Embedded Files
Objectives
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Identify and construct whole and half steps on the staff and keyboard.
Sing and aurally identify whole and half steps above or below a played pitch.
Listen to a short melody and identify pitch contour as ascending, descending, or static.
Analyze a melody from the repertoire and identify the movement as conjunct or disjunct, describe the range of the melody and the overall contour.
Preparation for Class
Preparation for Class
Watch
Watch
Half Steps & Whole Steps
Sean Atkinson (6 mins)
Watch just from 0:59–6:37
Practice
Practice
Musition: Intervals (Lvls 1–2)
Auralia: Interval Recognition (Lvl 1)
Auralia: Pitch Comparison (All)
Auralia: Tuning (All)
Auralia: Contour (Lvls 1–2)
Quizlet Flashcards: Half & Whole Steps
MusicTheory.net: m2/M2 Interval ID and Construction
MusicTheory.net: m2/M2 ID on the Keyboard
Study Aids
Study Aids
Melodic Direction
(From phamoxmusic.com)
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Discussion
Discussion
Select a few melodies from the anthology and listen to each. Study the ascending and descending contours of the melody. Describe how the contour contributes to tension/build or closure/resolution within the phrase. Use the handout from the reading as an example.
Activities
Activities
Building Whole & Half Step Chains: Starting on a pitch specified by your instructor:
1) Build a string of whole steps starting on the given pich (e.g. C - D - E . . . etc. ). How many pitches can you string together before you begin to repeat? (Be careful, the repeated pitch might be enharmonically equivalent!).
This collection of pitches is called a whole tone scale. How many unique whole tone scales can you construct (without repeating pitches)?
2) Construct a scale that alternates between whole steps and half steps (e.g. C - Db - Eb - E . . . etc.). How many pitches can you string together before the string begins to repeat?
This collection of pitches is called an octatonic scale. Why do you think that is? How many unique octatonic collections can you build that contain a different set of pitches?
Singing Whole & Half Steps: Your instructor plays a note on the piano. Students sing both a half step above and below, then two half steps up and two below. A different note is played until the half steps are comfortable. The same process is repeated with whole steps.
Follow up by singing through a chromatic scale with pitch names: C - C# - D, etc.
Then, try singing through one of the whole tone scales you constructed above with pitch names: C - D - E, etc.
Identifying Whole & Half Steps: Listen to ascending or descending whole and half steps played by your instructor. Sing each back using the lyrics: "Whole-Step" or "Half-Step" as appropriate.
Tracing Melodic Contour: Listen to short melodies played by your instructor. Sing back the melody on a neutral syllable while air-tracing the curves and/or arcs of the melody, then trace the contour of the melody on a page. Compare with a classmate.
Repertoire for Practice
Repertoire for Practice
Whole & Half Step ID in Repertoire: Select an example from the anthology here. Identify all of the whole (W) and half (H) steps that occur between consecutive pitches in the melody. For each, write W or H above the staff where the interval occurs.
Melodic Analysis: Pick a sight-singing section from the Aural Anthology and practice analyzing the melodies.
Describe the motion as conjunct or disjunct
Describe the range of the melody.
Map out the contour of the melody and describe it using the terminology in the handout in the reading.
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