Upbeat / Cutting Off

Chapter 12 - Upbeat: Breath and Hand
Chapter 13 - Cutting Off explained, short last note, long last note, distinctive final chord, morendo ending, sustained chords

By clicking on the corresponding chapter below the videos, you can select and repeat each topic. Have fun!

Upbeat: Breath and Hand
Cutting off
Short last note
Long last note
Distinctive final chord
Morendo ending
Sustained chords
Upbeat: Breath and Hand
  • upbeat explained
  • the upbeat is an empty beat before the beginning of a piece
  • the upbeat with a breath
  • how to do a dry preparatory beat if your upbeat is shorter than one beat
  • how to practise upbeats
Cutting off
  • cutting off explained
  • circular mouvement as a preparatory beat for cutting off
  • freeze when you want musicians to stop playing
  • how to cut off in the character of a piece
Short last note
  • PROKOFIEFF "Peter and the wolf" before figure 2
  • no need for a special cutting off gesture if the last note is short anyway
Long last note
  • PROKOFIEFF "Peter and the wolf" cutting off at figure 17
  • how to care for each instrumental group
Distinctive final chord
  • PROKOFIEFF "Peter and the wolf" cutting off bevor figure 19
  • preventing a ritardando at the end
Morendo ending
  • PROKOFIEFF "Peter and the wolf" cutting off before figure 20
  • strings play morendo, while horns need a clear ending
Sustained chords
  • PROKOFIEFF "Peter and the wolf" cutting off before figure 25
  • no need to beat the time with long chords at the end, treat those long chords like a fermata
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