To help musicians develop their performance skills, a groundbreaking Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) lab was established in the Music and Dance department of UMass, Amherst in the Fall of 2006. Sophomore undergraduates enrolled in aural skills courses were required to regularly attend the lab and play DDR to improve their abilities to perform and sight-read rhythms.
This site contains information about the pedagogical philosophy underlying the lab, the lab set up, the curriculum, and current/future research associated with DDR in aural skills curricula.
DDR stands for Dance Dance Revolution, a video game developed by Konami in which players test their ability to execute dance routines in time to music.
In DDR, a participants stand on a controller pad (Fig. 1) with arrow buttons while facing a monitor that gives timed instructions as to which buttons the feet should press. These instructions are non-verbal, existing as a set of upward-scrolling arrows that smoothly approach and pass through a “step zone” at the top of the screen (Fig. 2: arrows in white outline). The spacing of the arrows and the rate at which they intersect the step zone, signaling the time to depress a button, are perfectly coordinated with the pulses and rhythms of electronic dance music, otherwise known as “club music.”
Figure 1: Dance Pad for DDR (Possession of the author)
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Figure 2: Video Screen with Step Zone
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| Arrow Color | Portion of Beat | Counting Syllable (Conventional) | Counting Syllable (Takadimi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Downbeat | “one, two, three, four” | “ta” |
| Blue | Offbeat | “and” | “di” |
| Yellow | 2nd or 4th Sixteenth | “ee” or “a” | “ka” or “mi” |
| Green | Triplet | “one-la-lee two-la-lee” etc. | “ta ki da” etc. |
More thorough instruction on gameplay may be found in the manuals accompanying any of the DDR game products available from Konami of America (see Links below).
Although developed originally for purely entertainment purposes, the DDR interface can be used by musicians to develop advanced rhythmic skills. This is so because the pad essentially models an instrument with four notes, the four directional arrows. The scrolling arrows on the screen model a musical score with four notes as well, although in this case the score is oriented vertically instead of horizontally. The exact rhythms of the attacks are given both by the spacing of the arrows and their coloring as shown above. As much of the worry of “hitting the right note” is removed, players can focus on an equally-great challenge of musical performance: hitting the right note at the right time.
Practicing rhythms with DDR can benefit any musician at any skill level studying any type of music. That said, the materials on this website are intended primarily for undergraduate musicians enrolled in aural skills classes, alternately referred to as “ear training,” “musicianship,” or “sight-singing” labs.
The specific abilities that are to be impacted by training with DDR include:
- Improved Sense of RhythmThe key feature of DDR and its electronic dance music is the prominent, steady beat, which acts as a metronome for all rhythmic tasks. In many cases, the dance routines require players to rest for entire measures or more. To do so successfully and come in at the right time, the player must truly feel the underlying beat at all times.
- Increased proficiency in sight-readingBecause of the speed at which the arrows scroll, it is not possible to play DDR while focusing only on the step zone at the top of the screen. Rather, it is necessary to use good sight-reading techniques, to continually watch the bottom of the screen for information about upcoming rhythms and “pitches” (arrows, in this case).
After just a few playings, players intuitively begin chunking* arrow patterns the way they would an upcoming set of beamed sixteenth notes. It is a simple matter to transfer this knowledge from DDR to the horizontally-oriented music score.
- Increased proficiency with syncopated rhythmsDDR's game design allows players to attempt a song at three different skill levels. At the easy settings, players are generally required only to tap out rhythms that are “on the beat,” yet they are being exposed to the highly-syncopated rhythms of the vocal lines. In an ingenious design allowing for spiral learning, the players can return to the song and play it at a more difficult setting, where they are now asked to explicitly tap out the rhythms.
- Better practice strategies for rhythm!The game design of DDR is highly flexible. In the “practice mode,” students can isolate difficult measures from a song, vary the speed, and practice with or without music, metronome, or the soundtrack. In “edit mode,” they or an instructor can build their own routines from scratch, allowing the possibilities of drilling one or more select rhythms over the course of a several-minute song.
In the fall of 2006, the University of Massachusetts's Subcommittee on Academic Technology graciously provided support for the establishment of a DDR lab on campus. The minimal cost of the lab, $4000, was sufficient to cover the purchase of 4 Televisions, 4 PlayStation2 Consoles, sound accessories, multiple copies of the games, 10 dance pads, AV carts, and the salaries for student lab managers to keep the lab running for 9.5 hours per week. Such a lab easily accommodated 40 students booked in 35-minute intervals.
The lab set-up is illustrated below:
| Figure 3: Design of the DDR lab at UMass, Amherst |
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The key issue, because it is such a loud game, is arranging the stations such that 8 people can play DDR simultaneously. The solution is to send each television's sound signal through a transmitter, which transmits the output to a variable radio frequency. (The concept matches that of the iPod car adapters.) Players wear wireless headphones and tune to the frequency of their television's transmitter, and can play DDR at any volume they wish without the inconvenience or danger of wires.
In the fall of 2006, students in Music 214 (Aural Skills III) followed a 10-week curriculum in DDR, shown below. They were informed that 10% of their entire class grade would be based on their work with DDR. Half of that grade involved showing up in the lab each week for a 35-minute session and documenting their progress (songs attempted and scores received). The other half involved performing a live skills test on DDR at the close of the semester.
The following list represents a 10-week introduction to rhythmic study with Dance Dance Revolution. Difficulty levels as rated in the game are included in parentheses, as are some of the specific rhythms drilled.
Week 1:
Remember You (1)
Baby Baby Gimme Your Love (1)
Ordinary World (1: half/whole notes)
Peace Out (2)
Week 2:
Secret Rendezvous (2)
Spin the Disc (2: half notes and holds)
Let's Talk it Over (2)
Sana Morette (2)
Week 3:
Overblast (3)
Look to the Sky (3: long stretches of quarters)
You Leave Me Alone (3)
Share My Love (3: first sixteenth note push)
Week 4:
Let the Beat Hit'em (3: offbeats)
I was the One (3: stretch of quarters and some jumps)
My Summer Love (3)
Let the Beat Hit'em IN GREEN (3: eighth notes)
Week 5:
True - Trance Sunrise Mix IN YELLOW (3)
Jam and Marmalade (4)
Logical Dash - Light mode (3)
Love Again Tonight (4: faster, first syncopations)
Week 6:
Groove 2001 (4: faster, patterned, some eighths)
The Cube (4: bare syncopated patterns)
Spin the Disc MEDIUM (5: fun, some syncs)
Week 7:
Celebrate (4)
Love Again Tonight - for Melissa Mix (4)
Holic (4)
Week 8:
Let's Talk it Over STANDARD (5)
Gambol 5.1.1 - STANDARD (5)
Let the Beat Hit'em STANDARD (5)
Week 9:
Stomp to my Beat (5)
Deep in You (5)
Drop the Bomb STANDARD (5)
Max 300 (6)
Week 10:
Let the Beat Hit'em IN GREEN Ð STANDARD (5)
Sana Morette STANDARD (5)
Stomp to My Beat STANDARD (6)
Further notes:
1. Students may attempt a week's songs in any order, as long as they play them all at least once and exhibit improvement through focus on at least one of them.
2. Students entering with advanced skills in DDR may attempt the week's songs at a higher difficulty setting.
3. Printable “performance log sheet” samples are provided in the MATERIALS section, below.
In evaluating this pilot study, I regard the experiment to integrate DDR into the aural skills curriculum at UMass, Amherst as successful. From extended observation in the lab, I observed that the students were able to quickly adapt and excel at the challenging curriculum. (Experimental research on the pedagogical value of study with DDR is forthcoming).
Student feedback on the program, moreover, was on the whole positive. Midway through the semester, students were asked to rate their experiences with the DDR lab on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The responses to select questions are summarized below:
1. “The DDR lab is an enjoyable portion of this course”
Average value of all responses: 3.909
Number of favorable responses (4-5): 22
Number of unfavorable responses (1-2): 5
Percentage of favorable responses (22/33): %66.67
2. “Practicing with DDR feels like it helps with rhythmic/sight-reading accuracy”
Average value of all responses: 2.897
Number of favorable responses (4-5): 13
Number of unfavorable responses (1-2): 11
Percentage of favorable responses (13/28): %46.43
3. “I would like the DDR component to return in later semesters of study”
Average value of all responses: 3.406
Number of favorable responses (4-5): 19
Number of unfavorable responses (1-2): 12
Percentage of favorable responses (19/32): %59.38
Negative survey responses were also fairly common. These focused almost exclusively on concerns with the pacing of the curriculum (which was a bit fast for true novices) and the amount of extra time newly required for lab attendance.
The decision to incorporate DDR into a class curriculum should not be made lightly, given the amount of work required to build, implement, and maintain the curriculum and labs. Anyone who would like further suggestions in how to initiate such a program of study in a classroom setting may contact me at the e-mail listed below.
There are, however, countless musical benefits both tangible and intangible that may be reaped through exposure to this extremely musical interface. I will close by listing four ways that study with DDR can profitably supplement conventional aural skills classroom instruction.
Most classroom instruction in rhythm reading and sight-reading is given the old fashioned way. Students read from printed scores either alone or in groups, then await critique from a classroom instructor. This method is invaluable and can never be fully replaced, of course, because music making is ultimately a human endeavor. The ear of an expert will always be necessary to determine exactly what slight deviations from pitch and tempo (which are unavoidable) are acceptable in a real-life performance. More importantly, only an experienced instructor is qualified to diagnose the problems of a faulty performance and recommend solutions and practice regimens.
That said, there are a number of inherent problems with the classroom model.
1. It is generally impossible for an instructor to give nuanced feedback during a performance. Usually, the student sings an entire excerpt, and then waits for the instructor to say, “the rhythms were off in measures 2 and 7, and the tempo dragged at measure 9.” All true, perhaps, but it is too late to fix the performance now. (Even if comment is given on a taped performance, it is still too late to change the results.) It would be far better if the student could be coached while still having time to shape the performance in progress.
2. When students encounter difficulties in singing or tapping an exercise in class, the tempo inevitably suffers. Most students slow down when reaching a tricky spot, although some surprisingly speed up. Worse yet is the habit of actually stopping a performance to work out a measure, where a student sits and thinks and hums during the pause before restarting. It is one thing to penalize students grade-wise for such behavior, but it would be far better to create an environment in which slowing down or stopping simply becomes impossible.
3. Most treatises, anthologies, and manuals for aural skills and sight-singing offer useful suggestions to the aural skills teacher for making the drill material more interesting to students. Classes can sing rhythms as chords or over scales, or break into groups and trade rhythms from measure to measure. Improvisation exercises and singing with recordings also can help to dispel any sense of monotony. Despite these diversions, however, the study of rhythm in aural skills class typically becomes boring in a matter of weeks. Another mode of learning is always welcome beyond the drier tasks of tapping, clapping, and counting.
4. Classroom time is far too limited to achieve any significant drilling. Aural skills classes meet on average from 1-3 hours a week, and much of the time spent is often dedicated to lecture material such as strategies for listening, singing, and transcribing.
Having recognized the very necessary evils of classroom aural skills instruction, one can see that a regimen of study with DDR does much to combat them. First, the game offers visual feedback on every single rhythmic attack, flashing a grade of “Perfect,” “Great,” “Good,” “Almost,” or “Boo” for each step. Even while in the middle of a song, students quickly get a feel for “the pocket” and adjust their attacks to get better scores.
The game furthermore encourages what I have termed a “culture of fluency” in the aural skills classroom. While playing DDR, it is not possible to slow down or stop: no matter how much the player falters, the music and arrows continue on without pause. When encountering difficulties, the only workable solution is to stop momentarily and try to catch up to the game at the next downbeat and continue on in time. Developing and using this skill is one of the most important tasks of the developing, performing musician.
As for the last two issues raised above, DDR maintains player interest because it is at its heart a video game. It was designed to be fun and challenging with a navigable learning curve and has been a tremendous succeeds on both counts. Nearly all players who fail a certain dance routine after a few run-throughs are able to pass it. Even in the arcade, where the game may cost as much as a dollar for 5-10 minutes to play, many take the time to repeat routines in order to master and memorize them. These factors greatly increase the likelihood that DDR drilling is something students are willing to try in their spare time, provided they receive credit for their efforts.
Figures for SMT Paper (Word, 9.6 MBs)
Experiment planned for Fall 2007: Abstract and results forthcoming
Department of Music and Dance at UMass, Amherst
DDRFreak.com, a wonderful site that offers an introduction to the game, a bulletin board for discussing DDR culture, and step charts for all released versions.
Photos of a public DDR event at UMass, Amherst (facebook membership required)
© 2007 Brent Auerbach (University of Massachusetts)