Year 9 - Music
Recreating As It Was by ear
Working out pop hooks and riffs by ear
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on developing pupils' ability to work out simple melodic ideas from modern pop and rock songs by ear. It introduces techniques for accurately recreating rhythm and pitch patterns, and also develops their understanding of how to recreate specific timbres accurately.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to recreate a melodic hook and an accompanying part by ear.
Key Notes
- Identifying repeated phrases can make it easier to recreate melodic ideas quickly.
- The hook in As It Was uses two repeated phrases that are only slightly different from each other.
- Accompaniments often use synth pads, which are effective for sustained notes and chords.
- Identifying the melodic shape of a pattern can help to accurately work out the notes.
Vocabulary To Learn
- accompaniment: a part that supports the melody or main melodic parts
- phrase: a section of a melody; a phrase is often 2 or 4 bars long
- synth pad: a type of synthesiser sound that suits sustained sounds and chords
- melodic shape: the outline of a melodic idea and the shape that's created with the different pitches
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Synthesisers are most effective for melodic lines.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Identifying repeated phrases can make it easier to recreate melodic ideas quickly. The hook in As It Was uses two repeated phrases that are only slightly different from each other.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'accompaniment'
a part that supports the melody or main melodic parts.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Synthesisers are most effective for melodic lines. Correction: Different types of synthesiser suit different musical roles. While synth leads are very effective for melodic lines, synth pads are well-suited to playing accompaniments, particularly sustained notes and chords.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Music guide library.