Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Have you gotten down reading the easier rhythmic syllables, but want to learn more? As you progress, you will hear that the added rhythm makes performing melodies much more fun. Read more to learn about singing sixteenth note rhythmic syllables.
When you read this post, you may notice that most of the rhythmic syllables have been covered in past posts. For past rhythm posts see:
Also, you’ll learn another new syllable: the eighth rest. However, mainly we’ll focus on how to sing the sixteenth note rhythmic syllables.
This article uses technical musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
The Buffalo Gals Mascot
Rhythmic Table for Singing Sixteenth Note Rhythmic Syllables
- The following table shows the Kodaly rhythmic syllables, including the rhythmic value, the rhythmic symbol, and the rhythmic syllable linked with each rhythmic value.
- The rhythmic table shows that the syllable Ki gets used with the sixteenth note. Nevertheless, this is not the whole story. In fact, the syllable Ki works in conjunction with the syllable Ti when singing sixteenth notes rhythmic syllables.
- The sheet music example below the rhythmic table shows a bar of eighth notes followed by a bar of sixteenth notes. If you count the notes in each bar, you’ll find that the sixteenth note bar has twice the notes as the eighth note bar. This means that, in the sixteenth note bar, extra notes (Ki) have been added between the eighth notes (Ti).
- Therefore, the first and third notes in each grouping of four sixteenth notes have the syllable Ti. Whereas, the second and fourth notes in each grouping of four sixteenth notes have the syllable Ki. In other words, where the note falls determines which rhythmic syllable gets used.
- New to Kodaly rhythmic syllables? The first video below teaches them, including how to sing the sixteenth note rhythmic syllables.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Rhythmic Table
Buffalo Gals Rhythm Prep:
Kodaly Rhythmic Syllables Video
Singing Sixteenth Note Rhythmic Syllables: Buffalo Gals Sheet Music
Buffalo Gals:
The sing-along song track creates a sound model for “Buffalo Gals.” Sing the syllables below the score as you go through the sing-along song.
- The symbol in the score that looks like an apostrophe is called a breath mark. When you see one, inhale.
- Once you’ve gone through the track with the solfege syllables, try singing the sixteenth note rhythmic syllables. The solfege syllables sit below the score, while the rhythmic syllables sit above it.
- Pay attention to the distance between the pitches, as this trains your internal pitch template, which helps establish good melodic tuning. The tuning for the sound files was specially chosen to foster solid melodic intonation.
For a tutorial of shape notes, go to:
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:
Also, I have provided the following silly video version of “Buffalo Gals” for your viewing pleasure.
Buffalo Gals Video
Singing Sixteenth Note Rhythmic Syllables: Quiz
When you have gotten “Buffalo Gals” down, try the quiz. Sing the sixteenth note rhythmic syllables, then the solfege syllables (not provided).
Concluding Thoughts to Singing Sixteenth Note Rhythmic Syllables
The more rhythmic symbols you can read, the greater the range of songs you will be able to sing. Therefore, practice singing the sixteenth note rhythmic syllables with the song tracks every day until you’ve gotten them in your ear.
Also, shape notes can help anyone sight sing music better whether you are a typical learner or have LD, ASD, ADD, or any other special needs. Shape notes act as a multisensory aid that makes sight reading more effective.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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