Blues. Episode 1. The down-low on its history, sound, and structure 1OVERVIEW. Vocabulary Spirituals 12 bar blues blues scale. Unit 4 Music Styles

Transcription

1 sound, and structure Episode 1 The down-low on its history, 1OVERVIEW The blues is the forerunner of much of the pop and rock music we have today. The characteristics of blues: 12 bars or measures, three chords, sad lyrics, and a pounding beat. Quaver uses his Instant Machine to create the lyrics for his latest blues song. While recovering from this musical adventure, he bumps into Murky and Lips who teach him more about the blues than he ever imagined. After they dissect, theorize, harmonize, and surmise the blues, they come together with their own version of the blues. LESSON OBJECTIVES Students will learn: music cannot be pinpointed to a specific time and place, but historians often trace its earliest forms to the American South around draws from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, and chants as well as folk, marching band, and ragtime music. instrumentation commonly uses piano, guitar, double bass, drums, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harmonica, clarinet, flute, tuba, and vocals. songs are about sad and hard times, hence the term, I got the. in its most basic form includes three chords, 12 bars or measures, sad lyrics, and a slow tempo. Vocabulary Spirituals 12 bar blues blues scale Quaver s Marvelous World of Music 1-1

2 MUSIC STANDARDS IN LESSON 1: Singing alone and with others* 2: Playing instruments 3: Improvising melodies* 4: Composing and arranging music* 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music 8: Understanding the relationship between music and the other arts 9: Understanding music in relation to history, style, and culture Complete details at QuaverMusic.com Key Scenes What they teach Music Standard 1 Remembering W. C. Handy W. C. Handy was among the first musicians to introduce the blues to a wider audience. 2 Singing the blues Although there are notable exceptions, most blues lyrics recount hardships of life. 3 Pulling apart the blues A basic blues song is constructed using 12 bars, three chords, and a slow tempo. 4 Making the blues The blues scale provides a simple repetitive progression, which lends itself to vocal and instrument improvisation. 5 Song: Day to Day Murky and Lips join Quaver and the band in a blues song inspired by everyday subjects. 9 6, 9 6, 9 3, 6 3, 6 2 LESSON INTRO Introducing the episode Worksheet # 1 Ask students what it means to feel blue. Have several offer examples of what may give a person the blues. PRINT WORKSHEET Distribute copies of the Do You Have the? Worksheet and have them complete the survey. When they are finished, have students add up the numbers of their answers to see how they score: Score of You might just be the next B.B. King. Score of 7-9 You re not blue enough for the blues. Score of 4-6 You don t know da meanin uh da blues. This is a silly survey, but it proves we all feel down at times. During hard times in America, instead of crying or complaining, people would sometimes write songs about how they were feeling. One specific musical sound was called the blues. In this episode, we learn how the blues began, and how to write a blues song. 1-2 QuaverMusic.com * concepts included in the Teacher Guide, but not in the DVD

3 Discussion Points 3PLAY EPISODE Who was the first musician to make the blues popular? W. C. Handy How many chords are in a simple blues song? three How many bars or measures are in a blues song? 12 Name the two instruments that Murky and Lips were playing. guitar and harmonica 4 CLASS ACTIVITIES Remember, the attitude and style of the voice is critical to singing the blues. Try to get students into the mood by practicing their blues faces! Listening to the Purpose: Counting the measures in a blues song Two traditional 12-bar blues songs of different tempos are provided for this activity: Piano and Guitar (Track 1) and Blue Measures (Track 2). Play each track twice. Use the first pass to familiarize students with the song. While playing the track the second time, use the IWB to mark the passing of each measure. Count the measures in groups of four as students listen. Note: 1,2,3,4-2,2,3,4-3,2,3,4, is the best way of counting multiple measures. PRINT WORKSHEET Write a Song Purpose: The basics of lyric writing Tracks 1 & 2 Track 3 IWB 1 Worksheet # 2 The 12 bars of a slow blues song include both the verse and the chorus. Using the simple writing grid on the worksheet, come up with new lyrics to the provided backing track in C (Track 3). lyrics do not necessarily have to rhyme. Variation: Split class into groups of four and ask each group to come up with lyrics. IWB 2 Play a Song Worksheet # 3 Purpose: Playing the basic chords needed for a blues song In the episode on chords, Quaver explained three basic chords: chord C, chord F, and chord G. These chords are perfect for playing a blues song. Using Orff instruments, keyboards, or the paper worksheet keyboards, have students practice playing these three chords. Note: The greatest difficulty in this activity is changing chords; allow students to practice until the changes are fluid. 1-3

4 Play a Song II Purpose: Playing a chord chart Track 3 IWB 3 Using the chord chart on the IWB, instruct students to play the chords on the first beat of each measure and count 4. Students can use Orff instruments or keyboards. Once this is mastered, play the chords in a dotted rhythm in each measure. This will give you a blues song backing or accompaniment. Try playing the chords in this repeated rhythm: q. e( h Using lyrics created in Write a Song, perform the song. Try playing along with the backing track in C (Track 3) to make the song more bluesy. VIDEO REPLAY Day to Day Purpose: Discovering another version of the blues Track 4 IWB 4 Look again at the blues song created for this episode Day to Day (Track 4). Have students sing along with the lyrics. They can also clap, nod, and snap to the beat of the music. Some with exceptional rhythm could play percussion instruments. Make up moves to go with the story of the song. 5WEB ACTIVITIES QGrooves Students can use QGrooves to create their own blues songs. Drawing from their new-found knowledge of the blues chord structure, they can drag tiles of those chords into 12 measures and instantly have a blues backing track. If they add a drumbeat and a guitar part from QStrum, a blues song is born! Metro / Style Venues Take the Metro and visit Street in Memphis to learn more about the blues. Students can listen to Quaver s commentary as well as complete the matching game and the jigsaw puzzle while listening to some great blues music. IWB Play activities on your INTERACTIVE White Board 1-4 QuaverMusic.com

5 6 HOMEWORK My Hunt Purpose: Respecting the music of their parents and grandparents Assign students to ask relatives if they have a piece of blues music, or better still, can play the blues. Write down their findings, and if possible, bring in songs from their relatives collections. If someone they know can play blues songs, invite them to perform as a musical guest. This is also an opportunity to talk about respecting other people s tastes in music. of the Week Track 3 Purpose: How to use everyday happenings to make a song Ask students to keep a diary of all the things that happen in the week that they don t like. Examples might include tidying their rooms or losing a video game cartridge. These bothersome kinds of things (and more serious events) are the building blocks of blues music. Try using the backing track in C (Track 3) to make a song based on some of the students experiences. Additional session activities PRINT WORKSHEET 7 ASSESSMENT Assess the Tracks 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 Worksheet # 4 Assign students to complete this blues worksheet. Have them listen to the following tracks and write down which are blues songs. Track 5 Crying Alone - blues Track 6 Chopin s Fantasy Impromptu - classical Track 7 Old Time - blues Track 8 Country Track - country Track 9 Pick and Cut - fast blues 1-5

6 History songs were inspired by the tough times suffered by African American people in the 19th and early 20th century. These songs allowed people to express their feelings about unfair treatment. developed from work songs and spirituals songs sung by African Americans as they labored, often at repetitive tasks. Using the writings of abolitionists such as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass help students understand how their writings connect these experiences to the music. Art 8CROSS-CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES Tracks 10 & 11 Covers are designed for most music albums, typically combining typography, photography, and illustration. Covers need to be eye-catching to entice people to buy them. As homework, instruct students to bring in several album covers they have at home. Ask the students to come up with a blues front cover. It should have the name of the album, a colorful design, and the name of the band or singer. Students can come up with their own names and titles. Or they can be assigned the title It s a Blue, Blue World or One Kid Singin the by that blues sensation, Quaver Diddly. For inspiration, included are two great blues songs for students to listen to while working: Midnight (Track 10), and Dollar (Track 11). Have students think about how color, letters, and design work together to convey an idea. Materials Needed - Paper - Colored pencils 9 DIGGING DEEPER My Class Band Purpose: A first experience of being in a band Ambitious as it may seem, a band is one of the easiest to form. The typical band consists of four instrumentalists and a vocalist, but the line-up can be modified to match available talent. Ideally, the band would include: A keyboardist who plays the three chords fluently. A drummer to play bass, snare, bass, and snare in a regular pattern. (If a drum kit is not available, use bongos, congas, or a drum box.) A student to play bass guitar with the strings tuned to C, F, and G so he/she is playing open strings. (Guitar parts are more difficult so consider inviting a friend or staff member who can play chords C, F, and G.) A lead singer who can deliver vocals with a blues attitude. Add as many backing singers as can be endured. A number of practices will be required for a successful performance, but it is worth it. The rest of the class can name the band and publicize the gig with posters and flyers. The band could do a one-song concert in assembly with parents invited. You will be a hero! 1-6 QuaverMusic.com

7 TEACHER NOTES Featured Instruments Guitar Piano Harmonica Orff Instruments 1-7