Lesson video

Hello, welcome to today's lesson entitled identifying rhythms. My name's Mr. Norris.

I'm gonna take you through today as we start to have a look at some of the different ways that we can accurately identify rhythms by ear.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can accurately identify and notate four-beat rhythms. Some key words, rhythmic dictation.

This is the process of listening to a rhythm and writing it down.

Verbalise, this is to express something with words.

For example, verbalising a rhythm is turning a rhythm into words.

And finally, note value.

This is how long a note lasts for.

For example, crotchet has a note value of one beat.

The first part of today's lesson is looking at verbalising rhythms. Identifying rhythms by ear is an important skill for any musician.

It allows us to use rhythm more creatively when we're composing, when we're performing, or when we're improvising.

And it also enables us to understand other composers work more deeply.

So it gives us a deeper understanding of what they're doing.

Verbalising rhythms, which is when we use words to help us identify rhythms is a really useful technique.

Let's take this example of this four-beat rhythm.

To represent the rhythm, we could use the words ta for the crotchets and ta di for the two quavers.

So this rhythm would sound like ta ta ta di ta.

And as you can see, each word fits the rhythm of the note type.

So the same number of syllables and the same natural rhythm to those words matches those rhythms. And this is just one example of the kind of words we can use for verbalisation.

You might well have come across other words that are used for different rhythms, but the ones we're gonna use in this lesson, I think are particularly effective and simple to understand.

For other note values, there are different words that we can use.

So four semiquavers could be verbalised as ta-ka-di-mi.

Two semiquavers followed by quaver, could be ta-ka di.

And a quaver with two semiquavers could be ta di-mi.

So we've got ta-ka-di-mi, ta-ka di, and ta di-mi.

And each of those fits neatly to the natural rhythm of those notes.

We can also use verbalisation for rests.

For a crotchet rest, we could just say the word rest.

And when I'm doing this, I like to say the word rest slightly quieter than the other words so it helps me feel where that rest is as well.

So in this context, if we had this rhythm, we could say, Ta ta rest ta di.

Ta ta rest ta di.

Let's check your understanding.

How could we verbalise this rhythm? Pause my video while you have a think.

And hopefully you said something like this.

Ta-ka di ta di ta-ka-di-mi ta.

Ta-ka di ta di ta-ka-di-mi ta.

So that's our rhythm verbalised with those patterns we've been using.

Help me out with this one.

Pause my video.

For this one, we might use these words, Ta di rest ta di-mi ta di.

Ta di rest ta di-mi ta di.

Well done if you got that.

Notes with longer note values like minims or semibreves, we can use a single-syllable word like ta-ah, being careful to count the number of beats that it lasts for.

So we're holding that and carefully counting how many beats it lasts for.

I'm gonna play you some longer note values here.

I'd like you to try and work out how many beats does each of these notes last for.

Here's the first one.

How many beats does this last for? (slow percussive music) So quickly deciding on your answer.

And that one was a three-beat note.

Let's try this second one.

How many beats does this last for? (slow percussive music) Well done if you identified that was a four-beat note.

And then let's try this last one.

(slow percussive music) And well done if you noticed that was a two-beat note.

So these longer notes, we just have to be really careful to count the number of beats when they're being held.

If we combine all these different phrases, we can verbalise longer rhythms. So now, we've got all these different phrases that we can use.

We can work out some longer rhythms. How would you verbalise this? You pause my video while you have a quick think.

So for this one, we'd say ta-ah ta di ta ta ta-ka di ta rest.

Watch again.

Ta-ah ta di ta ta ta-ka di ta rest.

So there we're combining those different patterns that we've used to verbalise that eight-beat rhythm.

So we can use the same technique when we're completing rhythmic dictation.

That's why the learnings verbalisation because it's such a useful tool when we're trying to turn sound into notation.

Have a listen to this rhythm.

What words could verbalise it? You'll hear four beats before it begins.

(slow percussive music) We'll play it one more time.

So what words would you use here it? (slow percussive music) So for this one we've used the phrase ta ta ta-ka di ta di.

Let's check your understanding.

Which word could we use to verbalise a pair of quavers? Ta, ta di, or ta-ka di? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer here is ta di.

That's our two quavers.

What about a minim? Is it ta-ka-di-mi, ta-ah, ta di? I'll give you a few seconds.

And the correct answer here is ta-ah.

So we're doing that extended single syllable word and just counting it for two beats.

What about this drum rhythm? Which fits? Have a listen.

(slow percussive music) One more listen.

Which of these phrases best fits that rhythm? (slow percussive music) And the correct answer here is ta di-mi, 'cause it's a quaver followed by two semiquavers.

Ta di-mi.

Well done if you chose that one.

For task A, there are a few different questions based on verbalisation.

Let's start with question one.

What words could you use to verbalise this rhythm? Pause my video while you do question one.

Now, let's move on to question two.

I'd like to listen and write down the words that verbalise this rhythm.

I'll give you a few times.

Here it is for the first time, question two.

(slow percussive music) Here we go again.

So question two, which words would verbalise this rhythm? (slow percussive music) I'll give you two more times.

So for the third time, question two.

(slow percussive music) And now, for the last time, what words would verbalise this rhythm? Here we go.

(slow percussive music) Just pause my video while you're finishing your answer to question two.

Let's move on to question three.

We're gonna do the same again this time, but with a slightly longer rhythm.

Write down the words that verbalise this rhythm.

Here it is for the first time.

(slow percussive music) Here it is for the second time.

(slow percussive music) Good, the third time.

(slow percussive music) I'll give you two more times for question three, here we go.

(slow percussive music) And the final time, question three.

(slow percussive music) So pause my video while you finish your answer to question three.

Anyway, for question four, I'd like to draw the notes that are represented by these words.

Ta ta rest ta-di ta-ka-di-mi ta-di ta-ka-di ta.

So pause my video and draw the right notation symbols on the line below.

Let's go through these answers then.

For question one, we need to verbalise those four semiquavers with ta-ka-di-mi, ta-ka-di-mi.

So well done if you got that.

To verbalise the second rhythm, we'd say ta ta di-mi rest at.

Ta ta di-mi rest ta.

So well done if you got that.

And then for that longer rhythm question three is quite a tricky one this one, ta-ah ta di-mi ta ta di ta ta di ta.

So well done if you got that right.

These are quite tricky questions, but I hope you gave your best shot and feeling a little bit better equipped to verbalise these rhythms. For question four, this was the notation that matches those notes.

So we've got two crotches at the start for tas, then we've got a crotchet rest for the rest two quavers for ta di.

And then for the second bar, we've got four semiquavers for ta-ka-di-mi, two quavers for ta di, two semiquavers and a quaver for ta-ka di, and then a crotchet for the final ta.

So check your answer against that and make sure if you made any mistakes there that you understand exactly what they were and make sure that you're matching up the correct symbols to those correct words.

This is gonna be really important in the next section of the lesson.

The second part of today's lesson is looking at identifying simple rhythms. Verbalisation is useful for rhythmic dictation.

The process is as follows, start by listening to the rhythm.

Then you're gonna verbalise each note.

So write down the words that match each note value just like we've been doing earlier in the lesson.

Then convert those words into notation.

So you come up with your words that match the sounds, and then you're gonna turn those words into notation.

I'd like to listen to this rhythm.

First, I'd like to verbalise it in your head and write down the words that match the rhythms. Let's have a listen.

(slow percussive music) Have one more listen to that one.

Try and come up with the words that match the rhythms. (slow percussive music) So here we might have used these words, ta ta ta-ka-di-mi ta di.

And when we're sure of those words, then we turn them into notation.

So we've got ta ta that's gonna start with two crotchets, ta-ka-di-mi or semiquavers and ta di, two quavers.

So that would look like this.

So we've taken the original audio, we've listened to it, we've turned it into the words through verbalisation, and then we've turned those words into notation.

And that's the process of rhythmic dictation from hearing the rhythm to writing it down.

Let's try this four-beat example.

I want you to listen to this rhythm a few times and verbalise it.

I'll play it for you three times.

Here is for the first time.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear it again.

So verbalising the rhythm.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear it one more time.

(slow percussive music) Just pause my video if you need to finish writing down your verbalisation.

When you're sure of those words, then you turn them into notation.

So have a think about how those words you've come up with would translate into notation.

I'll give you a few seconds to have a quick think.

So hopefully for this one, you came up with something like this, ta di ta di ta di-mi ta.

If we then translate that into notation, we've got two quavers, another two quavers, and third beat that ta di-mi, we've got a quaver and two semiquavers, and then we finish with a crotchet, ta di ta di ta di-mi ta.

So that's correct.

We turn that audio clip, that rhythm into notation.

Often it's useful to break the rhythm into smaller pieces.

We can focus on a few beats at a time rather than trying to remember and work out the whole rhythm in one listening because it's taking in a lot of information at one time if we're trying to do that.

So we've got an eight-beat rhythm here.

I'd like you for the first time just to focus on the first four beats.

Verbalise them and then work out what the notation would be.

Let's listen to it.

Just focus on the first four beats.

Turn 'em into words, and then work out what notes they would be.

(slow percussive music) Just listen again, just the first four beats.

(slow percussive music) This time just listen to the first four beats.

(slow percussive music) So the first four beats will be ta-ah ta ta di.

I'm gonna turn them into a minim, a crotchet, and then two quavers, ta-ah ta ta di.

So that's our rhythm there for the first four beats.

Now, let's focused on the last four beats.

Again, verbalise them, notate them.

Forget about the first four beats.

We're just focusing on beats five to eight.

Here we go.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear that again, focusing on those last four beats.

Think about how you verbalise them and notate them.

(slow percussive music) And last time, here we go.

(slow percussive music) So we'd verbalise this one as ta-ka di ta-ka di ta di ta.

There's the notation we'd use there.

Then if we combine the two four-beat rhythms, we get the complete eight-beat rhythm.

So we've taken those two different chunks of it, stuck them together, and this is our complete rhythm.

(slow percussive music) So that's the process of breaking down a longer rhythm into smaller chunks to work on those individually and then putting them together for the answer.

Which of these is the correct notation for this rhythm? Here we go.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear it a second time.

(slow percussive music) And the third time.

(slow percussive music) So making sure you've chosen your answer.

And the correct answer is option C.

Listen again and follow that rhythm through.

(slow percussive music) Now, we're gonna turn it around.

So we've got some notation there, a notated rhythm.

Which clip matches this rhythm? Here's option A.

(slow percussive music) Here's option B.

(slow percussive music) And here's option C.

(slow percussive music) So quickly making sure you've chosen your answer.

And the correct answer was option B.

That was this one.

(slow percussive music) Well done if you chose that one.

So for task B, we'd like to listen to each rhythm and write the notation correctly.

Remember to break the rhythm into shorter pieces, then combine them.

Use verbalisation to help you check your answer and ensure the notes are drawn clearly and correctly.

Here is our first rhythm.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear it again.

(slow percussive music) And one last time for question one.

(slow percussive music) So pause my video while you finish your answer to question one.

And now, question two.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear that second time.

Remember with these longer ones to break them into shorter sections and work them out individually.

Here we go.

A second time, question two.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear it a third time.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear it a fourth time.

(slow percussive music) And now, at fifth and final time, question two.

(slow percussive music) Pause my video while you're finishing off that answer.

And now, let's finish off for question three.

Remember to break in small sections, make sure you're using verbalisation to help you check the answer.

Here we go, question three for the first time.

(slow percussive music) On the second time.

(slow percussive music) Let's hear a third time.

(slow percussive music) And the fourth time.

(slow percussive music) Now, the fifth and final time, question three.

(slow percussive music) So pause my video while you're finishing off the answer.

And let's go through these answers then.

So the correct notation for question one was this.

Crotchet, two quavers, two quavers, and then a crotchet.

That was this one.

(slow percussive music) Ta ta-di ta-di ta.

Well done if you've got that.

For question two, this was our notation.

So we've got four semiquavers, two quavers, four semiquavers, and the crotchet the first bar.

And then crotchet, crotchet, semiquavers, crotchet in the second bar.

Ta-ka-di-mi ta-di ta-ka-di-mi ta, ta ta ta-ka-di-mi ta.

(slow percussive music) And then for question three, this was our answer there.

So we've got ta-di ta di-mi ta di-mi ta-di, ta-ka di ta-ka di ta-ka di ta.

Let's have a listen to that, try and follow that through and against your answer.

(slow percussive music) Those last two longer ones in particular are quite tough questions.

So even if you've just got a part of them accurate, that's really good.

And this just takes lots of practice to get really proficient at it.

So if you're feeling at this stage that you still not 100% there with your rhythmic dictation, just stick it out with the practice and you will get there.

It's just like any musical skill.

It just takes practice.

So to summarize today's lesson.

Rhythmic dictation is the process of listening to a rhythm and writing it down using notation.

Verbalisation, which is using words to represent different note values and patterns is a useful strategy for rhythmic dictation as we've seen today.

Words like ta for a crotchet or ta di for a pair of quavers can help to identify different note values.

We can then convert those words into that correct notation symbols.

So this example there, we've got the verbalisation, and then we've got the notation that follows from it.

And that's a really solid and systematic approach to working out rhythms and notating them accurately.

So I would strongly recommend using a method like this.

So that's the end of today's lesson.

I hope you feel like you've learned some useful tools here for working out rhythms. And as I said a minute ago, the key to this is just getting lots of practicing of working out rhythms, verbalising them, writing down the notation, trying shorter rhythms and longer rhythms. And the more you do it, the better you will become it.

So thanks for taking part in today's lesson and I'll see you in another one.