Chrissy Ricker
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Teaching Ear Training through Transcribing--for all levels!

2/21/2019

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I have read many interviews with great jazz players who talk about developing their listening and playing "chops" by transcribing--listening to famous jazz solos and writing them out on staff paper. Jazz players often describe the experience as being similar to getting your own private lesson with a jazz great. Jazz saxophonist Mark Turner said, "...You really get a taste of the master taking you by the hand saying 'This is how you play music.'…Feeling it physically in your hands, writing it down, contemplating it, trying to assimilate it into yourself so that it feels natural."

Transcribing isn't something we often think about doing in the "classical" world, where most of our music is already available in written format and not just on recordings. However, I think that learning how to transcribe can have huge benefits for students of all musical genres. Transcribing helps students develop their rhythmic and melodic dictation skills; teaches them the rules of written notation; and trains their ears to listen, analyze, and understand the layers of information they are hearing in a recording. Transcribing is especially important for students that are interested in composition, since it will help them learn how to write down their own music more quickly and easily.

So, how can we develop this skill of transcribing from a very early level? I recently had an "a-ha" moment when I realized that one of my favorite public domain sheet music sites, G Major Music Theory, has mp3 files available for all of its pieces--even those at the beginner level. This means that students can listen to a recording of a simple piece, transcribe it on staff paper, and then check their work by looking at the sheet music for that piece. It is a perfect set-up for teaching students the basics of transcription! 

Before my students do their first transcribing project, I make sure they have already done some rhythmic dictation practice, as well as a few of my ear training challenge worksheets found HERE. This gives them a good foundation so that the transcribing process isn't overwhelming. Once they have a few of those ear training activities under their belt, they are ready to transcribe!

Here is how my students have been learning to transcribe in their lessons:

​1) Get your blank staff paper ready. I like the staff paper variety pack that Susan Paradis makes available on her website for free HERE. It makes it easy to choose the right size depending on the age and skill level of your student. (It can also be helpful for students to have blank scratch paper ready, so they can take notes on what they hear before they write on the staff--more on that later!)

2) Go to the G Major Music Theory website and find the free piano music archives HERE. The various sheet music levels are listed across the top of the page. The easiest level looks like this:



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The red arrow in the screenshot above points to the link for the PDF sheet music of each piece; the blue arrow points to the link for the mp3 of each piece. Many of the pieces also have a slower version of the mp3 available (look for the turtle symbol).

3) Choose a piece for your student to transcribe. Here are my suggestions of pieces that have worked well for my students:

Easiest pieces HERE (using treble clef only, C through G, quarter, half and whole notes):
  • Au Clair de la Lune 
  • Do, Do, L'Enfant Do 
  • Go Tell Aunt Rhody 
  • Fais Dodo  (3/4 time)

Slightly more difficult pieces HERE (melody only, treble and bass clefs, an octave range or less, includes eighth note pairs)
  • Five Fat Turkeys are We
  • Yonder She Comes
  • Down Came a Lady
  • Gray Squirrel

Songs with simple harmony (fifths or primary chords only) HERE
  • Lazy Mary (under level 2A): keys of C, F, G, and D major available
  • Land of the Silver Birch (under level 2B): D minor with fifths only in LH
  • Good Morning (under level 2C): key of C, 3/4 time, melody switches from treble to bass clef, and there is a pick-up note)

Song in 6/8 time, using primary chords, available in a variety of major keys
  • Little Sir Echo (under level 3A HERE)

4) Listen, listen, and listen again! I tell my students to listen to a piece several times, focusing on one element at a time. For students new to transcribing, it can be helpful to first write the rhythms and letter names on a blank piece of paper, then transfer everything to the staff. 
  • Rhythm: what is the time signature? Can you write out the rhythm notes you hear? Do any of the rhythmic patterns repeat?
  • Notes: what is the key signature? Can you play the melody you hear on the piano? Can you write down each melody note above the rhythm notes you wrote down? Do any of the melodic patterns repeat? 
  • Harmony: what harmonies do you hear? Can you label these in the music (either on your scratch paper, or above the appropriate measure on your staff paper)?

5) Transfer your notes to the staff paper. Once students have listened to the piece and understand the overall rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic structure, they are ready to write on the staff. Once everything is written on staff paper, do one final listen to make sure everything looks correct.

6) Once your student has everything transcribed on the staff, check the transcription against the sheet music. Were they right? Don't forget to check for correct notation, too--for example, are your stems pointing in the correct direction? Are your clefs, key signature, and time signature drawn correctly?

Transcribing takes a bit of practice, but after transcribing a few short pieces you should be able to tell a big difference in your students' listening and notation skills. 

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What do you think? Do you have your students transcribe from recordings? Do you think learning to transcribe is beneficial? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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A Free Christmas Rhythmic Dictation Activity

11/26/2018

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Today I am sharing a fun new holiday resource: a Christmas rhythmic dictation activity!

Rhythmic dictation--hearing a rhythm and writing it down--is an important skill. Not only does it help students to solidify their understanding of rhythm and reinforce their internal metronome, it is an essential skill for students who want to compose or arrange music. 

This activity has four levels. The first, shown above, uses only quarter, half, dotted half, and whole notes. Level 2 adds eighth notes, level 3 uses dotted quarter and eighth note groups, and level 4 contains rhythms in 6/8 time.

Depending on the experience level of your students, you may play the given examples on the piano, or tap out the rhythms instead. You might find it helpful to use the metronome, to help students clearly hear the beat. You might also find it helpful to tap or play the rhythms one measure at a time at first.

Click HERE to download all four levels of "Do You Hear What I Hear: A Christmas Rhythmic Dictation Activity!"

​What do you think? Do you practice rhythmic dictation with your students?




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A Classical Music Halloween Listening Activity

10/14/2018

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I am always looking for ways to introduce my students to important composers and pieces from the Classical repertoire. With just a couple of weeks left before Halloween, now is a perfect time to use a few spooky Classical pieces to do just that!

Thanks to YouTube, there are plenty of recordings of well-known Classical pieces that are used often around Halloween--your students might recognize them from movies, commercials, or TV shows.


HERE is a fun YouTube playlist of several Halloween favorites that you can share and discuss with your students. My favorites from the playlist include "Toccata in D Minor" by Bach, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg, "Night on Bald Mountain" by Mussorgsky, "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff, and "Danse Macabre" by Saint-Saens. 

Encourage your students to listen to the pieces from the playlist, or listen to portions in your lessons over the next two weeks. Ask your students: do any of the pieces sound familiar? Do you recognize the names of any of the composers? What story do you think the composer is telling in each piece?

Listening to these familiar classics can also give students insight into how composers think. What techniques did the composers use to make these pieces sound spooky? As you listen to each piece, ask students to consider the following characteristics:


  • Mode: This is the most obvious characteristic of spooky music--the use of the minor mode! For a fun experiment, play for your students the opening motive from Bach's Toccata in D minor, first in the original key (D-C-D,  C-Bb-A-G-F#-G), then in D major.  Just changing two notes makes a big difference! How many pieces on the playlist are in the minor mode?
  • Instrumentation: The instrument a composer uses for a piece makes a big difference as well. Going back to our Bach example, what if that famous opening melody were played by the tuba instead of the organ? It would sound pretty comical, wouldn't it? The use of the organ in the piece creates an extra layer of meaning, because we often associate the organ with church, funerals, and other solemn occasions. Listen to the drama that is created by Orff's use of both orchestra and choir in "O Fortuna!" 
  • Articulation: Listen to the opening of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and the use of pizzicato strings. Doesn't this staccato sound create a feeling of anticipation, as if Peer Gynt is sneaking through the halls of the Mountain King's castle? The articulation a composer chooses can help tell the story of a piece more effectively.
  • Dynamics: Is the piece quiet and suspenseful, or loud and dramatic? Or both, as in the opening of "O Fortuna" by Orff? Does the composer use crescendo and diminuendo to create drama? Grieg does this very effectively in "In the Hall of the Mountain King." As you listen to each piece, talk about what role the dynamics play in contributing to the mood of the piece.

What do you think? Do you encourage your students to listen to Classical pieces like these? What are your favorite Classical Halloween pieces? Let me know in the comments!

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3 First Pop and Rock Songs to Teach by Ear

2/25/2018

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One of the top requests I get from my students is to play pop and rock songs by ear. If you have read my earlier blog posts on ear training (see the archives HERE), you have seen the strategies I use for helping students learn to play simple melodies by ear and to harmonize them with basic chords. Once students have done this, playing pop songs by ear is a totally achievable goal--especially if you start with the right songs for a good first experience.

What do I look for when finding the first pop and rock songs to teach by ear? I find that the best songs to use first:
  • are in an easy key that students already know: C, G, F, and D major are great to start.
  • have a clear form with an easy-to-identify intro, verse, and chorus.
  • use a repetitive melody made up of mainly steps.
  • use a limited number of chords.
  • are familiar classics that students have heard before.

So, without further ado, here are my 3 favorite pop and rock songs to teach by ear first! These songs will help students get the hang of identifying form, following the melody and bass line, and harmonizing a melody with simple chords.

"Lean on Me" by Bill Withers

My top choice for a first pop/rock song to learn by ear is "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers. It is in the key of C major and has a repetitive melody made up of mostly steps. Best of all, you can easily harmonize the opening of this song by playing chords in the left hand that match the melody notes--creating a big sound. 

"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Students are surprised to learn that this well-known rock song only has 3 chords! Written in the key of G major, the foundation of this song is the steady D-C-G chord progression. Have students find these three bass notes first, then create a steady groove by playing each bass note twice followed by the matching root position blocked chord. The melody is also quite easy to play by ear, using mostly the notes F#, E, D, and the B below. 

"Best Day of My Life" by American Authors
This song is the most recent of the ones on the list and another favorite to teach by ear. It is in the key of D major, but the melody only uses the five notes from the D major pentatonic scale: D-E-F#-A-B. The chorus can be harmonized easily using just two chords: D major and G major. 

What do you think? Do you have a favorite pop or rock song to teach by ear? Please share in the comments!
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A Free, Easy Ear Training Activity

1/13/2018

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Is one of​ your New Year's resolutions to work on ear training with your students? 

Getting started with ear training doesn't have to be difficult. Today I would like to share a fun, simple activity that you can do with your students as early as the very first lesson. This activity will help students learn how to listen for steps and skips as well as ascending and descending patterns on the piano. 

To use this activity, print out the instruction sheet and flashcards (found HERE). 
Start by showing students just the first two cards—same or up/different. Play one of the two patterns on the piano (I like to start by using the notes C, D, and E) and have them listen and identify which pattern they hear. Then, add the third card and ask students to identify whether the pattern they hear is "same, up, or down." 

Once a student is comfortable with "same, up, or down" patterns, g
radually add more cards and begin creating longer patterns by playing several cards in a row and asking students to put the cards in the correct order. The last two cards (using an “X” between the notes) introduce the concept of listening for skips. Practice singing and playing these cards separately before adding them to the mix. 

Once your students are comfortable with this activity, they are ready to do the ear training challenge worksheets using steps and skips found HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Download the "Same, Up, or Down" ear training activity HERE.

What do you think? Will you be doing ear training activities with your students this year?

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    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


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