. However, sometimes they lack a clear
musical structure, and they do not introduce complicated rhythms or melodic motion.
216
Levy, Henry J. (Hank). The Time Revolution. Los Angeles: Creative World, Inc., 1973.
Although intended for jazz musicians to learn to play in meters of five and seven
pulses, this book is valuable for classical musicians to learn these same subdivisions.
Levy was inspired by many changes in jazz up to the 1970s that involved new meters, as
well as the rhythmic variety in twentieth-century classical music and in world music. He
presents all possible meters with five and seven pulses per bar, and then the extensions of
these meters that create 9, 11 and other odd-numbered meters. After explaining the
division of the meter and where the emphasis lies, he gives several clapping and counting
exercises for the student to practice. This is followed by an entire section of etudes for
students to feel the groove and different groupings of pulses in each meter. The musical
etudes are mostly scale based, and Levy instructs the students to start slow and gradually
speed them up, eventually transposing them to all keys. Later etudes are examples of real
tunes in these meters, not just as practice etudes.
Minsky, Aaron. Ten American Cello Etudes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Based on popular music styles, these etudes are intended to build technique as well as
introduce the player to more genres of music. The author encourages the cellist to learn
the chord structure of the pieces, try improvising over the style, and experiment with
playing in new genres. Each piece works one specific style or skill, outlined in the
performance notes at the beginning. The familiar genres make them accessible and
engaging for many students, regardless of previous experience with contemporary music.
Musser, Willard I. and Elliot del Borgo. The Modes of Contemporary Music. NY: Alfred,
1971.
Each of the books by del Borgo and Musser are organized into two sections, the first
introducing new concepts in simple etudes, and the second including more challenging
217
etudes based on the same concepts. In the Modes book they explain how each mode is
related to the diatonic scale, diagramming the scale in spatial terms and on the music
staff. Every etude uses a different mode, given at the top of the etude. The first section is
very simple rhythmically, has a small range, and outlines the mode fairly obviously. The
second section uses more varied meters and rhythms and challenges the student
technically with more difficult tempos, a larger range, and key signatures. Each etude has
a tempo marking - often in a different language - which students can look up in the
glossary, helping them become more familiar with some commonly used terms.
Musser, Willard I. and Elliot del Borgo. The Rhythm of Contemporary Music. NY:
Alfred, 1971.
Like in the Modes book, the Rhythm book is divided into two sections that cover the
same material, section two being more challenging. These sections cover changing
meters, odd divisions of the beat, and other aspects of these concepts. Some etudes have
meter changes that maintain the same tempo for the beat, and others maintain the same
eighth-note subdivision. Individual etudes introduce quarter-note triplets, quintuplets, and
changes in pulse groupings within the same time signature (i.e. when 7/8 changes from
3+2+2 to 2+2+3). Each etude uses simple melodies and a small range, so that the student
can focus on the rhythmic aspect of the assignment. Later etudes combine more new
concepts at once, and use more challenging key signatures, accidentals, and a larger
range. These etudes provide a basic introduction to complex rhythm and meter and
through isolation of new concepts and a slow pace every student should get enough
practice to understand the concepts. The mixed meter etudes also help students practice
subdivision.
218
Musser, Willard I. and Elliot del Borgo. The Tonality of Contemporary Music. NY:
Alfred, 1971.
This book introduces modulations, unusual scales, atonality, and tone rows. These
etudes use motivic repetition and variation to illustrate changes of key and mode, and the
instructions for each section ask the student to listen closely to hear the changes. The first
few etudes modulate to closely related keys, and later etudes modulate to remote keys
and use chromatically altered chords to get there. Students who follow the instructions to
listen for the changes should be prepared to understand the more complex modulations
that occur in later etudes. In the atonal and tone row etudes, students can look for motivic
repetition to determine phrasing and melodic structure. Some of these later etudes even
use a recurring "point of arrival" to help students find a pitch center in an atonal structure.
Rhythmically these etudes are very simple, allowing students to focus on the tonal
changes. These are intended for beginning students, but they must know their major
scales before starting these etudes.
Nagel, Robert. Trombone Studies in Contemporary Music. Melville, NY: Belwin Mills
Publishing Corp., 1977.
This book of studies is intended for intermediate to advanced players to learn the
notation and styles of contemporary music. The author suggests several additional etude
books and solo pieces in the preface, for a student who wants to learn more. He
encourages the student to study more of the literature and learn to improvise in different
styles as well, although the concept of improvisation is not addressed in the book. Each
etude is titled after the twentieth-century compositional techniques it uses, including
impressionism, quartal melodies, dodecaphonic music, and pointillism. Towards the end
there is a section on special effects, or extended techniques, as well as spatial notation

219
and aleatoric devices. He includes brief examples of the techniques, and then most of
them are incorporated into a single etude, which does not provide very much practice for
the student but is a good introduction. The final etudes use more difficult metric and
rhythmic changes.
Naulais, Jérôme. 50 Etudes Faciles et Progressives: pour Trombone. Vol. 2. Paris:

Billaudot, 1996.
Written by Jérôme Naulais, the trombonist from the European new music ensemble
Ensemble Intercontemporain, these etudes are intended to be a progressive method for
teaching trombone. Despite the title of the series, Etudes Contemporaines, they actually
make no reference to contemporary music. However, they incorporate skills such as
glissandi, contemporary styles, and expressive markings that are beneficial to teaching
young players to play musically early in their studies.
Reynolds, Verne. 48 Etudes for French Horn. New York: G. Shirmer, Inc., 1961.
Verne Reynolds wrote his 48 Etudes for advanced players to build technical facility
after they have completed the existing beginning and intermediate level etude books.
While the etudes are not explicitly written in a style of twentieth-century music, the
compositional method replaces basic tonal paradigms with interval study and unfamiliar
collections of pitches. The first 23 etudes are studies in intervals, from a semitone to an
octave there two etudes for each interval. Etudes 24-28 focus on the low register, and 29-
36 on the high register. Etudes 37-43 challenge the student with mixed meter, and
number 44 is unmeasured. The last four etudes include double- and triple-tonguing, lip
trills, and hand-muting. Some of the etudes are more interesting as solo pieces than
others, and in the preface Reynolds suggests which ones are suited to solo performance.
The others are mostly callisthenic pieces, with less melodic and formal design.
220
Udow, Michael W. and Chris Watts. The Contemporary Percussionist: 20 Multiple

Percussion Recital Solos. Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Meredith Music Publications, 1986.
Inspired by the increasing difficulty of multiple-instrument percussion repertoire
composed in the twentieth century, the authors of this book address the notational,
logistical, and performance challenges of multi-percussion pieces. The introductory
section includes notes on set-up, mallet choices, and basic exercises in stick control, for
the student to become familiar with the notation and dividing the rhythm between
different instruments. Each etude also has an introductory note, explaining the notation,
set-up of instruments, and sticks required. The etudes start with just two instruments,
played in alternation or together. At first they suggest sticking patterns, but in later etudes
lets the student decide sticking patterns. As the etudes become harder, the articulations
and phrasing are more complex, the player is required to dampen instruments, and
eventually the number of instruments increases to twelve. This book is a gradual
introduction to twentieth-century percussion techniques, however it should only be used
for a student with solid fundamental skills on all the instruments individually, before
combining them.
221
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Boutry, Roger. Douze Etudes Atonales. Paris: A. Leduc, 1972.
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1972.
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Campbell, Patrician Shehan. Lessons from the World: A Cross-cultural Guide to Music
Teaching and Learning. New York: Schirmer Books, 1991.
Childs, Barney et al. Contemporary Etudes for Contrabass. American String Teachers
Association, 1984.
Choksy, Lois. The Kodaly Method I: Comprehensive Music Education 3rd ed. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
Davies, Kenneth W. 20 Pieces in Changing Meters for Unaccompanied Trombone.

Teaneck, NJ: Puna Music Company, 1999.
Decker, Charles. Intermediate Serial Studies for Trumpet. Delevan, NY: Kendor Music,
Inc., 1978.
del Borgo, Elliot. Contemporary Rhythm and Meter Duets for Bass Clef Instruments. Ft.
del Borgo, Elliot. Contemporary Rhythm and Meter Studies for Bass Clef Instruments. Ft.
Dick, Robert. The Other Flute. New York : Multiple Breath Music, 1989.
Dubois, Pierre Max. Douze Études pour basson. Paris: Alphonse Leduc, 1957.
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Understanding and Improvising with Rhythm. Minnetonka, MN: Dancing Hands
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Giampieri, Alamiro. 16 Studi Giornalieri di Perfezionamento. Milan: Ricordi, 1990.
Girard, Anthony. 50 Études faciles et Progressives: Pour Tuba Basse. Vol. 1. Paris:
Billaudot, 2000.
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Hanson, Paul. Technique Studies for Jazz Bassoon Improvisation. Berkeley, CA:
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Hawkins, Alan, ed. Melodius and Progressive Studies. San Antonio: Southern Music Co,
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Hindemith, Paul. Elementary Training for Musicians. London: Schott & Co, 1974.
Holland, Linda. Easing Into Extended Technique. Vols 1-5. Santa Barbara, CA: Con Brio
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Boston: Small Maynard and Company, 1913.
Kostka, Stefan. Materials and Techniques of Twentieth-Century Music. 3rd Ed. Upper
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Levy, Henry J. (Hank). The Time Revolution. Los Angeles: Creative World, Inc., 1973.
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Alfred, 1971.
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An Approach To Contemporary Music

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University of Iowa

Iowa Research Online

An approach to contemporary music pedagogy for

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Willow Patterson

This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5038

Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd

Part of the Music Commons

Stephanie Willow Patterson

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

Thesis Supervisor: Professor Benjamin Coelho

STEPHANIE WILLOW PATTERSON

All Rights Reserved

This is to certify that the D.M.A. thesis of

Stephanie Willow Patterson

dedication to music education. I would also like to acknowledge the members of my

Andrew Parker for his commitment to emotional expression through music.

LIST OF FIGURES vii

II. UNIT 1: SCALES 11

III. UNIT 2: RHYTHM 26

IV. UNIT 3: METER 52

VI. UNIT 5: EXTENDED TECHNIQUES 83

A. THE ETUDE BOOK 101

B. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RELATED LITERATURE 197

1.2 Etude #2: Shapes for long tones. 9

1.3 Etude #3 Groups of 3, mm 19-30: Contour reinforces groupings. 9

1.4 Etude #3 Groups of 5, mm 46-52. 10

2.2 Etude #5 mm 9-12: Upward motion through flattened 6ˆ and 7ˆ to 1ˆ in m 9,

2.3 Etude #6 mm 16-19: Melodic minor motion into a cadence. 16

2.7 Etude #12 mm 1-6: Directionless motion. 20

2.8 Etude #13 mm 1-6: Chromatic scale in small chunks. 21

2.11 Etude #15 mm 14-19: Alternation of notation in flats and sharps. 23

2.12 Etude #15 mm 1-6: Motivic repetition. 23

2.13 Etude #15 mm 29-35: Motivic building to an arrival on G3. 24

3.1 Section I Introduction: Spatial notation of syncopation. 40

3.2 Etude #18 mm 29-32: Syncopation offset by a quarter-note beat. 40

3.3 Etude #18a mm 29-32. 41

3.6 Etude #22 mm 14-18: Introduction of quarter-note triplets. 43

3.7 Etude #23 mm 12-15: Sextuplets beamed in groups of three. 45

3.8 Etude #24 mm 14-18: Eighth-note quintuplets become sixteenth-note

3.9 Etude #25 mm 1, 5, and 13: The beginning of the melody. 47

3.10 Etude #26 mm 10-14: Eighth-note septuplets to sixteenth-note septuplets. 48

3.11 Etude #27 mm 23-25: Preparation of new rhythms in septuplets. 48

3.12 Etude #28 mm 13-14: Sixteenths followed by a quintuplet. 50

3.13 Etude #29 mm 1-4: Back to back changing subdivisions. 50

4.1 Heart beat pattern in 6/8. 57

4.3 Etude #31 mm 4-6(a), 13-15(b), and 18-20(c): Different-length rests

4.4 Etude #34 mm 1-3: Dolce markings and legato articulations. 61

4.5 Etude #35 mm 32-35: Beaming as 3+2, melody seems to be 2+3. 62

4.7 Etude #36 mm 27-31: Challenging rhythms with rests. 63

4.8 Etude #38 mm 9-12: Quarter-eighth and eighth-quarter rhythm. 64

4.9 Etude #38 mm 29-32: Tricky rhythms in the 7/8 section. 65

5.1 Etude #42 mm 5-9: Implied A minor between whole-tone sections. 74

5.2 Etude #43 mm 32-37: Hemiola. 75

5.5 Etude #46 mm 11-15: Running eighth notes replaced by rests. 77

5.6 Etude #47 mm 9-12: Rhythm changes from steady eighths. 77

5.7 Etude #49 mm 7-11: Consistent groupings versus unclear groupings. 78

5.9 Section V Introduction, Etude #51 mm 1-5: Making longer phrases. 80

6.2 Etude #56 mm 5-8: Bends, scoops, falls, and glissandi. 89

6.3 Etude #57 mm 10-16: Vocal pitch bends in the melody. 89

6.6 Etude #60 mm 17-21: Tremolo counterpoint. 92

6.7 Section V. Multiphonics, Introduction: multiphonics transitioning to a pitch. 93

6.8 Section V. Multiphonics, Introduction: Overblown low notes and

6.9 Etude #61 mm 7-13: Real notes, followed by multiphonics. 94