Why an Inner Clock Trainer?
When you take an instrument in hand and begin to play: Can you feel the music? Can you feel the difference between Triplets and 16th notes? Do you feel the difference between Tempo 147 and 149 bpm - or do you simply, just play a little faster? Do you feel the notes that you don't play? In other words: Can you feel the pulse inside yourself ?
The pulse is in music, what is the canvas for the painter.
The reference point for everything that happens in music is the (Quarter) pulse. It is the pulse and the network in between, where the timbre of the instrument, the melodies and harmonies are applied. To understand rhythm, one must begin with the pulse. Without it there is no division into bars, no meter. Without pulse there is also no division between, the Subdivisions. Without Subdivisions there are no down- or offbeats, no swing, no syncopation, no phrasing etc. Without pulse there is also therefore no rhythm, and ultimately no music.
The aim of the Inner Pulse Trainer: to unfold the pulse in you and anchor it!
This is the way one takes 'outside' references (via metronome, click track, conductor etc...) to the 'inside'. "Inner Pulse" or "Inner Clock" means exactly that. If you can feel the pulse within you, then you can also feel changes in tempo. Thereby one can organise the spaces in between. (Micro Timing: Subdivisions, phrasing ). Only then will you begin to capture the "feel" of the music. Thereafter you will not cognitively strive to think about the correct placement of the notes, and you wont needlessly worry anymore about whether your pace remains stable. You just know exactly how it must feel! You have a clear idea how it works, and are in a position to call it into play. Your hands and feet can not help but to play it right - provided you can technically implement what is meant.
When the pulse is solid within you, you can begin to vary: You can play e.g the "Swing Note" (3rd Triplet Beat) slightly sharper. You can play the rhythms relaxed, impulsive or just 'on' it (= before, after or on the beat).
Each style of music, and ultimately every person, has their own view of time and their own feel. Only when you have a secure reference point within you, can you then vary accordingly. Then begins intuition, interpretation, creativity and individual expression.
The 5 Golden Rules for Timing:
When the topic turns to timing, there ate five tips, that come up again and again:
- Practice with a metronome or Click
- Know and note the Subdivisions
- Set the Click in other positions (Off Beat, "Swing Note".... )
- Leave gaps in the Click
- Count aloud while playing
In the App Inner Pulse Trainer and the book Your Inner Pulse Trainer, these five rules are bundled into a systematic method.
You do not necessarily have the app to work with the book, or the book to work with the app. But together they are unbeatable.
I wish you the Best of Luck and a good Time(ing) using your IPT !
Frank Mellies