Posture, hand position/grip and freedom of movement
- Play with more ease and control of the body:
- using an appropriate and functional posture
- Play with ease and control of the hands:
- maintaining an appropriate grip when playing with sticks/mallets, with relaxed wrists, arms and shoulders
- developing personalisation of grip when playing with sticks/mallets, e.g. choice of matched grip or orthodox grip
- continuing to develop instrument-specific independent movement of hands
- Maintain an appropriate and functional four-mallet grip for tuned percussion
Demonstrate the differences in posture that may be appropriate to reflect the mood and dynamics of the music, e.g. upper-body movement.
When teaching children, it is important to ensure that the height of instruments is adjusted accordingly as learners grow.
Use role-play to discuss and choose the most effective posture to achieve the required sound.
Ensure that any movement enhances the sound produced. The teacher/other learners can act as audience.
Encourage learners to observe others performing, noting the effects of posture on communication.
Encourage learners to attend live performances where possible, and/or watch live performances online.
When playing with mallets/sticks, demonstrate alternative grips, e.g. matched (French/German/other) versus orthodox, and the effect that they may have on the sound produced. Ask learners to experiment.
Alternative stickings can be particularly useful when playing chords containing a mixture of diatonic and chromatic notes.
Ask learners to experiment with the weak hand leading and the use of paradiddles, etc. to avoid crossing hands. In four-mallet work, try alternative stickings, e.g. 1 2 3 4 versus 1 3 2 4, to avoid awkward arm movements.
Learners should independently make decisions around which stickings will result in a musically fluent performance.
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