Transcript Lesson 3 - Reading Rhythms

Lesson Three
Reading Music: Pitch and Duration
Duration:
Quarter Notes & Eighth Notes
In the second lesson on duration you learned that one
quarter note lasts for one beat and that two eighth notes
also last for one beat.
When you are clapping a rhythm try saying the following
syllables for each of the following notes:
• quarter notes – tah
• eighth notes – ti-ti
RHYTHMIC EXERCISES
Try clapping the following rhythms and saying the
syllables at the same time. The first few times you may
want to use the sound file to help you.
Sight Reading Melodies
One way of learning to sing melodies is to use a system called
tonic solfa. Each individual pitch (note) is assigned a name.
Regardless of whether you start at a low pitch (note) or a high
pitch (note), all notes relate to each other using the same solfa
names and the same relative distance is found between the
pitches. The first three pitches that we will use are called:
me
re
doh
Melody # 1
• Clap the rhythm of this melody saying the syllables tah
and ti-ti.
• Listen to the sound file and try singing the solfa names as
you listen to the file.
• Now try clapping the rhythm and singing the solfa names
at the same time as you listen to the file.
• Now sing the melody and clap the rhythm without the
sound file.
Melody 2
• Follow the same procedure with the next four
melodies
Melody 3
Melody 4
Melody 5
Major Scale
Now you are ready to sing the first five notes of the major
scale.
A major scale begins and ends on the same note and it is
made up of eight notes. Sing the scale as you play the
sound file:
do-re-me-fa-so
Writing Music
One of the very useful skills is the ability to write down
music which you hear. If you were to write down only the
rhythm, we refer to this as a rhythmic dictation. If you
write down the melody and the rhythm together, we refer
to this as melodic dictation.
The homework slide contains three rhythmic and three
melodic dictations which you can do using the Noteworthy
Composer Program.
Taking Dictations
On the next slide you will be asked to write down the
rhythms and melodies you hear using musical notation.
Rhythmic Dictation: Using the Noteworthy Composer software write
down the rhythms that you hear using quarter notes and eighth notes.
When you are done, place the cursor at the beginning of the exercise
and use the play back function “F5” to listen to your answer.
Melodic Dictation: Listen to the sound file and try singing it using the
solfa syllables. Now try clapping it and saying the rhythm syllables.
Write your answer using paper and pencil. Finally, using the
Noteworthy Composer software enter the correct notes and rhythms.
When you are done, place the cursor at the beginning of the exercise
and use the play back function “F5” to listen to your answer.
Homework Dictations
Rhythmic Dictation
Melodic Dictation
Use eighth notes & quarter notes.
Use eighth & quarter notes as well
as notes d, r, m.
Ex.1
Ex. 2
Ex. 3
Ex. 1
starts on doh
Ex. 2
starts on doh
Ex. 3
starts on me