Estimated reading time 6 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you have difficulty singing dotted half notes? The sing-along song tracks can help! Read more to learn about singing dotted half note rhythm syllables.
When I wrote the post Singing Rhythm Syllables in 3/4 Time, I realized that I hadn’t dealt with dotted half notes yet. This post will set right that huge oversight.
This article uses musical terms. See the Glossary at the end of the post for definitions.
The Rhythm Chart and Singing Dotted Half Note Rhythm Syllables
Before you can sing dotted half note rhythm syllables, we need to discuss the Kodaly syllables. The chart below has:
- the symbol
- rhythmic value
- the syllable assigned
Need a demonstration of how Kodaly rhythm syllables sound? The video below will help.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Rhythm Chart
Kodaly Rhythm Syllables Video
My Bonnie and Singing Dotted Half Note Rhythm Syllables
My Bonnie:
- Our example for singing dotted half note rhythm syllables also uses shape notes. If you’re not familiar with shape notes read: Shape Note Sight Singing Success.
- Notice that the solfege syllables are below the lines in the score, while the rhythmic syllables are above. First, chant the rhythm followed by singing the solfege syllables.
- The tie (the curved line) in measures 15 and 16 in the example above joins the whole notes together. This makes the two whole notes one long, sustained note. The Kodaly syllables will help you to perform the tied notes accurately.
- I carefully chose the track’s tuning to help you develop good melodic intonation. Regular practice with the song track will help you build up your mental pitch template. In other words, the sing-along song track helps you to hear how the melody should sound when sung in tune.
- Be sure to take breaths so that you’ll be able to sustain your notes. Otherwise, your pitch will sink, which will make your note go out of tune.
- The song track uses synthetic voices rather than actual voices. Research has shown that this will help with the ability to identify and produce absolute pitch information. For more information read: Why Use a Synth Voice Instead of Real Voices.
- When I realized that I had overlooked dotted half notes, I scoured my collection of public domain songs for one that would have more than just dotted half notes at the end of the phrases. The chorus to My Bonnie fit the bill. For the complete song, watch the video.
My Bonnie Video
Singing Dotted Half Note Rhythm Syllables: Quiz
Try the quiz after you’ve mastered My Bonnie. Chant the rhythm, then try singing the dotted half note rhythm syllables (not included).
Concluding Thoughts on Singing Dotted Half Note Rhythm Syllables
This post will give you a good workout for singing dotted half note rhythm syllables. If you make a point to practice with the sing-along song track each day, you will have the rhythm down in no time.
George Kyme found that shape notes helped singers perform statistically significantly better on sight singing tests than singers who performed without them.
Shape notes create a multisensory learning experience that can help any vocalist. However, ADD, ASD, LD, autistic, and other special needs singers will find shape notes particularly helpful.
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
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Glossary
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Harmony is Tone Color
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Singing with the Kodaly Rhythmic Syllables
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