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Year 7 - Music

Creating a melodic ostinato

Minimalist composition

Unit Summary

This unit develops understanding of minimalism, including the context of the style and the main musical features used in creating minimalist compositions. Pupils compose and improvise in a minimalist style, including rhythmic and melodic patterns.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to create a melodic ostinato using the Dm pentatonic scale and develop the texture of your composition.

Key Notes

  • The texture can be developed by creating sections of thin (few layers) and thick (many layers) texture.
  • A pentatonic scale uses five notes. The Dm pentatonic scale uses D, F, G, A and C.
  • We can create a melodic ostinato by improvising using a scale like the pentatonic scale.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Pentatonic scale: A pentatonic scale is a set of five notes.
  • Dm pentatonic scale: The Dm (D minor) pentatonic scale includes the notes D, F, G, A and C.
  • Texture: The texture of music is how many layers of sound are playing at the same time. We can describe it as thick (lots of layers) or thin (few layers).

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The pentatonic scale is limited to one octave on the instrument.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

The texture can be developed by creating sections of thin (few layers) and thick (many layers) texture. A pentatonic scale uses five notes. The Dm pentatonic scale uses D, F, G, A and C.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Pentatonic scale'

A pentatonic scale is a set of five notes.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: The pentatonic scale is limited to one octave on the instrument. Correction: The pentatonic scale is just the names of the notes that we can use. You can use them as high-pitched notes or low-pitched notes on your instrument. Experiment with playing the scale up high and down low.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 7 Music guide library.