Year 7 - Music
Modes and sea shanties
Folk songs from around the world
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores folk music from around the world, with detailed looks at sea shanties and Russian folk dance. Pupils are exposed to a diverse array of folk music, exploring characteristics that are typical of folk traditions, composing simple melodies, singing and performing using keyboards.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain what a mode is and have performed a modal sea shanty melody.
Key Notes
- A mode is a type of scale, of which there are seven different types.
- The dorian mode is commonly used in folk music, and it sounds similar to a minor scale.
- A sea shanty is a type of folk song that was traditionally sung by sailors to coordinate their movements.
- What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor? is a famous example which uses the D dorian mode and a strophic structure.
Vocabulary To Learn
- mode: a type of scale, of which there are seven main types
- dorian mode: a mode that sounds similar to a minor scale; the D dorian mode uses the white notes starting on D
- strophic: a structure based on repeating verses, with variation in the lyrics
- sea shanty: a folk song traditionally sung by sailors to help them coordinate their movements
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The dorian mode is the same as a minor scale.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
A mode is a type of scale, of which there are seven different types. The dorian mode is commonly used in folk music, and it sounds similar to a minor scale.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'mode'
a type of scale, of which there are seven main types.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: The dorian mode is the same as a minor scale. Correction: There is a slight difference, with one different note. All of the modes are closely linked to major and minor scales, but have slightly different notes that help to create different moods.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 7 Music guide library.