Solfège/Solfeggio: Naming and Singing Notes

In this conversational essay on the relative advantages of different note-naming systems, Marianne Ploger engages a diverse range of topics relating to solfège, including the use of fixed-do solfège and scale-degree numbers in The Ploger Method®.  Other subjects addressed in relation to solfège include historical background, current pedagogical practices, and absolute pitch.

Music's "DNA": The Perfect Fifth

This article explores some of the many ways in which the interval of the perfect 5th underlies so many patterns and forms found in scales and modes.  Marianne discusses how understanding these patterns can improve comprehension and memory and provide a source of inspiration and delight to those interested in the intricacies of music. Her novel framing of and perspectives on the structure of the diatonic scale reveal patterns, form, and order to what might seem on the surface to be random. The ideas outlined in the article below have been an essential part of her teaching since 1991. 

The Craft of Musical Communication, by Marianne Ploger and Keith Hill

"The Craft of Musical Communication" is the product of decades of careful observation, close listening, and musical experience.  Marianne and Keith present the reader with concrete techniques and strategies for creating musical performances that connect with, move, and inspire listeners.

In this online version of the essay, the descriptions of each technique are accompanied by a video clip of a performance that illustrates the successful use of the technique under discussion - it is highly recommended that you take the time to listen to these while reading the essay. In the table of contents, you'll find a link to each part of the essay; each page contains "previous" and "next" navigation links for easy, sequential reading online.

The Musical Keyboard as the Cognitive Tool of the Musician

A description of how we can use the keyboard as ruler with which we can measure pitch space, thereby adding an important, foundational dimension to our understanding and comprehension of music.