Year 6

To develop our understanding of irregular metre

Year 6

To develop our understanding of irregular metre

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will explore irregular time signatures further (including 7 beats per bar), understand how to notate these time signatures, and learn an ostinato pattern in irregular metre and improvise over the top.

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5 Questions

Q1.
What activity did the lesson begin with?
Composing
Correct answer: Don't clap this one back
Not so simple!
Q2.
What is the pulse?
Correct answer: The heartbeat of the music
The length of the music
The speed of the music
Q3.
How could you describe the metre of Mars: Bringer of War?
Common time
Compound
Correct answer: Irregular
Q4.
Who wrote The Planets suite?
Beethoven
Correct answer: Holst
Mozart
Q5.
How could you best describe the feeling of irregular metre?
Even
Correct answer: Lopsided
Usual

5 Questions

Q1.
What is metre?
the heartbeat of the music
Correct answer: the organisation of rhythms into certain regular patterns (indicated by a time signature)
the speed of the music
Q2.
What is irregular metre?
Correct answer: time signatures that won’t divide simply into twos or threes. This means they are not symmetrical and therefore can feel ‘lopsided’.
when the metre changes within a song or piece
when there is an odd number of beats
Q3.
Holst wrote 'Mars: Bringer of War' as part of his Planets suite. How many beats were there in each bar?
4
Correct answer: 5
6
Q4.
Dave Brubeck wrote a piece of music called 'Unsquare Dance'. What style of music is this?
Correct answer: jazz
pop
rock
Q5.
Dave Brubeck (for Unsquare Dance) and The Beatles (All you need is love) both chose to use an irregular metre in their songs. What was it?
3/4
5/4
Correct answer: 7/4