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Hi there, everybody.

Welcome to today's lesson on melodic ostinato accompaniments to songs.

This is from our Playing Together unit where we're building texture with melody, drone, and ostinato.

My name's Mr. Croughan and I'm looking forward to working with you today to add more texture to songs in different ways.

Here we go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to say that you can add texture to a song by playing a simple melodic ostinato.

Let's begin by looking at today's key words.

Our first is ostinato, a repeating musical pattern that can be rhythmic or melodic.

Texture, that combination of different layers of sounds.

Ensemble, a group of people who perform together.

Pulse, the regular steady heartbeat of the music, and tempo, how fast or slow the music is played.

We know before each music lesson how important it is to warm up not only our voices, but our bodies, our minds, and our ears.

This is really gonna help us when we are playing music together.

Now, just like we stretch our muscles before we exercise, we need to stretch our vocal folds before we start singing.

And warming up our minds and ears, that's gonna help us play and sing to a steady pulse, keeping our performance neat.

So I would like you to join in with these warmups please.

With the Don't Clap This One Back, you are welcome to try your own in your classroom.

Off you go.

This is a game called Don't Clap This One Back.

You'll hear me clapping different rhythms like this one.

(hands clapping) And that rhythm is actually our secret rhythm that we are never going to clap because that rhythm says- (hands clapping) Don't clap this one back.

So if you hear it, you do nothing.

Any other rhythm you hear, we all clap together.

Let's try a couple.

(hands clapping) (hands clapping) (hands clapping) Very, very good.

Now you're going to listen super carefully because if you hear- (hands clapping) We don't clap that rhythm back.

Okay, let's play.

(hands clapping) (hands clapping) (hands clapping) (hands clapping) Did I catch any of you out? Let's try one more time.

Here we go.

(hands clapping) (hands clapping) (hands clapping) (hands clapping) (hands clapping) Very well done.

Now you can practice that where you are.

(upbeat music) ♪ One, one, two, one, one, two, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six ♪ ♪ Five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six ♪ ♪ Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one ♪ ♪ Eight, eight, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four ♪ ♪ Three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two ♪ ♪ Three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ♪ ♪ Ready steady off we go ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa dedende ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa dedende ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa dedende ♪ ♪ Senwa dedende, senwa ♪ <v ->Good stuff.

Great focus.

</v> Now there are two learning cycles in today's lesson.

The first one is choosing an ostinato to fit a song.

So we get to choose which one we like the sound of more, and secondly, we'll rehearse together to accompany a song.

So let's begin by choosing an ostinato to fit a song.

Now, as this ever happened to you, you are in the kitchen or you're in the car and the first bit of a song comes on and you go, "Yes," because straight away you know what that song is.

Well, that might be because there is a riff that's really recognizable straight away.

A melodic ostinati or riffs like we call them in pop music, can help a piece of music become instantly recognizable and memorable to us.

One such example is the guitar riff from Back in Black.

Now this is a piece of rock music by the Australian Rock Band, AC/DC.

I would like you to have a pause now and play the beginning of that track and see if you go, "Yep, yep, I remember that.

I've heard that before somewhere." Have a pause and listen.

Here you go.

Nice, did you recognize that one? Well, how about this? Sometimes, music artists are inspired by music that they've heard.

Now, Jack White from "Seven Nation Army," as a child growing up, was a big fan of classical music.

And he was inspired by a symphony by the composer Anton Bruckner and a melodic ostinato that appears in his "Symphony 5." So he wrote "Seven Nation Army," White Stripes.

You've probably heard it before.

You're gonna have a listen to that but I would also like you to have a listen to a little section from "Symphony no.

5" by Anton Bruckner.

You're gonna pause the video, listen to both of those and see if you can figure out how Jack White got that inspiration.

Pause now and have a listen.

Did you hear some of those same notes being used? So in the Bruckner piece in "Symphony 5," we can hear the (humming) and so on.

And then with White Stripes, you get the (humming) so he has taken those notes, changed them slightly, and created a memorable riff from a memorable ostinato.

True or false? A melodic ostinato is only played once.

Is that true or is that false? Have a point to the screen.

A melodic ostinato that's only played once, true or false? It is false because an ostinato is any kind of pattern that stays around.

It's repeated.

Repeats throughout some or lots of the music.

In fact, it's an Italian word and it's meaning, obstinate or stubborn, which means it's going to stick around for a while.

We're now going to sing "Rocky Mountain." While we do, I would like you to tap the beat on your knees.

So we're gonna feel that steady pulse as you play the track.

Are we ready? Here comes the music.

This uses the notes do, me, so, la and they're the four notes we're going to use to create an ostinato.

That's actually a snippet from the melody.

You remember? ♪ Do, me, so, la ♪ ♪ Or do, do, do, do ♪ <v ->Okay, we sing these notes-</v> ♪ Do, do, do, do do you remember me ♪ ♪ So the do, do, do, do is our do, me, so, la ♪ <v ->Okay, and they're the notes,</v> the four notes we're gonna choose to use for our ostinato.

In "Rocky Mountain" do is C.

The C is the do there, and you can find these notes on your instrument, ♪ C, E, G, A for do, me, so, la ♪ <v ->I'd like you to pause here</v> to find those four notes on your instruments.

And then we'll come back when you settled.

Hopefully now you've found those notes on your instruments.

Now we can make an ostinato from the pattern by repeating it using a tardy rhythm.

Tardy has tardy for each beat, so we have- ♪ Tardy, tardy, tardy, tardy ♪ ♪ Do, me, so, la, do, me, so, la ♪ <v ->If I was tapping the upholstery tear</v> ♪ Do, me, so, la, do, me, so, la ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four ♪ ♪ Rocky mountain, rocky mountain ♪ <v ->And ostinato can be-</v> ♪ Do, me, so, la, do, me, so, la ♪ <v ->Okay, now if we add that ostinato,</v> that's going to make our texture thicker.

So if I added it, for example, on a ukulele and sang along, you would hear ♪ Rocky Mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high ♪ <v ->And you can hear that tardy rhythm playing do, me, so, la.

</v> We can add that melodic ostinato to the first part of "Rocky Mountain." That's going to be two to choose from.

Each one has that same tardy rhythm.

So let's tap that together.

Are we ready? So we are going to, in fact, let's clap it.

♪ Rocky mountain, rocky mountain ♪ <v ->Let's do that together.

</v> ♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Rocky mountain, rocky mountain ♪ <v ->There are two to choose from</v> and you're going to play each one with the backing track and see which one you prefer, okay? You get to choose which melodic ostinato you prefer the sound of and how to play with that song.

The first one is the one that I've been explaining to you.

♪ Do, me, so, la, do, me, so, la ♪ <v ->And the second one goes-</v> ♪ La, so, do, do, la, so, do, do ♪ <v ->So if you heard that one, you would hear-</v> ♪ La, so, do, do, rocky mountain, rocky mountain ♪ ♪ Rocky mountain high ♪ <v ->So on your instruments, whether you're using xylophones</v> or glockenspiels, keyboards, or anything else, I would like you to work through both of those ostinato now.

Very well done, now after exploring both of those, which ostinato did you prefer? Sam said, "Well, I like the first one because it followed the same notes as-" ♪ Do, do, do, do, do, me, so, la ♪ <v ->"As part of the song."</v> Whereas Alex says, "Well, I actually preferred the second ostinato that went from a higher pitch to a lower pitch because the note sounded better to me and I liked that it finished on the same note as the song-" ♪ Do remember me, la, so, do, do ♪ <v ->And that was a nicer finish for him.

</v> Whichever you preferred, perhaps there's no wrong answer.

Maybe one was easier to play than the other.

You can decide.

It's now time for the second learning cycle, which is rehearsing together to accompany a song.

We're going to begin by singing "Rocky Mountain" twice through making sure we're feeling that steady pulse as we go.

Are you ready to sing? Here comes the track.

(upbeat music) ♪ Rocky mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high ♪ ♪ When you're on that rocky mountain, hang your head and cry ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do remember me ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do remember me ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Rocky mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high ♪ ♪ When you're on that rocky mountain, hang your head and cry ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do remember me ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do remember me ♪ <v ->Very good, now when we're rehearsing together,</v> we want to use different techniques to help us improve our ensemble skills.

Remember, ensemble is that performing, singing and playing together.

We're going to focus on keeping the steady pulse.

We're going to count in using the ready, steady, off we go.

And when we play our instrument correctly, that's gonna help us create a good sound so we'll focus on that too.

We'll also make sure we take turns being the singers or the players.

Some of us will sing the song while the others play that melodic ostinato, and then we can swap over.

As Jacob says, these will help us sing and play together successfully.

So we're going to make sure we are focusing on the pulse, using our ready, steady, off we go to count in, playing our instrument correctly, and taking turns.

First of all, keeping the steady pulse.

I would like you to put the track on and keep the pulse by tapping an imaginary button in front of you.

You can look around and if you are all tapping the steady pulse together, then you know that you are in time.

Pause here and try that where you are, making sure you are all in time, off you go.

Great stuff, good, keeping the pulse together, feeling that together, great.

What we're going to do now is make sure we sing our ready, steady, off we go at the right time.

I'm going to put the track on and I'd like you to listen for the first four beats to hear the tempo and then chant or sing- ♪ Ready, steady, off we go, rocky ♪ <v ->And then rocky comes in, okay?</v> So you listening, when the track comes on for the first four beats of the bar, then sing ♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ <v ->There over the next four beats of the bar,</v> and once you said off we go, then you know you're going to begin singing.

Are you ready? Here comes the track.

(upbeat music) Very good.

Now you can put those two things together.

When you put the track on your listening for the first four beats, chanting ready, steady, off we go on the next four beats and tapping the steady pulse along to the track, feel free to sing along too.

Make sure you're getting those things precise and neat.

That's gonna help keep us in time when we add our melodic ostinato later.

Pause here and work through those three points now.

Off you go.

Excellent, so now we are ready to add our melodic ostinato.

I'm going to put a video on to show you how to play a xylophone or glockenspiel to make the best sound.

Pick up those top tips from the video.

Here it comes.

(bright music) Great, so those top tips holding our beater towards the bottom half of the stick, striking the middle of each bar on the instrument and raising the beater after striking to let the sound ring out.

In our next task, we'll be putting the song and our melodic ostinato together.

Have a listen to this example, see what you think.

(upbeat music) ♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ ♪ Rocky mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high ♪ ♪ When you're on that rocky mountain, hang your head and cry ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do remember me ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do remember me ♪ ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ <v ->So the top tips I picked up from listening there</v> was remembering to chant a ready, steady, off we go steadily and at the right time.

It's also gonna be really useful for us if we can tap the pulse.

If we're tapping the pulse, that's going to help the players around us.

So perhaps if we're singing, we can tap the steady pulse.

If you are a player, play your instrument correctly by striking the bar in the middle and holding your beater well.

And the ostinato you're going to play is the- ♪ Do, mi, so, la ♪ <v ->And so remember we're playing to the tardy rhythm.

</v> So if our beat is one, two, three, four, we are- ♪ Do, mi, so, la, do, mi, so, la ♪ <v ->Okay, you are now ready to put your ostinato to your song.

</v> So group one will sing "Rocky Mountain." Group two will play the ostinato on the instruments and perhaps maybe one of your singing group might be a conductor to beat the steady pulse.

When you're done, swap over so the singers get to play and the players get to sing.

Use the example track to help you.

And then for an extra challenge, you could use the piano accompaniment only track, which doesn't have the singing on it.

So you can sing confidently and still feel the steady pulse.

Good luck, remember to keep feeling that steady pulse and play your tardy rhythm in time.

Off you go.

So how was it? How did you do? Did you remember to count him with the- ♪ Ready, steady, off we go ♪ <v ->In time to the pulse?</v> Did you watch a conductor feeling that steady pulse? And did you play and or sing together as an ensemble keeping in time with each other? And lastly, did you swap groups so that everyone had a turn to play and sing? If you did, fantastic, you have added texture to a song by playing a melodic ostinato, really well done.

We're almost there for today, so in summary of our learning, an ostinato can make a tune more memorable.

A small number of notes can make an effective ostinato.

If we add an ostinato to a layer to a piece, that makes our texture thicker.

And feeling the steady pulse, that helps us to play our ostinato at the right tempo and sing and play together successfully as an ensemble.

Really well done for today, a great ensemble of players.

I look forward to seeing you next time.

Bye-bye.

I've finished the video