Lesson 2
Activity 1 - Revision
Take some time to revise the pitches on the 5 lines and 4 spaces (the "stave"). To help you, here they are again.
On your keyboard or glockenspiel, try to play these different pitches. At the moment, play them in any rhythm you want
Activity 2 - Composing a simple theme
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A theme is a very short tune which is easy to remember. You are going to make up a short theme using any white notes on your keyboard. If you are playing a glock, don't use the notes on the top row.
Here are some hints :Listen to these three themes. List what you think is wrong with each one.
- It should use between 4 and 10 notes.
- You can repeat notes
- Avoid starting on B.
- Make your rhythm interesting
- Don't make your notes jump about. Keep them close to each other.
- Make is sound finished.
- You should be able to sing it.
THEME 1 THEME 2 THEME 3 click here for the answers
The next three themes are good ones. Notice:
Experiment a little, then decide on your theme. Try to write down the notes that you use. You could even try putting in the rhythm that you learned in the last unit. Finally, give it a title!
- They sound finished.
- They have an interesting rhythm.
- They don't jump all over the place.
- They are quite short and singable.
Your theme
Activity 3 - Learning about ledger lines ![]()
Sometimes you want to play notes that go higher or lower than the 5 lines of the stave. You now have to add lines of your own to fit them in. These lines are called ledger lines.
The notes above the stave
The highest note on the stave is G, which sits on the top line The A above G needs a ledger line. The note goes through the ledger line. The B above A goes above the ledger line. The next note, C, needs two ledger lines. The note goes through the 2nd one. The notes below the stave
The lowest note on the stave is D, which hangs from the bottom line. The C below D needs a ledger line. The note goes through this ledger line. The B below C goes below the ledger line The next note down is A which needs two ledger lines. The note goes through the 2nd one. Now it's your turn. Try to find these notes on your keyboard. Underneath each one, write the letter name.
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