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Ballet Class Music and Motosonus
The Motosonus Method was invented to give pianists and composers a way to provide top quality ballet music for class. In the simplest of terms the Motosonus Method provides ballet class pianists a group of laws for composing ballet class music with express techniques which are meant to make the music far more useful in its place in the teaching setting of the ballet studio.
One of the main methods of accomplishing this is by using the the placment of the beat and the melodic and harmonic content of the music to form a dissonance and consonance that mirrors the tension and relaxation taking place in the dancers' muscles.
The most significant of these strategies is the manipulation of the beat or pulse. It was realized that the rhythm has a greater effect on the dancers during the study of ballet than any other single component of the musical accompaniment.
The character of the music is tailored to fit each ballet exercise through the location of the downbeat and through the manner in which the downbeat is played. For instance, by pushing the beat forward, sometimes called "rushing the beat," and widening it by rolling or arpegiating the notes, the pianist can create the impression of expansiveness. This is useful in the ballet exercises that require the bigger muscles of the body, and which require large sweeping motions from the dancers. When the bass notes are played exactly on the beat, or "in the pocket,", it creates a feeling of driving forward which is ideal for ballet exercises that need a briskness and precision.
By purposefully manipulating the beat, the pianist can create a musical tapestry that compliments and boosts the movements of the dancers, which both assists them in performing the exercises correctly and also improves their progress towards their goals.
One of the main methods of accomplishing this is by using the the placment of the beat and the melodic and harmonic content of the music to form a dissonance and consonance that mirrors the tension and relaxation taking place in the dancers' muscles.
The most significant of these strategies is the manipulation of the beat or pulse. It was realized that the rhythm has a greater effect on the dancers during the study of ballet than any other single component of the musical accompaniment.
The character of the music is tailored to fit each ballet exercise through the location of the downbeat and through the manner in which the downbeat is played. For instance, by pushing the beat forward, sometimes called "rushing the beat," and widening it by rolling or arpegiating the notes, the pianist can create the impression of expansiveness. This is useful in the ballet exercises that require the bigger muscles of the body, and which require large sweeping motions from the dancers. When the bass notes are played exactly on the beat, or "in the pocket,", it creates a feeling of driving forward which is ideal for ballet exercises that need a briskness and precision.
By purposefully manipulating the beat, the pianist can create a musical tapestry that compliments and boosts the movements of the dancers, which both assists them in performing the exercises correctly and also improves their progress towards their goals.
About the Author:
This post is brought to you compliments of Gaylord Pannitron. The Motosonus Method is employed in The First Class Albums, a series of ballet class music CDs by composer/choreographer/pianist, Don Caron. You can check them out in Amazon's Ballet Class Music library.