Estimated reading time 2 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Want to be able to sing modes? I can help. You’ll run into the Ionian mode more often than any other type of mode. It’s used extensively in pop, jazz, classical, and even folk music. In Singing Shape Notes Solfege Ionian Melodies, you’ll be singing the last mode we’ll look at in the modes series. Keep reading to learn more.
To date, we’ve looked at these five modes:
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
The Modes and Singing Shape Notes Solfege Ionian Melodies
Before you start singing the shape notes solfege Ionian melody in the following section, you should review the modes and how shape notes work:
Grandfather’s Clock and Singing Shape Notes Solfege Ionian Melodies
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Grandfather’s Clock:
We’ll use the classic melody from Grandfather’s Clock for the singing example in Singing Shape Notes Solfege Ionian Melodies.
- Ionian is the most common mode used in Western music, bar none. You’ll hear it in all types and styles of music.
- Be sure to breathe at the end of the phrases as this will support your tone. If you don’t breathe, your pitch can sink making you go out of tune.
The soundtrack has a specially selected tuning to help train your ear:
- Carefully listening to the span between the notes will help you to learn how to sing melodies in tune.
- Practicing singing with the sing-along soundtracks will further train your brain’s mental pitch
- 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, click here.
After you’ve gotten “Grandfather’s Clock” down, try singing the quiz below. To hear the whole song, watch the video version of Grandfather’s Clock.
Video: Grandfather’s Clock
Singing Shape Notes Solfege Ionian Melodies: Quiz
Summary for “Singing Shape Notes Solfege Ionian Melodies”
Here’s some final thoughts on “Singing Shape Notes Solfege Ionian Melodies.”
- Sing the solfege syllables as you sing along with the soundtrack.
- If you find sight singing difficult, be sure to use the shape notes as a sight singing aid.
- This multisensory approach will be especially important for vocalists with LD, ADD, ASD, and other special needs.
- After you’re comfortable with singing the shape notes, you can try reading regular standard notation.
- To learn how to do that click here.
- If the Ionian mode sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s the same as the major mode.
Have fun singing!
© 2023 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues)
What’s a chord progression? It’s when you have a sequence of successive harmonies. In this post, we’ll look at common chord progressions, including rock n roll, the 12 bar blues, and jazz chord progressions. These can work as either piano chord progressions or guitar chord progressions. Read “Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues)” to learn the harmonic structure for these three styles of music. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
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Singing Shape Note Parallel Minor Melodies
Have you learned how to sightread relative minor melodies, but want to be able to sing parallel minor too? We’ve already learned about La based shape note solfege minor melodies. In this post, you’ll learn about Do based shape note solfege as well. Read more to find out about singing shape note parallel minor melodies. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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BPM (Using the Metronome to Get the Music Beat)
Do you want to know the purpose of a metronome and how to read it? A metronome helps you find the tempo of a song in beats per minute (bpm). Also, it helps you practice by clicking at a (user adjustable) speed. So, that way you can play along with (for example) the tempo moderato on the metronome. Keep reading “BPM (Using the Metronome to Get the Music Beat)” to learn the various ways it can help. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Learning Differences and Spatial Ability: Part 1
Has your child has been diagnosed with a learning disability? Do you feel confused because your child is so smart, but still struggles to learn? Read more to learn about learning differences and spatial ability. Estimated reading time 6 minutes.
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