The Motosonus Method was devised to give pianists and composers access to tools that would enable them to provide a very high quality of ballet class music. In the most general terms the Motosonus Method provides ballet class pianists a set of guidelines for playing ballet class music with categorical tools which are intended to make the music more powerful in its role 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 useful of these methods is the manipulation of the beat or pulse. It was found that the use of rhythm has a bigger result on the dancers in a ballet class than any other single element 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 intentionally manipulating the beat, the pianist can produce a musical tapestry that compliments and augments the movements of the dancers, which both supports them in performing the exercises accurately and also improves their progress in their journey toward their goals.

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.