GISMART PIANO:

Rhythm & Scales

THEORY

Learn to play rock and roll!Learn the pentatonic scale and get ideas on rhythm!

Learn how you can accompany a soloist!

RHYTHM & SCALES

This lesson is about the pentatonic scale, playing a rhythm role and ideas on rhythm. The pentatonic scale is a common scale most typically used in rock and roll and blues. Learning its notes allows the students to play cool-sounding solos.

A rhythm role simply means that one student plays the rhythmic chord accompaniment while the other solos. Using the chord bank makes this easy and fun!

As for the rhythm, the minigames (magic keys and magic tiles) will provide good examples on how to vary the rhythm as the students play.

- theory: This lesson introduces your students to the concept of pentatonic scales.- tasks: The students get to practice being a rhythm player and soloist.- discuss & tasks: The tasks focus on playing in groups and mastering the pentatonic scale.

THEORY: LESSON GOAL

Learn the pentatonic scalePractice rhythm

Play solo & rhythm piano

This lesson is relaxed and simply requires each student to try out all the features of the app so they’re ready to learn more advanced topics on later lessons. A great help in this is the TeacherGaming Analytics: select the student progress tab so you can instantly see which students have tried out which features, and help students that have trouble finding something you tell them to.

It’s a good idea to save a few minutes for sharing at the end of the lesson, 5 minutes is enough.

THEORY: WHAT IS A SCALE?

In music theory, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental

frequency or pitch.

In other words: the scale we will be using today is a collection of notes that sound really good when played with certain chords. The chords that we will use (Am, Dm, Em) are all chords that use notes from the a minor pentatonic scale. The following slides will provide explicit instructions on how the A minor scale and A minor pentatonic scale work.

THEORY: A MINOR SCALE

To play the a minor scale, simply play all the white notes. Here, one octave (the interval which occurs when you go from the same note to its next higher or lower version) contains all the notes of the a minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. It’s a good idea to let the students try this out before progressing.

Note: You don’t need to play just these notes (A3 to A4). All white keys are part of the a minor scale, because the same keys repeat endlessly.

THEORY: A MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE

The a minor pentatonic has two differences when compared to the a minor scale: never play the B and F keys. This gives the scale a nice, bluesy sound. You can play all other white keys, but the second and sixth keys are not used when playing in the pentatonic scale. Let the students try this out before progressing.

PLAY: LET’S PLAY SOME MINIGAMES!

Now’s the time to try out the two minigames (magic keys and magic tiles). The students can choose whichever songs they wish, but remind them to pay attention to the rhythm while they play. It’s a good source of ideas for later in the lesson! It’s a good idea to spend roughly 10 minutes playing these minigames.

PLAY: RHYTHM ACCOMPANIMENT

Tell the students: Playing a rhythm accompaniment means you play chords while another student plays solos with the a minor pentatonic scale. You can use the chord bank if you can’t remember how to play the chords. Switch roles after some time so everyone gets to try both soloing and rhythm playing.

Note: An upcoming slide provides a reminder for the chords used and the pentatonic scale to make this task easier for the students.

PLAY: SOLO

Tell the students: Playing a solo means that you play notes from a scale - in this case the A minor pentatonic scale - with a good rhythm and nice melody. The soloist’s only rules are that they must follow along the scale as they play their solos.

PLAY: SOLO

Solo: A Minor Pentatonic

Play all the white keys except B and F!

Rhythm Accompaniment: Chords

Play the chords Am, Dm and Em!

Now the students spend the rest of the class playing both the solo and rhythm accompaniment roles. After there’s roughly five minutes remaining of the class, move to the next slide for sharing and discussing this experience. For your convenience, below are some tips for this task:

● The solo players should focus on rhythm and getting the scale right. Soloists can use multiple keys at the same time when they are playing, but it’s not essential as it can be quite difficult.

● The rhythm accompaniment player can use the chord bank to find the chords Am, Dm and Em, and even constantly use the bank if the assignment is too difficult. A good way to accompany the

● soloist is by playing the Am chord for some time, then Dm, then Em, and then starting from the beginning. There however is no wrong way to play these chords together, so the student can play these three chords however they please. If they have a lot of difficulty, they can play the same chord for some time.

● Remember to switch the role! Everyone needs to learn both soloing and rhythmic playing.

● Circle around the classroom and help students who may have trouble.

SHARE & DISCUSS

● Which do you enjoy more - being a soloist or rhythm accompanist? Why?

● Can you name any bands with a solo and rhythm guitarist? There are many!

These questions are meant to engage and activate the students after playing, so they can share their experiences with you. You can also think of additional questions if you so wish. Most importantly, these are simply meant to make the students think on and explain the concepts of today’s lesson.

Examples of famous bands with 2 guitarists: Aerosmith, Metallica, Judas Priest, Pearl Jam, Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC, Rolling Stones