Syncopation: Feel the Beat

Vocal Activity

Practice the G Minor Pentatonic Scale

• Listen to the G minor pentatonic scale and practice singing along with the pitches. (This scale can also be called the la pentatonic scale.)
• Some notes may be too low and others too high, but try to sing wherever you can, using falsetto or a light head voice if necessary.

• After listening to the audio file a few times, improvise melodies by playing these notes in different orders. Use a keyboard, if possible, to help guide you.

Improvise Variations of the Song

• When you are comfortable with the notes of the G minor pentatonic scale, listen again to "Down by the River": response only.
• Instead of singing the original pitches of the melody, sing the lyrics using other notes from the G minor pentatonic scale. The lyrics are:

Down by the river
Under the moon.
I heard the water
Singing this tune.

• After singing the lyrics, improvise a vocal solo over the rest of the tune. You might improvise lyrics, create variations of the original lyrics, or use simple vocal sounds.

Improvise Responses

• Using pitches from the G minor pentatonic scale, improvise vocal responses to the vocal track (at 0:45) and the keyboard solo (at 1:09) of "Down by the River": call only.
• Use the vocal track and keyboard solo as starting points for your improvisation. For example, you might sing the same rhythms but use different notes, or start a phrase by mimicking it but then adding your own twist at the end. Note how the keyboard solo at 1:09 begins with the syncopated blues rhythm.
• Try to sing in a blues or gospel style.

Sing the Extra Blues Notes

• Sing along to the melody of "Down by the River": call only at 0:45. Note the pitch at the end of the first and third lines of the lyrics. This pitch is D, which is the flat 5th of the key. This pitch is sometimes called the "tritone" because it is a tritone away from the tonic pitch. This "extra" note can create a very bluesy sound, particularly when bending to or from it. Blues music is often very microtonal, meaning that performers bend pitches less than a half step for expressive effect.
• Sing along with "Down by the River": response only. This time, try bending the pitches between neighboring notes. For example, sing the pitch C then bend it up to a D, or bend an F to a G.
• On your worksheet, complete the Performance Activity section.
• Optional: Play the response audio file and perform your song for others.

Advanced Vocal Activity

• Listen to the syncopated solo ideas at 1:33 of "Down by the River": call only. Use them as inspiration for creating your own improvisations that use syncopated rhythms.

Web Links Extension

Go to the Web Links Extension to expand your understanding of syncopated blues rhythms and blues musicians.

You can now choose another Performance Activity.