Meter
Rhythm Syllables | Rhythm Patterns | Unbalanced Meter
RHYTHM SYLLABLES
Du-De | Du-Da-Di…
Rhythm syllables, like solfege, are labels used to anchor students to the meter of the tune they are learning. Gordon recommends using the syllables “du de” (duple) and “du da di” (triple) rather than number division systems like “1 e + a” because it is more natural speech for young children. Given that this is a resource primarily for high school band students, I personally recommend continuing to use whichever counting system is most familiar to them!
Learning Sequences in Music (pp. 74-89)
In duple meter (2/4, 4/4, etc.) Gordon uses Du for the macrobeats (big beats) and De or De-ta for for the microbeats (small beats).
In triple meter (3/4, 6/8, etc.) Du is still the macrobeat, and Da Di are used for the subsequent microbeats. “Ta” is always the next level of subdivision - in this case the 16th note.
RHYTHM PATTERNS
Rhythm patterns, like tonal patterns, are groupings of two or more durations taught in the context of the given meter. Students develop musical rhythm through growing a vocabulary of rhythm patterns as well as movement.
Learning Sequences in Music (pp. 177-178)
Again using Londonderry Air, I wrote out rhythm patterns that students could repeat after me in order to become familiar with some of the rhythms in this piece.
Because Coventry Carol only has 3 rhythms, I wrote a few other rhythm patterns that are similar in style to supplement.
Advanced Technique: Unbalanced Meter
Unbalanced meter is categorized in Music Learning Theory as “unusual paired” (e.g. 5/8, conducted in two) or “unusual unpaired” (e.g. 7/8, conducted in three). If your students are ready for more of a challenge, introduce unbalanced meters starting with 5/8 and 7/8.
Learning Sequences in Music (pp. 181-185)5/8 Rhythm Patterns
To differentiate the rhythm syllables, MLT uses “Be” or “Ba Bi” instead of “De” and “Da Di” for unbalanced meter.
7/8 Rhythm Patterns
