Playing Across the Lines

When we consider the many obstacles that we face as we try to turn the pieces we practice into music, none is more powerful than the thin black line. Which line do we mean? We mean the bar line.

The bar line, that line between measures, is there to help us organize what we see on the page. It shows us where each repeating pattern of beats starts. These bite-sized organized chunks - the ones we call bars or measures - make it easier to count as we play. Imagine what would happen if there were no bar lines. You wouldn’t know when to start counting at “1” again!

Those small chunks also help us see patterns of notes too. We can see phrases or repeated groups of notes. We can easily spot and identify sections of a piece. They can also make it easier to line up our right and left hands.

Unfortunately, it is almost automatic to think of those bar lines as stopping points, for our eyes if not for our music. We can’t use them as resting spots, though; they are there to help us make sense of the music visually, not cause a break in the flow of the music itself. In other words, bar lines are to be seen and not heard. They are like green lights to speed your learning, not red lights to make you stop.

Green means go!