16th notes

sinebar · Post by **sinebar** » Mon May 14, 2007 8:02 pm

So how quick should a beginner be starting on 16th notes? I've only been playing for about 4 or 5 months. Seems like these books just progress way too fast. I've been swapping between the essential ellements book 2 and E wagner foundation to flute playing. The E wagner just jumps right into 16th scales really quick and not simple ones either. Is 5 months too soon to tackle 16 notes?

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:03 pm

16th notes in and of themselves you should be able to understand at 4 or 5 months of experience. However, 16th's do not indicate how fast a note is, just how long it is in reference to other notes. That's to say that 16th's don't have to be played fast just because they have more bars on them. The tempo markings will dictate how fast the 16ths actually are. Just because something is written in 16th's doesn't mean you're locked into playing it that way. If you have scales in straight 16th's at 120 bpm, you can just as easily play them as 8th's at 120, or even quarters at 120. You can even play the scales as quarters at a slower tempo if necessary. If you feel like you're not ready for some of the things these books are having you do, slow things down. Just because the author/composer has written something in one way doesn't mean you can't address it in another.

The short answer to your question ("Is 5 months too soon to tackle 16 notes?") is no, it's not too early to be looking at 16th's, as a sixteenth is a duration, not a speed. However, it may be too early to be playing them at the speed some of these books suggest.

sinebar · Post by **sinebar** » Tue May 15, 2007 6:00 am

flutepicc06 wrote:16th notes in and of themselves you should be able to understand at 4 or 5 months of experience. However, 16th's do not indicate how fast a note is, just how long it is in reference to other notes. That's to say that 16th's don't have to be played fast just because they have more bars on them. The tempo markings will dictate how fast the 16ths actually are. Just because something is written in 16th's doesn't mean you're locked into playing it that way. If you have scales in straight 16th's at 120 bpm, you can just as easily play them as 8th's at 120, or even quarters at 120. You can even play the scales as quarters at a slower tempo if necessary. If you feel like you're not ready for some of the things these books are having you do, slow things down. Just because the author/composer has written something in one way doesn't mean you can't address it in another.

The short answer to your question ("Is 5 months too soon to tackle 16 notes?") is no, it's not too early to be looking at 16th's, as a sixteenth is a duration, not a speed. However, it may be too early to be playing them at the speed some of these books suggest.

Thanks flutepicc06. as you suggested I can play them slowly as 16th notes. I guess I was a little confused about 16ths because most of the music I see involving 16h notes are really fast.