Two Kinds of Silence….and Why They Matter
Silence in an essential part of music.
I’m talking rests, yes, but I’m also talking smaller helpings of silence: Breaths, commas, small cessations of sound that help to give music its shape and emphasis.
But all silences aren’t the same.
And I’d argue that identifying which kind of silence you’re dealing with –and its function within the music– is almost as import as knowing which notes you’re going to play.
Here are two major types:
The Stop Sign. Just like that red octagon in Driver’s Ed, some musical silences signify a complete stop. You finish one gesture, punctuate with stillness, then begin anew. You’ll find these kinds of silences after many cadences, and the critical quality that your silence is a moment of rest– movement has temporarily ceased.
The Leap. When you leap, your body leaves the floor but you continue to travel forward. Similarly, in a silence of this type, your sound may have temporarily ceased, but your musical gesture continues. These silences are integrated into the movement of the music, a part of the flow rather than an interruption. (Side note: I was really tempted to call this one the Midwestern Stop, in honor of our regional tradition of rolling blithely through stop signs after gesturing vaguely in the direction of braking, but I restrained myself. Barely.)
Why does it matter whether you’re facing a stop sign or a leap? Well, you need to “play” these two kinds of silences in very different ways.
If you’ve got a stop sign…
Make sure you finish the note before the silence cleanly. This is a great place to end notes with your tongue.
Stops signs are typically fabulous places to breathe.
When you restart after the silence, have a sense of beginning anew.
It’s better to be late to your next note after a stop sign than early.
If you’ve got a leap…
End the note just before the leap with very soft tongue or a lip release.
If you breathe within this kind of silence, it has to be very discreet!
Begin your post-silence note on time and with a very soft articulation to give a sense of continuation.
In both cases, enjoy the quiet!
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