Basic Requirements for Training with BFMNM

Dear colleagues, to be able to use the platform BFMNM it is necessary to have in mind a few premise. First of all, we should put your personal interest and desire to enrich your knowledge and skills in a field that’s totally different of those that you’re working until now. Anyway, it is necessary to notice that in first sight, when you look at the sheets or the size of the pieces, or the content of the educating materials, BFM may looks to you quite easy and simplified. I should warn you that this is a complex matter, because it has its own specifics and features. Sometimes a short song or melody with just one row may become a very hard to perform and this may change your first attitude. That may not scare you of course, because that is why we are here and that is the goal of this online course – to show the easiest way to assimilate the material and acquire some skills.

In the online course “BgEtnoLab” we put some basic requirements to the students, because it’s not designed, for example, for children in an early age, or for people, who are just now meeting the art of music at all. Therefore, here is what you need to know before to start with BFMNM and the course “BgEthnoLab”.

1. Basic level theory of music

To be able to work with some sections of the platform BFMNM and the online course “BgEthnoLab” is necessary to have a basic level of knowledge in theory of music. You should be able to read notes. Because it’s one of the goals of the platform – to put BFM on a new professional level and to offer the possibility for reading, learning, training and assimilating of a certain object of educating material to be done by the students when we provide to them precisely prepared sheets. After that, the refinement of the style will be explain in details, demonstrated and analyzed in the course. The hearing examples are required and they will help a lot in the process of teaching and learning, but when you work alone at home, you should be able to read music text and to be able to work with music terminology, that is already stated in the classic theory of music.

1. Practical skills

For your individual practical training, you need to have some skills using a certain instrument or your voice (for the singers). As I mentioned before, here in BFMNM we’re not starting from the beginning and we won’t focus our work in teaching you how to play on your instrument. Everyone who wants to study with BFMNM needs to know his instrument well, to have a good control playing on it, to know its abilities like producing a good sound, range, fingering and other. We won’t teach you that. Of course, some aspects, which are quite specific for BFM will be additionally explained, concerning the variety of instruments that you can use and also we’ll talk about some specifics of the traditional Bulgarian folk instruments, in case if you are playing on some of them. First of all, remember that you are using your own instrument and our focus is not to teach you how to play on it and how to use it correct. We want to let you in the world of a new music style and to improve your abilities on it.

1. Instruments

To take your benefits from the online course you need to precisely choose the instrument that you would like to play Bulgarian music on. It needs to be suitable for its specifics and in another post I will give you some advises about the most popular and often used instruments. Some of them are traditional Bulgarian folk instruments that many people are interested of, because they have different exotic shape and sound. If you already have some of those, so you probably have an experience too and in the online course you can enrich and improve your skills. If you are interested, but you still don not have a certain Bulgarian instrument – you can contact the authors of the platform and ask for advice how to get some. You can also practice on some classic instruments as: trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, accordion, violin or other, which are most common in Bulgaria for this style of music. In this case, it will be much easier for you to use your own instrument that is already well known to you and just to acquire some new techniques. You should know that it’s all up you to choose an instrument, but the hearing examples and exercises are adjusted to those instruments that already has been improved in our tradition in the last century. Other way you are risking meeting some obstacles and difficulties applying some of the techniques on other unusual instruments. Anyway, if you prefer to apply them on other instrument, that’s not so typical, it will be great and really interesting to share your experience with us in a feedback.

1. Technical skills

To be able to work with the platform BFMNM, except the requirements I mentioned before, let us talk about some technical skills, which are not concerning those music aspects. Of course, you need to have a stable internet connection in the right time and place, and some basic skills of working with your computer or a mobile device. I am sure that is not a problem for you – other way you would not be reading this article right now. When we built up this platform, we spent a lot of time and really worked hard to make the process of teaching and learning, of searching and sharing information in the most easy and simplified way. You will immediately understand that the way I am expressing myself may be not so perfect, but I’m trying to say things simple just to be sure that everyone will understand what I’m talking about. The site is created in a quite standard form, same as most of the other sites that you are using every day so I really hope you won’t find any difficulty.

In case if you decide to continue ahead and use the platform BFMNM I suggest to pay attention to the articles: “BFM – How to Choose an Instrument” and “BFM – Specifics of the Vocal Style”. It may help you to make the right choice about what you really want to work on.

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