- Year 9
The role of the instruments and the bass pattern
I can describe the roles of the instruments in a blues ensemble and I can perform a blues bass pattern
- Year 9
The role of the instruments and the bass pattern
I can describe the roles of the instruments in a blues ensemble and I can perform a blues bass pattern
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- There are four main instrumental roles in a blues ensemble: the melody, chords, bass and drum groove.
- The melody is often performed by a singer. The piano, guitar, bass and drum kit play an accompanying role.
- The piano, guitar and instruments such as the harmonica and brass can play melodic lines which are often improvised.
- We have learned to play a syncopated bass riff with the 12-bar blues chords.
- Syncopation in the music drives the music forward and helps create a blues feel.
Keywords
Ensemble - a group of musicians performing together e.g. a choir, band or orchestra
Improvise - to create music or a musical idea on the spot
Syncopation - when the rhythm emphasises (accents) notes in between the main beats
Riff - a short repeated musical idea used in popular music
Bass - the lowest pitched part in the music
Common misconception
All instruments have a fixed role and only the drums drive the music forward.
The guitar and piano can be melodic as well as accompanying. Different instruments can drive the music forward, and all players in the ensemble are responsible for this.
To help you plan your year 9 music lesson on: The role of the instruments and the bass pattern, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 music lesson on: The role of the instruments and the bass pattern, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 music lessons from the The 12-bar blues unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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