Year 8 Pentatonic Melodies:
Bartok's Folk Dance
Listen to excerpts from four pieces of related music by following the link below.
What do they have in common? How are they different?
Draw a spider diagram together as a class to explore these four pieces of music and the topic of pentatonic melodies.
You will be shown notes on the treble and bass staves.
Each member of the class in turn will identify the pitch of a note using its letter name: A, B flat, C sharp etc.
You are challenged to identify the pitch and write the letter name in your book before your peer answers.
If you are less familiar with the position of notes on either stave, look, listen to the correct answers, and write these in your book to help you to learn.
Practise the exercise on your own by clicking the link above.
Traditional Pentatonic Melodies
Chariots Coming Vocal Score
Chariots Coming Piano Score
Sightsinging Pentatonic Melodies
Learn to recognise the notes of the F pentatonic scale by singing and playing these traditional pentatonic melodies.
Learn to recognise these pitches by sight (looking at their notated position on the stave) and by ear (recognising how they sound in relation to one another).
Notice how many popular melodies from around the world use the pentatonic scale, and how effective it is as the basis for creating catchy melodies.
Describe the shape of these melodies. Are they mainly conjunct or disjunct?
Listen to the traditional pentatonic melodies played by your teacher or heard on the mp3 audio file above. Some will be familiar.
Where you see an asterisk *, one or more notes are missing.
In your exercise book, on a stave page, notate and name the missing notes.
You do not need to write out the other notes of the melody.
5. Listen to Bartok's Dance Suite Mvt. III 'Folk Dance'
Bartok Dance Suite Mvt. III 'Folk Dance' Audio (Complete)
Bartok Dance Suite Mvt. III 'Folk Dance' Audio (Extract 0-42s)
Bartok Dance Suite Mvt. III 'Folk Dance' Score
Bartok Dance Suite Mvt. III 'Folk Dance' Video
6. Compose a Pentatonic Folk Dance
7. Bartok's Dance Suite Listening & Appraising
Bartok Mvt.I 'Evil Dance' Audio Extract 0-40s
Bartok Mvt.III 'Folk Dance' Audio Extract 0-42s