Study Guides

Unit Summary

This unit explores the different sounds and feelings associated with major and minor tonality explicitly. The pupils sing a variety of songs, some in a major key and some in a minor key. They use pitched percussion instruments to add different accompaniments to these.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to follow the melodic shape of minor tonality folk songs, singing and signing the minor pentachord and framing this with a drone accompaniment.

Key Notes

• The minor pentachord is the first five notes of the minor scale: la, ti, do, re, mi.
• Folk songs can be accompanied or unaccompanied.
• Adding a drone underneath a song adds another layer of sound to the texture of the piece.
• To be able to accompany songs effectively, we need to be able to play with a sound sense of pulse.
• We need to consider the dynamic balance when adding accompaniments to songs.

Vocabulary To Learn

• minor pentachord: the first five notes of the minor scale: la, ti, do, re, mi
• accompaniment: a musical part that supports the main melody or chant
• drone: a constant, pitched sound that continues throughout a piece of music
• texture: the combination of different layers of sounds
• dynamics: how loud or quiet the music is

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Music can only be major or minor in tonality.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Building texture with a melodic ostinato Study Guide
• Building texture with a minor accompaniment Study Guide
• Folk songs and the major pentachord Study Guide
• Layering accompaniments under major and minor folk songs Study Guide
• Major and minor tonality folk songs Study Guide