Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you struggle with singing accurate rhythm? Read more to learn about singing with the Kodaly rhythmic syllables.
In the post, Sight Singing with Rhythmic Syllables, we learned the rhythmic syllables for quarter, half, and whole note rhythms.
Today, we will look at the rhythmic syllables associated with eighth notes, dotted quarter notes, and quarter note rests. This means that you can sing part of You’re a Grand Old Flag. You will hear that the added rhythmic flexibility makes singing melodies more fun.
This article uses technical musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Kodaly Rhythmic Syllables Chart
This table shows how to sing with the Kodaly rhythmic syllables. It gives the name of the rhythmic value, the rhythmic symbol, and the rhythmic syllable linked with each rhythmic value.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music examples, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Kodaly Rhythmic Syllables Video
If you’ve never experienced the method, the video gives audible examples of how to sing the Kodaly rhythmic syllables. Give special attention to how the dotted quarter note/eighth note pairs sound.
The G Major Scale
G Major Moveable Do Shape Notes:
Sing the scale as a warm up before trying to sing with the Kodaly rhythmic syllables in You’re a Grand Old Flag.
You’re a Grand Old Flag
You’re a Grand Old Flag:
Begin by singing the solfege syllables along with the sing-long song. Be sure to take a breath at the rest. (For an explanation of shape notes, read Shape Note Sight Singing Success.)
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.
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.
After going through the song with the solfege syllables, try singing the Kodaly rhythmic syllables. The rhythmic syllables sit above the staff, while the solfege syllables sit below it. I have slowed the tempo of the song slightly so that it makes it easier to sing the syllables.
Just for fun, I’ve included a video of You’re a Grand Old Flag below.
You're a Grand Old Flag Video
Singing with the Kodaly Rhythmic Syllables: Quiz
When you have mastered You’re a Grand Old flag, try the quiz. A good sight singing rule of thumb: work on the rhythm first, and then the notes. Therefore, sing the Kodaly rhythmic syllables first, then the solfege syllables.
Concluding Thoughts to Singing with the Kodaly Rhythmic Syllables
Singing the Kodaly rhythmic syllables is extremely intuitive. Color coded counting remains a good option for instruments, but the rhythmic syllables work better for singers.
Likewise, color coding the music notes works well for instruments. However, shape notes work better for singers, because shape notes work together with moveable Do solfege.
These multisensory teaching tools can help anyone. However, the strategies remain critically important for students with ADD, LD, ASD, and other special needs.
We will learn more of You’re a Grand Old Flag in the next sight singing post (click here).
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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Glossary
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