Rhythm, phrasing, expression
For lesson two, you need to know how to take your pulse or have access to a clock or timer which ticks.
Try to tap your foot in rhythm to either the ticking clock or to your pulse.
Each tap will be a beat (like a heartbeat).
Then count out loud as you tap:
One, two, three, four.
One, two, three, four.
Once you have that down, try counting skipping the second beat:
One () three, four.
One () three, four.
The skipped beats are called rests in music.
Now chant, in time to your tapping foot:
I know where I’m going (rest) (rest)
I know who’s gone with me (rest) (rest)
I know who I love (rest) (rest) (rest)
Who knows who I’ll marry? (rest) (rest)
Each line is a musical phrase.
If you are able to sing your 1-2-3-4-5 from Lesson One, you can add the melody to these words.
1-1-2-3-1-1 (rest two beats)
3-3-4-3-3-2- (rest two beats)
5-5-5-5-1- (rest three beats)
2-3-4-3-3-2 (rest two beats and repeat)
What is the mood of the lyric? If it seems happy to you, you may speak or sing it faster (if you’re still singing with your pulse, your pulse will speed up.) If you’re singing with the clock, you may have to step away so that the clock doesn’t slow you down to its speed or tempo.
If the lyric seems sad, you might want to speak or sing it more slowly.
Rhythm in music is more physical than mental, which is why you need to teach yourself to tap your foot in time with the beat or on the beat. All rhythm in music is beats, whether extended (as lasting more than one beat), divided (more than one sound to a beat) or silent.
For Lesson 3, you will need a keyboard. A toy piano or electronic keyboard will do, or you can start out with the virtual keyboard at http://play-piano.org/play_online_piano_piano.html. For now, please ignore the letters and just experiment with high notes (to your right) and low notes (to your left).
Vocabulary, Lesson Two:
Rhythm: Musical time
Beat: A unit of musical time
Rest: A silence in musical time
Phrase: A musical idea
Lyric: The words to a song.
Tempo: The rate of musical time (fast or slow)
