Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you wish you could read rhythm better? Sight Singing with Rhythmic Syllables takes a look at reading rhythm.
So far, we have sung in the keys of C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, and G major. In today’s singing lesson you will learn the keys of Ab, A, Bb, and B major. Once again, the more keys you know, the better your reading will become.
Sight Singing with Rhythmic Syllables: Kodály
In this blog series, I have advised you to look at the shape of the note head to read the pitches. Likewise, I have advised you to look at the quarter, half, and whole notes to see how they affected the melody. In today’s post we will at last learn how to sight sing with the rhythmic syllables.
For instrumental music, I have suggested color coding the counting numbers to help learn the rhythm. Alternately, for vocal music, I recommend using the Kodály rhythmic syllables. (Watch the Kodály Rhythm Syllables video to get the sound of the rhythmic syllables.)
The chart below shows the shape of each note and the rhythmic syllable associated with each shape. The shortest note, the quarter note, has a black note head. The half note, a longer note, has a white note head. The whole note, the longest note, also has a white note head, but it does not have a stem.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Kodály Rhythmic Syllables
The first example shows the rhythmic syllables applied to today’s song, “Yankee Doodle.” I have changed the melody slightly so that we can work on each rhythm symbol.
Sight sing with the rhythmic syllables (above each line) in the sheet music as you chant with the sing-along example. (I have provided a beat track to help you hear the pulse when the melody does not play a note.)
Next, sing the first example again with the solfege syllables (below each line). Do this for the other examples too.
Yankee Doodle with Rhythmic Syllables:
Scales and Melodies for Sight Singing with Rhythmic Syllables
Start with the scales, then sing the “Yankee Doodle” examples. When you sight sing with rhythmic syllables, make sure to pay attention to how the whole, half, and quarter notes look and sound.
Unlike “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Joy to the World”, the “Yankee Doodle” melody fragment contains melodic skips.
When you sing the examples, listen to the distance between notes as this will build a solid base for melodic intonation. (All the soundtracks are specifically selected to have the optimal tuning.) Tenors and basses should sing the examples down an octave.
The song tracks use 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 ready, try the shape note quiz. I have not provided a soundtrack for the quiz. Rather, try to imagine the sound of the solfege in your mind’s eye (or maybe mind’s ear?).
Review the Ab major scale before attempting the quiz, because this will establish the key before you sing.
At the end is a sing-along video of “Yankee Doodle” that I provided as a fun ending to the post.
Scales
Ab Major Moveable Do Shape Notes:
A Major Moveable Do Shape Notes:
Bb Major Moveable Do Shape Notes:
B Major Moveable Do Shape Notes:
Yankee Doodle
Ab Yankee Doodle:
A Yankee Doodle:
Bb Yankee Doodle:
B Yankee Doodle:
Sight Singing with Rhythmic Syllables Quiz
Tah through the rhythm in the following quiz using the rhythmic syllables. Then, sing through the quiz using the solfege syllables.
Yankee Doodle Video
Concluding Thoughts to Sight Singing with Rhythmic Syllables
Shape notes are statistically proven to help any singer read better. However, special needs, ADD, LD, and autistic students particularly benefit from this effective multisensory teaching tool.
In addition, the sing-along songs support the student’s growth in reading music. In other words, the sound files train the ear to hear what the different solfege and rhythmic syllables need to sound like.
Therefore, practicing sight singing with rhythmic syllables every day develops reading skills for rhythm. While practicing with the solfege syllables develops reading skills for pitches.
Future posts will look at minor keys, chromatic notes, and will have more on reading rhythm. If you have a topic you would like to read about, please leave it in the comments section.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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