YEAR 9 MUSICPOPULAR SONG

COUNTING STARS By ONE REPUBLIC

Learning Objectives

• Know what a CHORD is

• Understand the effectiveness of TEMPO changes in a song

• Be able to PERFORM the song Counting Stars by One Republic, including a TEMPO change & the 4 CHORDS Am C G & F

Let’s Listen!• We will now watch the video by clicking on the link at the

bottom of the page.• Listen to how the 4 CHORDS Am G C & F are used in the song.

QUESTIONS:• When does the TEMPO change?• What effect does it have on the song? THINK, PAIR, SHARE YOUR ANSWERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg

CHORDS• QUESTION: • What is a CHORD?• ANSWER: • A CHORD is when 2 or more notes are played together.• E.g. a C MAJOR CHORD is when notes C E G are played together.

• On the STAFF or STAVE, a C MAJOR CHORD would look like this:

• Here is another musical key word: TRIAD• QUESTION: • What is a TRIAD?• ANSWER: • A TRIAD is when 3 notes are played together.

There are just 4 CHORDS you need to learn so that you can play the song COUNTING STARS by

ONE REPUBLIC

• Am (A MINOR) = A C E

• C (C MAJOR) = C E G

• G (G MAJOR) = G B D

• F (F MAJOR) = F A C

TEMPO & STRUCTURE• QUESTION: • What does bpm stand for in music?• ANSWER: • BEATS PER MINUTE

• CHORUS TEMPO starts at 105 bpm• VERSE ONE TEMPO is at 120-bpm

• Listen to the song again, clicking on the link below and working in pairs, try to work out the STRUCTURE of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg

• QUESTION: • What do you notice about the CHORD progression in the VERSE and the CHORUS?• ANSWER: • The CHORDS are played in the same order:Am x 4 C x 4 G x 4 F x 4 then repeat

Want a Challenge? Read the music notation

Where the notes are on the STAFF or STAVE, tells us where to play the notes on the keyboard

The type of note tells us how long each notes is.e.g. a MINIM tells us to hold the note sustained for 2 beats.

Practise, practise, practise!

• Now choose your instrument for today’s practice session and remember to complete your rehearsal booklet during the session.

• Remember to set yourself targets for this session, and to self evaluate your progress at the end so that you can review and set further targets for your next practice session.

QUESTION: Why do you think this is important?THINK, PAIR, SHARE YOUR ANSWERS

Extension Task

• How many other songs can you find that use the same 4 CHORDS as the song Counting Stars by One Republic?

• Research songs using the Internet and write your findings on the worksheet provided.

• Here is one example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHxnm1-gVS4