I learned to count somewhere between ages three and four. But, other than to show off for relatives, it didn’t mean much to me. I learned to count bigger numbers later on and also do mathematical calculations with them. Still, math was in a realm of its own, out there, not really usable unless you’re mentally calculating the change at the check-out counter or balancing your checkbook to the penny. And not many people do either any more.
Still, counting has currently surfaced in my life in a variety of situations. Learning to play the piano is all about counting, something I’ve resisted. It’s probably safe to say counting applies to every instrument since performers need to understand the value of the notes they’re playing.
Swimming is about counting too. As is working out with weights and running and breathing while exercising. And yoga. And probably a myriad of activities I’ve not tried.
Let me stick with music. Early on in my studies, my piano teacher began stressing the value of counting. That is, if a whole note takes four beats, then a half note takes two, and a quarter note takes one. Therefore, you need four quarter notes to equal one whole note when the time signature is four/fourths. I understood the logic of this, but didn’t really apply it to the music. So often my teacher would say I didn’t have the rhythm right.
It’s taken over ten years (I’m a slow learner in this regard), but I finally see what she means. Currently I’m working on a very tricky piece where counting is essential for every single measure because there are notes that get more than one count but less than two. I won’t try to dissect this here any further.
Suffice to say that all of a sudden counting has come to the fore in my life. The next challenge is to make it like a little voice in the background that keeps me on track but isn’t the soprano solo.
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