Lesson video

Hi there.

My name's Mr. Pate, and I'm looking forward to making lots of music with you in today's lesson.

The unit we're studying is called Compose and Create: composing a major melody on the stave.

And today's lesson is called Major melodies and the major pentachord.

In today's lesson, you're gonna learn how to read, sing, and play the major pentachord, and know that it uses the first five notes of the major scale.

Here are some of the keywords that we're gonna be using in today's lesson.

The first is solfege, which is a system of naming pitches so we can recognize patterns by ear, for example, so, mi, and do.

We're gonna use the word scale, which is a group of notes used to create melodies.

We're gonna use the words major pentachord, which is the first five notes of the major scale, do, re, mi, fa and so.

And we're also gonna use the words pitched percussion, which means instruments that can play musical notes of one or more pitch when we strike it, for example, a glockenspiel.

So before we start our lesson, it's really important to warm up our bodies, voices and minds to get us ready to move and sing.

Warming up our whole body helps us to stand correctly and at ease when singing, and we need to gently warm up and then stretch our vocal cords to prevent our voices from injury.

Follow along with these warmups to get you ready for singing.

<v ->We'll begin with a stretch,</v> arms high into the air, onto our tiptoes.

Hold onto our monkey bar.

And we are going to not let go of that monkey bar, but we are going to lower our heels to the ground, so we're going to get taller, lowering to the counter four.

Here we go, one, two, three, four.

Gosh, you're all super tall.

Drop your fingers and your wrists, and your elbows and your shoulders.

Relax your knees and go.

(wobbles) (children wobbling) Very good.

Let's do that one more time.

Stretch up onto your tiptoes.

Hold onto the monkey bar, lowering our heels to account of four.

Going one, two, three, four.

Gosh, you're so tall now.

Drop your fingers, and your wrists, and your elbows, and your shoulders.

Relax your knees and.

(wobbles) (children wobbling) Very good.

Now let's take up as much space as we can.

Make a really, really big space, huge shapes, and we are going to shrink down into a titchy, tiny shape.

Tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, like a little seed.

And we're now going to grow back to a big shape.

Are you ready? One, two, three, go.

Grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow.

And relax, feet slightly apart, arms by our side.

<v ->Now let's warm up our face.

</v> We're gonna start by tapping all over our face from our neck all the way to the top of our head to wake ourselves up.

Ready, we're starting on our neck, and just lightly, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Moving up, tap, tap, tap onto your chin.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Past your cheeks.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Past your eyes to your forehead.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

To the very top of your head.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Bing.

Lovely.

Very good.

Now we're gonna pretend to brush our teeth, but with our tongue.

So our tongue is gonna move all the way across our top and bottom teeth all the way into the corners of your mouth like this.

There we go, right to the back.

Coming down to the other side all the way to the back.

Back round and there we go.

Hopefully that tongue's feeling nice and exercised.

Now we're gonna do some breathing exercises.

We're gonna breathe in over a count of four, then we're gonna hold it for a count of five, and then exhale, breathe out over a count of six.

It's gonna be a bit like this, so in.

Now you try.

Ready, so in for four.

Ready and in, two, three, four, and hold, two, three, four, five, and out, two, three, four, five, six.

Lovely.

And again in two, three, four, and hold two, three, four, five, and out two, three, four, five, six.

Well done.

Here's a tongue twister to get your mouths and voices working.

Repeat after me.

All I want is a proper cup of coffee.

Let's try that again.

All I want is a proper cup of coffee.

The next line will go made in a proper copper coffee pot.

Try repeating after me, made in a proper copper coffee pot.

And again, made in a proper copper coffee pot.

Let's put them both together.

So we'll go, all I want is a proper cup of coffee made in a proper copper coffee pot.

Now your turn.

Ready and all I want is a proper cup of coffee made in a proper copper coffee pot.

This is a call and response warmup, so when I say ♪ Hey, oh, Captain Jack ♪ you'll repeat after me.

Let's get a bit of a march going.

(upbeat music) Get ready.

Here we go.

Ready and here we go.

♪ Hey, oh, Captain Jack ♪ ♪ Take me down that railroad track ♪ ♪ Got my boots, got my hat ♪ ♪ I'm gonna be in a marching band ♪ Great, let's do it again.

♪ Hey, oh, Captain Jack ♪ ♪ Take me down that railroad track ♪ ♪ Got my boots, got my hat ♪ ♪ I'm gonna be in a marching band ♪ Well done.

And again.

♪ Hey, oh, Captain Jack ♪ ♪ Take me down that railroad track ♪ ♪ Got my boots, got my hat ♪ ♪ I'm gonna be in a marching band ♪ One more time.

♪ Hey, oh, Captain Jack ♪ ♪ Take me down that railroad track ♪ ♪ Got my boots, got my hat ♪ ♪ I'm gonna be in a marching band ♪ Well done.

All right, hopefully you're starting to feel warmed up already.

But let's do a few more warmup activities to get us really ready for making music in today's lesson.

This first one is a song called "Oh la la ley." Try singing along.

(upbeat music) ♪ Oh la la ley ♪ ♪ Another evening fades away ♪ ♪ You know the evening sun won't disappear for long ♪ ♪ Because tomorrow is another day ♪ ♪ Oh la la ley ♪ ♪ Another evening fades away ♪ ♪ You know the evening sun won't disappear for long ♪ ♪ Because tomorrow is another day ♪ Now try this next warmup activity.

It's called "H.

E.

L.

L.

O." <v ->Copy me.

</v> H.

E.

L.

L.

O.

(fingers tapping) This is how we say hello.

March your feet to the beat.

Can you feel your heartbeat? H.

E.

L.

L.

O.

(fingers tapping) This is how we say hello.

Match your feet to the beat.

Can you feel your heartbeat? <v ->Finally, join in with this last warmup activity</v> called Dr Knickerbocker.

(upbeat music) ♪ Dr Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker ♪ ♪ Number nine ♪ ♪ I just got back and I'm feeling fine ♪ ♪ Now let's get the rhythm of the hands ♪ (instructor clapping) ♪ Now we've got the rhythm of the hands ♪ (children clapping) ♪ Now let's get the rhythm of the feet ♪ ♪ Now we've got the rhythm of the feet ♪ ♪ Now let's get the rhythm of the hips ♪ ♪ Now we've got the rhythm of the hips ♪ ♪ Now let's get the rhythm of the number nine ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four ♪ ♪ Five, six, seven, eight, nine ♪ <v ->After all of that,</v> hopefully you're feeling really nice and warmed up.

If you are, then hopefully your muscles feel nice and relaxed, your throat feels warm, and you're concentrating and ready to learn.

So, what are we gonna do in our lesson today? Well, our first learning cycle is called singing songs using the major pentachord, and our second learning cycle is called playing songs using the major pentachord.

So let's start by listening to a song.

This song is called "Hot Cross Buns." Have a listen.

(bright music) ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ One a penny, two a penny ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ One a penny, two a penny ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ <v ->There we go.

</v> That was "Hot Cross Buns." Now, I'm gonna play this song again.

This time, let's think about a couple of things.

This song has a major tonality, which means it sounds bright and it's centered around the note do.

I'd also like you to have a think about the lyrics.

The lyrics "One a penny, two a penny" are highlighted in purple.

When you're listening to those, try and think, do you think the melody ascends or descends during that phrase? And remember, ascends means going up, descends means going down.

So let's have another listen to "Hot Cross Bun," and in fact, this time, let's sing along.

Here we go.

(bright music) ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ One a penny, two a penny ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ ♪ One a penny, two a penny ♪ ♪ Hot cross buns ♪ <v ->Great singing.

</v> Now when we sing, we string together notes to create a tune or a melody.

Melodies with a major tonality will be organized around the central note do.

And when describing a melody, we can use words like ascending, which means going up, or descending, which means going down.

Now I asked you while you were singing to have a think about that phrase one a penny, two a penny.

In "Hot Cross Buns," the melody of that line first descends.

♪ One a penny ♪ And then it ascends.

♪ Two a penny ♪ So it goes down and then comes up again.

This melody also uses the first five notes of the major scale, and we can give those notes a name using solfege.

We call those notes do, re, mi, fa, so, and they will ascend and then descend in this melody.

Try singing this scale up and down.

It'll go like this.

♪ Do, re, mi, fa, so ♪ ♪ So, fa, mi, re, do ♪ Try it with me.

♪ Do, re, mi, fa, so ♪ ♪ So, fa, mi, re, do ♪ Now let's try that with the song that we've just been listening to, "Hot Cross Buns." Sing the third line of the song, that's one a penny, two a penny really slowly using solfege hand symbols.

Watch this video for an example.

Let's sing the third line of "Hot Crust Buns" very slowly using solfege hand symbols.

It'll go like this.

♪ One a penny ♪ ♪ Two a penny ♪ Let's try it really slowly together.

Ready and off we go.

♪ One a penny ♪ ♪ Two a penny ♪ Well done.

Let's try it again.

Ready and off we go.

♪ One a penny ♪ ♪ Two a penny ♪ So we've just been singing the first five notes of the major scale, and those notes make up something called the major pentachord.

The notes are do, re, mi, fa, and so.

Lots of songs with a major tonality will be based around these five notes, the major pentachord.

Let's listen to a song now.

This is a French song called "Frere Jacques," and the lyrics describe a story with a monk who's overslept.

This song uses those five notes, the major pentachord.

Have a listen.

(upbeat music) (vocalist singing in foreign language) (vocalist singing in foreign language continues) (upbeat music continues) <v ->Great.

</v> Now you've had a listen, let's try it one more time, but this time, let's sing along.

Here we go.

(upbeat music) (vocalist singing in foreign language) (vocalist singing in foreign language continues) (upbeat music continues) <v ->Excellent singing.

</v> Now that song "Frere Jacques," the first line uses the first three notes of the major pentachord.

Let's try singing it using solfege hand symbols.

Watch this clip for an example, then pause the video and try singing it doing the hand symbols yourself.

Let's sing the first line of "Frere Jacques" using solfege hand symbols.

It'll look like this.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Let's give it a try.

Ready and off we go.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Well done.

Let's try it again a tiny bit faster.

Ready and off we go.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Well done.

One more time, little bit faster.

Ready and off we go.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Well done.

The second line of the song uses the other notes from the major pentachord.

Again, let's try singing it really slowly while doing the solfege hand symbols.

Watch this clip for an example, then pause the video and have a go yourself.

Let's sing the second line of "Frere Jacques" using solfege hand symbols.

It'll go like this.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Let's give it a try nice and slow.

Ready and off we go.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Well done.

Let's try it again a tiny bit faster.

Ready and off we go.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Lovely, one more time.

Ready and off we go.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Let's learn another song.

The song "Inanay" is an Australian Aboriginal lullaby sung in the language of one of the Torres Strait Islander tribes called the Yorta Yorta.

An exact translation of the song isn't possible, but many think that it's about this lizard called the goanna, and when the singers sing "choo," it's shooing the goanna away.

This song uses the major pentachord.

First, let's have a listen to the song "Inanay." (upbeat music) (group singing in foreign language) (upbeat music continues) (group singing in foreign language continues) <v ->Now you've had a listen,</v> let's try singing the song together.

Here we go.

(upbeat music) (group singing in foreign language) (upbeat music continues) (group singing in foreign language continues) <v ->Lovely.

</v> Now, the first line of this song also uses the first three notes of the major pentachord.

Let's try singing them slowly using solfege hand symbols.

Watch the clip and then pause this video and have a go yourself.

Let's sing the first line of "Inanay" using solfege hand symbols.

It'll go like this.

Ready and.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Try it with me after "Ready and." Here we go.

Ready and.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) Well done.

Let's try it one more time after "Ready and." Here we go.

Ready and.

(Mr. Pate singing in foreign language) How did you find singing songs using the major pentachord? Did you sing the notes accurately with a steady pulse? Could you perform the solfege hand symbols when singing the notes do, re, mi, fa and so? Next, we're gonna have a go at playing some songs using the major pentachord.

We're gonna learn to play some songs using pitched percussion instruments, and you might use any pitched percussion instruments, for example, a xylophone, a glockenspiel or chime bars.

We're gonna play the song "Frere Jacques" to begin with, and you're gonna need the notes of the major pentachord.

For this song, we'll use the notes C to G, that's C, D, E, F, and G.

So find those on your pitched percussion instrument.

Let's start by just playing those notes up and down.

Pause this video and try playing the notes from C to G up and down to get really familiar with how they sound.

Now let's try singing and then playing the melody from the first lines of "Frere Jacques" using solfege note names.

On the screen, you can see the lyrics, so try singing those lines first to remind yourself of how they go.

And you can also see the notes listed with their solfege hand symbols.

Once you've sung it and remembered the melody, try finding the note do, which is the note C on your instrument, and playing the first line of the melody.

When you've done that, try the second.

Remember, when you're learning a new melody, take it really slow to begin with.

Play the notes one at a time slowly and steadily, and as you get more confident, you'll be able to speed it up.

Watch this example to see how the melody should sound and how it should look, and then pause the video and take some time learning to play the melody yourself.

(bright music) Now you've tried learning the first few lines of "Frere Jacques" on your pitched percussion instrument, let's try with another song.

Listen to this clip of the "Ode to Joy" theme from the Ninth Symphony by the composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

(gentle orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) Wow, what a lovely sound.

Maybe you recognized that melody.

Let's hear another clip.

In this one, you'll hear a choir singing the melody as well.

(upbeat orchestral music) (choir singing in foreign language) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (choir singing in foreign language continues) <v ->Amazing.

</v> In this final clip, you'll hear that melody one more time, this time on its own, played on a viola.

<v ->Hi, my name is Tilly and I play the viola.

</v> Today I'm gonna play "Ode to Joy," which is by Beethoven and from his Ninth Symphony.

(upbeat viola music) <v ->Hopefully that melody's really stuck in your head now.

</v> Now we're gonna try singing the melody, and the words we're going to use to sing it are the solfege note names.

Have a little listen and see what that's gonna sound like.

(upbeat piano music) ♪ Mi, mi, fa, so ♪ ♪ So, fa, mi, re ♪ ♪ Do, do, re, mi ♪ ♪ Mi, re, re ♪ ♪ Mi, mi, fa, so ♪ ♪ So, fa, mi, re ♪ ♪ Do, do, re, mi ♪ ♪ Re, do, do ♪ <v ->All right, now try singing it along with me.

</v> (upbeat piano music) ♪ Mi, mi, fa, so ♪ ♪ So, fa, mi, re ♪ ♪ Do, do, re, mi ♪ ♪ Mi, re, re ♪ ♪ Mi, mi, fa, so ♪ ♪ So, fa, mi, re ♪ ♪ Do, do, re, mi ♪ ♪ Re, do, do ♪ <v ->Lovely.

</v> Now you've sung the melody, let's try playing it on your pitched percussion instrument.

Watch this clip showing what it'll sound like, and then once you've had a listen, pause the video and try playing it yourself.

Remember, take it slow and steady, one note at a time, and you can gradually get a bit quicker once you're really confident with the melody.

(bright music) So how did your playing go in today's lesson? Watch this video clip one more time, and then we're gonna think about how your performance compares.

(bright music) So what do you think? How did your performance compare with the video you've just seen? Were you able to keep a slow, steady tempo while you were playing? And were you able to find your place again and carry on if you made a mistake? Well done for your playing and singing in today's lesson.

In this lesson, we've covered the fact that a major scale is a group of notes centered around the note do, which often sound bright when used to create melodies.

We learned that the major pentachord is the first five notes of the major scale, do, re, mi, fa and so.

We learned that solfege is a system of naming pitches, so we can recognize musical patterns by ear.

We learned to play songs using the major pentachord with a pitched percussion instrument, like the xylophone or the glockenspiel.

And finally, we learned that when we're learning to play a melody, we should play slowly and at a steady tempo.

Well done for your hard work in today's lesson.

I look forward to seeing you again next time.