Playing a dotted rhythm major pentatonic melody
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can sing and play a major pentatonic melody that uses dotted rhythms (Ta-mi).
Key learning points
- The notes of the major pentatonic scale can be used to form melodies in folk songs.
- The notes of the major pentatonic scale are do, re, mi, so, la.
- Ta-mi is a one-beat rhythm pattern consisting of a longer duration note followed by a shorter duration note.
- The Ta-mi rhythm pattern has a slight galloping feel to it.
Keywords
Rhythm - the pattern of sounds and silences that we play and sing
Pitched percussion - an instrument that can play musical notes of one or more pitch when we strike it, for example, a glockenspiel
Major pentatonic scale - the five tones, do, re, mi, so and la arranged in an ascending or descending order
Melody - a combination of notes to make a memorable tune
Common misconception
Ta-di and Ta-mi are the same because they both have two notes in one beat.
With the Ta-di rhythm both notes divide the beat equally in half. With Ta-mi, the notes are not distributed equally - the first is longer (¾ of a beat) and the second is shorter (¼ of a beat).
Teacher tip
Understanding the maths behind a rhythm doesn’t guarantee a pupil’s ability to perform the rhythm accurately. If pupils have had many opportunities to practise Ta and Ta-di then they are more likely to be able to grasp Ta-mi as they will feel and understand where the middle of the beat lies.
Equipment
Pitched percussion instruments that have the notes C, D, E, G and A. One-between-two would work well.
Licence
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