Broken Chords (Arpeggios) in Staff and Solfa
Subject :
MUSIC
Term :
First Term / 1st Term
Week:
Week 2
Class :
JSS 2 / Basic 8
Previous lesson:
The pupils have previous knowledge of
in their previous classes
Topic
Meaning of Chord
Behavioural objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the pupils should be able to
- say the meaning of a chord
Instructional Materials:
- Wall charts
- Pictures of different types of houses
- Related Online Video
- Flash Cards
Methods of Teaching:
- Class Discussion
- Group Discussion
- Asking Questions
- Explanation
- Role Modelling
- Role Delegation
Reference Materials:
- Scheme of Work
- Online Information
- Textbooks
- Workbooks
- 9 Year Basic Education Curriculum
- Workbooks
Content:
Meaning of Chord
Chords are an important part of music notation. A chord is simply two or more notes played together. Chords can be thought of as the building blocks of music. They are used to create melodic and harmonic interest and can be found in almost any style of music. There are many different types of chords, and each has its own unique sound. The meaning of a chord can vary depending on the context in which it is used. For example, a major chord typically has a happy or bright sound, while a minor chord usually has a more sad or somber sound. Chords can also be described as being either major or minor, depending on their interval structure.
Broken Chords
A broken Chord is known as arpeggio. It refers to a situation when the notes of a chord are written or played in succession (one after the other). In other words, instead of playing or singing the notes of the scale serially—d, r, m, f, s, l, t,d—the notes is spread out like this: d,m, s,d. These notes consist of the first, third, fifth and eight degrees. In this way a broken chord is made up of four notes as described above
Solfa in Broken Chords
Study the following examples.
Arpeggios are played or sung in succession as follows:
| 1. | d : m : s | d’ : s : m | d : : | | | |
| 2. | r : f : l | r’ : l : f | r : : || | |
| 3. | m : s : t | m’ : t : s | m: : || | |
| 4. | f : l : d | f’ : d : l | f : : | | | |
| 5. | s : t : r | s’ : r : t | s : :|| | |
| 6. | l : d : m | l’ :m : d | l : : || | |
| 7. | t : r : f | t’ :f : r | t : : || | |
Ascending and Descending Order of Arpeggios
| 1. | (ascending) d : m : s | d’ : s : m | d ……. | |
| 2. | (descending) d’ : s : m | d : m : s | d’ ……. | |
MUSICAL TERMS
| SYMBOL | MUSICAL WORD | MEANING | |
| PP | Pianissimo | Very soft | |
| MP | Mezzo piano | Moderately soft | |
| FF | Fortissimo | Very loud | |
| < or cres | crescendo | Gradually becoming louder | |
| > or Decres | Decrescendo | Gradually becoming softer | |
Evaluation:
- What is a chord?
- Describe a broken chord (arpeggio).
- Build up two arpeggios on a staff using C and E as roots (quaver notes only).
- Complete the following arpeggios in the two bars provided:
| (a) | d : m : s | | || | |
| (b) | f : l : d | | || | |
| (c) | s : t : r! | | || |
Key Signatures: Major keys with Sharps and Construction of Keys G and D Major
Meaning of Key Signatures
Key signatures are symbols that indicate the key of a piece of music. These symbols are sharps and flats. They are placed at the beginning of the stave after the clef symbol. It can be found in both the treble and bass staves.
Major Keys with Sharps
Key C major has no sharp or flat as the key signature because all the notes are natural.
Key C is played only on white keys.
There are seven major keys with sharps, namely. G, D, A, E, B, F # and C#. Study the following table carefully and notice that,
| Name of Key | No. of Sharps | Name of Sharps | |
| G | 1 | F# | |
| D | 2 | F# C# | |
| A | 3 | F# C# G#. | |
| E | 4 | F# C# G#D# | |
| B | 5 | F#C#G#D#A# | |
| F# | 6 | F#C#G#D#A#E# | |
| C# | 7 | F#C#G#D#A#E#B# | |
Song to Remember Major Keys with Sharp Sign
d: d: d: s: l: l: s:-:m:m:r: r: d:-:-:-:
G D A E B F C — Major keys with sharp
d:-:m:-:l:-:r:-: d: t: l: t:d:-:-||
F—-sharp C—sharp are keys with sharp sign
This is the order of sharp keys; G D A E B F C. There are mnemonics for remembering this order of sharps. Go Down And Eat Bread Father Charles. Or Father Charles Go Down And Eat Bread. Considering the placement of the sharps on the staff, you will observe that every key signature begins with [F#] F sharp.
Each succeeding sharp is placed slightly to the right of the preceding one on the fourth step below or the fifth step above.
MUSICAL TERMS
| SYMBOL | MUSICAL WORD | MEANING | |
| P f | piu forte | Louder | |
| Fp | forte piano | Sudden change, loud to soft | |
| Sf or sfzs | forzando | Emphasis on one note | |
| > or ^ | accent | A strong stress on the note marked | |
Evaluation
- Give a simple definition of a key signature.
- What symbols are used for key signature.
- Which major keys use [a] 4 sharps [b] 7 flats.
- Write the following major keys on a treble stave; D, E flat major, A, B flat major.
Presentation
The topic is presented step by step
Step 1:
The class teacher revises the previous topics
Step 2.
He introduces the new topic
Step 3:
The class teacher allows the pupils to give their own examples and he corrects them when the needs arise
Conclusion
The class teacher wraps up or concludes the lesson by giving out a short note to summarize the topic that he or she has just taught.
The class teacher also goes round to make sure that the notes are well copied or well written by the pupils.
He or she does the necessary corrections when and where the needs arise.
EVALUATION
- What is tonic solfa notation?
- What letters are used in solfa notation?
- Write some examples of accidentals in solfa notation.
- What is a modulator?
- Write the meaning of the following punctuation marks.
(a) : (b) d:– (c) . (d) , (e) d:–:–
