Notating Accompaniments for Orff Composition

Music Begins with Rhythm: Body Percussion Canon

In Orff – Body Percussion (BP) refers to using your body to make percussive, rhythmic sounds. Traditionally we use four “levels” – stamp (stomping the feet), patsch (patting the lap), clap, and snap. These levels imitate the four non-pitched percussion families stamp=skins or drums, patsch = woods, clap = shakers/scrapers, and snap = metals.

Process:

Teach poem by rote.

Speak as a canon.

Teach pitched and non-pitched percussion parts – layer in with poem in canon.

Teach rhythmic canon.

Perform as aba form with pitched and npp parts as accompaniment.

Notating Accompaniments for Orff Composition:

Notating Movement:

1. One line for each level/movement component

2. Note stems indicate Right (up) or Left (down)

Example:

Ding Dong:

Notating Orff Instrument accompaniments:

1. Always in Treble clef regardless of voicing. Middle C is longest C on the instrument (BX, AX, SX, BM, AM, SM.)

2. Stems up indicate Left hand mallet, stems down indicate Right hand mallet. (Not all accompaniments follow this rule.)

3. Lowest instrument is always the bottom stave. e.g. BX is the bottom stave, AX would be the stave above the bottom, and SX would be the next stave, followed by AG and SG.

Notating Npp:

1. Usually a different staff is used for each instrument part with the lowest instrument (skins) on the lowest staff and the speech or song on the top staff.

2. It can be notated on a single staff as follows (similar to body percussion): rh/lh designations are not so critical – notate instrument parts on each line of the staff

a. Skins – bottom line (“e” in treble clef)

b. Woods – line 2 (“g” in treble clef)

c. Scrapers – line 3 (“b” in treble clef)

d. Metals – line 4 (“d” in treble clef)

Notating Poetry:

1. Write out the poem.

2. Clap the beat/pulse while saying the poem.

3. Write a "/" under the start of each word that you clapped on. If there is a clap with no word, write the "/" under the space where you heard it.

4. Circle the words that have the strong emphasis or strong beat. Underline the words that have a weaker beat but that is still stronger than others. (Optional)

5. Draw a barline just before the word you circled.

6. Above each beat write the number of sounds you hear.

7. Choose the notation that matches the number of sounds you heard.

8. Transfer the notation to a staff.
THE CANON

In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration (e.g. quarter rest, one measure, etc.). The initial melody is called the leader, while the imitative melody is called the follower -- which is often played in a different voice.

In the Orff style, a canon is somewhat like a round. In fact, every round is a canon but not every canon is necessarily a round.

Imitation:

1. Simultaneous (Unison) imitation – the imitated response happens at the same time as the instructor’s cue – Copy the teacher. This is reaction training for the eye.

2. Echo Imitation: the imitated response happens after the instructor’s cue (see “Rote Technique”). This is reaction training for the ear.

Ø “Rote Technique: will refer to the following steps:

§ Teacher performs song in totality. Class listens.

§ Teacher performs phrase one. Class echoes.

§ Teacher continues above process with each subsequent phrase.

§ Teacher performs phrase one and two. Class echoes.

§ Teacher performs phrases three and four. Class echoes.

§ Teacher performs song in totality. Class echoes

v Imitation can be applied to all aspects of music.

Ø In movement: Students build observation skills and develop the ability to react quickly to cues (mirror movement.)

Ø Verbal imitation: work with vocalization sounds

Ø B/P: Sound imitation (snap, clap, patsch, stomp)

Ø Instrumental response to B/P: Transfer of movement. language or teacher gesture to instruments

Body Percussion generally transfers to the following instruments:

Snaps / Metals / Glockenspiels / Soprano
Claps / Woods / Xylophones / Alto
Patsch / Skins/drums / Metallophones / Tenor
Stomp / Large Percussion / Basses / bass

Simple Simultaneous imitation: Can You Do This?

a. Can you do this? (Patsch for 8 beats, repeat for 4 beats, 2 beats, 1 beat, double time)

b. Can you do this? (clap for 8 beats, repeat for 4 beats, 2 beats, 1 beat, double time)

c. Can you do this? (shoulders for 8 beats, repeat for 4 beats, 2 beats, 1 beat, double time)

d. Can you do this? (head for 8 beats, repeat for 4 beats, 2 beats, 1 beat, double time)

Unison Imitation (for the eye):

v Unison Body Percussion (snap, clap, patschem, stamp)

§ Teacher leads repeated patterns on any of the body parts

§ Students join as soon as they can

§ Teacher changes and students change

§ Combine patterns

§ Perform in canon

· Hint: for success and progress keep the patterns simple, and very repetitive. E.G.:

Echo Imitation

Teacher Plays a pattern – students echo
Similar to Rote teaching

Change on Four:

Simple Rhythmic echo game:

1. Teacher claps a 4 beat pattern. Students echo.

2. Teacher pats 4 straight beats on laps. Students echo.

3. Teacher claps a different 4 beat pattern. Students echo.

4. Teacher pats 4 straight beats on laps. Students echo.

5. Continue until secure.

6. Teacher begins again but while the students are echoing the first pattern, teacher begins the lap pattern and continues with no breaks.

In simple Binary meter, the choices for each sound/beat correlation is:

One sound = q

Two Sounds = e e

Three Sounds = xx e or e xx

Four Sounds = xxxx

In Compound Ternary meter, the choices for each sound/beat correlation is:

One sound = q.

Two Sounds = e q or q e

Three Sounds = e e e

Four Sounds = xxe e or exxe or ee xx

Georgie

Combining binary (simple) meter and ternary (compound) meter together makes an interesting texture, however, understanding how the pulse controls the music is important. The divisions of the beat is what sets the two apart as distinct and unique.

For very young children, introducing ta and ti-ti works best with simple duple meter (2/4, 4/4) rather than compound duple meter (6/8).

* Notating in compound meter is an advanced skill.

The Ostinato:

Ostinato: An easily recognizable repeated pattern.

1) Speech ostinato – a phrase that repeats

2) Rhythmic ostinato – a rhythmic pattern that repeats

3) Melodic ostinato: An ostinato that combines a rhythmic pattern with a melodic pattern

a) Bordun – a Melodic ostinato that uses the intervals of I-V

b) Melodic fragment – a melodic pattern that repeats

Ostinati can be layered together to create rhythmic texture.

Ostinati can be used with different instruments to create melodic/harmonic texture.

Language is the foundation for any ostinato.

An ostinato:

· Develops a feeling of form (tension and relaxation)

· Helps develop memory.

· Helps each player listen to each other (collaborative)

· Provides the background for accompaniment and improvisation.

An Ostinato should:

· Be horizontal as well as vertical.

· Have good structure.

· Compliment the melody and the other ostinati.

§ Be more than one measure. (If there are more than one ostinati, varying the length is one way to create a complimentary pattern.

Process:

1. Teach the poem

2. Teach the ostinati one at a time, always combining the ostinati with the poem.

3. Substitute NPP for ostinati.

4. Create final form

Speech ostinati: Mrs. Praying Mantis

Process:

1) Teach the poem.

2) Teach Ostinato #1.

3) Have the class repeat the ostinato while the teacher says the poem.

4) Divide the class into two groups. Have one group say the ostinato, the other says the poem. Switch.

5) Teach Ostinato #2.

6) Repeat steps 2-4.

7) Have group one say Ostinato #1, the other group say Ost. #2, while the teacher says the poem. Switch.

8) Divide the class in 3. Assign one group to do Ost. #1, the second to do Ost. #2 and the third to do the poem. Rotate the parts until each group has had the chance to do each part.

9) Assign each group a part and create a movement to go with their part.

Create a final form and perform.

Easy Speech Ostinati – Classroom Creations

1) Have students brainstorm their favorite bugs and categorize them into 4 lists of insects/bugs.

a) 1 sound: ant, slug,

b) 2 sounds: spider, firefly, cricket

c) 3 sounds: grasshopper, butterfly

d) 4 sounds: Praying mantis, painted lady,

2) Draw Complimentary rhythmic ostinati using numbers (complimentary means that the patterns are different horizontally and vertically):

1 1 1 rest

2 3 2 3

3 4 3 2

4 4 rest 1

3) Have the students substitute words from their lists for numbers and you have instant complimentary speech ostinati.

4) Layer them in as you feel is appropriate for the grade level you are teaching (grade one may only be able to layer #1 with one other ostinati. Other grades may be able to combine ostinati.)

5) Find a final form for the piece.

6) Perform

Rhythmic Ostinati: Wiggle to the Laundromat

Process:

i) Teach Poem

ii) Substitute movement for words.

iii) Have students work in small groups to create their own ostinati.

Assignment:

Create a poem with movement accompaniment and three complimentary speech ostinati.