TO TVilNK MUSIC H aniet Ayer Seymour . .4 UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNm AT LOS ANGELES LIBRARY HOW TO THINK MUSIC By Harriet Ayer Seymour FIFTH EDITION REVISED AND AUGMENTED 'The culture we recommend is, above all. an inward operation." — Matthew Arnold G. SCHIRMER. INC., NEW YORK 1267:i?> CopjTight, 1910. by The H. W. Gray Co. First published in The New Music Review Copyright, 1915, by G. ScHiRMrR, Inc. 25716 Printed in the U. S. A. Co l^r. iFranfe Pamrogcf) whose efforts for the advancement of music in America have been untiring ^ ^A^ PREFACE. In music, as in other things, we have al- lowed ourselves to do a great deal of thought- less, and therefore useless work. The object of this book is to arouse those zvho have only played music to think music before playing it. The thought must always be prior to the fact. The inward process of listening and hearing is 7iot adequately expressed by the word ^ think, but it seems to be the best term descrip- "^ tive of the process that the English language affords. I do not presume for a moment to address myself to the trained musician to zvhom this side of the question has become second nature, but rather to the lover of music who has played the piano or organ or any other musical in- strument, and zvho has never really heard inw'ardly (or thought) the music he has played. Since so many persons of the latter class have enriched their lives already after the manner herein advocated, the temptation to -write this book has proved irresistible. I am under obligations to Professor Wil- liam P. Trent, of Columbia College, zvhose helpful siiggestio)is and criticisms have been of the utmost value to me. I zvish also to thank my pupils, whose interest and enthusiasm have been unfailing. H. A. S. New York, August, 1910. CONTENTS Chapter I. Introductory - - - 7 Chapter II. Melody 11 Chapter III. Rhythm - - - - 29 Chapter IV. Chords - - - - - 38 Addenda -- 53 Teaching Material - - - - - 55 I)0W Co CbinK music. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. |HIS little book, the outgrowth of my own experience in teaching music, is a plea for two things : First, that we shall strive to enable our students to work from principles ; and, secondly, that we shall present the study of music so simply that the student will be definitely conscious of what he learns. It is not what the teacher intends to convey that takes root in the mind of the pupil, but what the pupil understands. In my judgment there is really no such thing as taking piano lessons. The piano is simply the mstrument we choose for the expression of musical ideas. Music itself is in the mind, and therefore the teaching of it should be distinctly a mental training. How many thousand students of music have given up in despair because they had never been taught to think music ! My first realization of this came to me in the following way : A friend and I had under- taken the teaching of kitchen gardening in a settlement school class. Neither Illustration of j- i j i , Bad Methods °^ "' ^^^ ^^^ ^"y experience, and we found the children very untcachable. While we were racking: our 8 brains for some means of quieting them, I thought of music. My friend was a brilliant pianist. "You play some familiar song and I'll make them sing," I said. • "I have no notes," she answered. "But play anything — play 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee.' "' "I have no notes," she still retorted. Whereupon I sat down at the piano and soon had the children quiet and contented. On the way home I asked my friend to ex- plain her conduct, and she confessed that she was absolutely lost at the keyboard unless she had notes or knew the music from having "memorized" it. The playing and harmoniz- ing of a simple melody was an impossibility to her and yet she was called "a very fine musician." We should be taught to think music, and there necessarily must be a definite principle to work from. For instance, mstead of mak- ing the pupil learn in a year, Prindi"" perhaps, to play six "pieces," it would be far better to establish in his mind certain definite facts from which he can work always, such as : First — Hearing the tones inwardly before producing them. Second — ^Finding the tones on the keyboard in all keys. Third — Realizing the scale relationship and intervals so that all keys are equally easy for him. Fourth — Learning the principle that under- lies rhythm. Fifth — Singing and writing simple original melodies which he has heard inwardly first, and last of all harmonizing these melodies. In two or three years it ought to be and is possible for him to play and harmonize any simple melody, in any key ; to be conscious of exactly what is taking place, both in his mind and on the keyboard, and to play good simple music, understanding its fundamental harmony and feeling its rhythm. This is not a new idea, for many teachers are applying it already. The demand for more vital teaching is growing among parents ; the children them- selves prefer it. Grown-up people who have "studied music" and then given it up in despair because they never seemed to acquire any working basis for independent study, are tak- Some ... ■ • ^1^' Qeod Results '"^ '^ "P ^^^^" '" ^^'^ ^^5^' ^° novel to them. Because of the effects of the new teaching it is becoming less common for a girl to give up music when she marries. She certainly needs then all that is beautiful and ennobling, needs it as much, if not more, than ever before. This "new education" in music means music in the home. We do not, as a people, want so much the brilliant performer as we want 10 mothers who can and will play for the chil- dren to dance and sing; who, if the notes are not at hand, understand the principles so well that they can play without notes, and who can, if necessary, transpose a little song into the key that suits the childish voices. We need more music in the world, because we need more culture, more beauty, more sweetness, and music makes for all of these. It may be a fanciful idea, but I believe that music is an absolute necessity to an harmonious development. True culture must include music, and since "men of culture are the true apostles of equality," music is a force or power for social good, and should be taught with the utmost clearness and simplicity. Experience has shown me that children, and older per- sons as well, who have been taught in this way, love music more and more. The time is al- ways too short, and the hours at the piano do not by any means constitute the whole of music to the student. It is an ever present element in his life and in the lives of those about him. To every one should be given the chance to cultivate this inherent sense for beauty of sound, in such a way as to make it a permanent help towards a more harmonious and joyous life. CHAPTER II. MELODY. arms, and Thought and Action piano lesson must include thought as well as action. Heretofore too much attention has been paid to more or less mechanical movements of the hands and too little to the heart of the subject. When their attention is called to it, many students are astonished to find how little music they really hear, mentally. The study of music, to be of any value, must consist, first of all, of an inward process. The ability to think music or to hear it in- wardly is the root of the problem. In other words, the study of music must take place primarily in the mind. The first step should be to hear, mentally, a very simple melody, not to hear it played on the instrument, but to hear it inwardly — not "with the mind's eye," but with the mind's ear, so to speak, and then to reproduce outwardly what is heard, by singing it. If the pupil can learn to listen, the music is there waiting. For instance, start by sing- ing such a simple combination of tones as : I or II atzj; P«^- :;=3: :«=S: 12 and ask the pupil to give you one equally sim- ple. Let him — I — inwardly hear it. 2 — sing it. 3 — find it on the keyboard. 4 — write it down. This is fascinating to all students, although there is sometimes trouble in making a start. "It is the first step that costs the most." It is better to confine one's self to the simplest music for some time, and to be sure to hear the melody very distinctly before you sing and play and write it. Once a student has learned to hear music mentally the flood-gates of mel- ody are open to him. Words are sometimes used with these first melodies. Mr. Calvin B. Cady, to whose book, "Music Education," I refer all those who wish to take up this side of the ques- Use of Words tion more fully, considers this very important. In my opinion it is an individual matter. We are studying tones, and the sound alone is enough if the pupil can thus become conscious of melody. Children usually prefer to use words. Some- times a phrase, such as : "Fitter, patter, goes the rain." or a quotation from a familiar verse, as: "The organ with the organ man Is singing in the rain." proves helpful. Every lesson for a long time should include this melody work until the pupil can think a 13 melody easily ; sing it, write it and play it. It is always a delight to discover „ . ^, that one can unearth such a Melodies wealth of tunes in one s own mind. I have watched this process in all sorts of persons and been obliged sometimes to train so-called "monotones" into recognizing and producing the seven tones before getting to tunes. With patience it can be done. Work according to Froebel's principle that within the pupil is the consciousness of music, and that the teacher's work is to stimulate the awakening of that consciousness. There are, of course, many ways — just as many ways as there are obstacles. For in- stance, one boy refuses to sing — let him whistle. Another refuses even No Set Rule ^ u- -i i. a ».>» i ■ . _ . , to whistle — says he can t — let for Teaching -^ . . him start by picking out fa- miliar tunes on the keyboard. Another "hates"' this but loves the opera; let him find some melody or motif on the keyboard. The best way is first, listening ; second, singing ; third, writing; fourth, playing; but there is absolutely no set rule to be laid down because individuals are not sheep, and must be met on their own ground. Therefore, the order may be changed sometimes, provided the pupil has heard the melody first. This is imperative. It matters very little whether in a year a pupil has heard, sung and written one hundred melo- dies or five, if only he has become conscious 14 of melody in his own mind and can produce what he has heard. A friend of mine sent me her Httle daugh- ter. The child, artistic to her very finger tips, had been "learning to play the piano" for six years and hated music. I got Two Different her to show me her work. She Ways had written out, absolutely me- chanically, books of notes which had no meaning whatever to her and which were simply records of dull and unprofitable hours unwillingly given to music. Her play- ing was perfunctory because she disliked the cheap, modern things she played. Altogether, she was a good example of the results of a perfectly uninteresting, external and mechan- ical mode of teaching "music." Finally, I asked her whether she had ever done anything in her music work that inter- ested her. Smilingly she produced a sheet of paper brought from school on which was written : ~S- ^^m. "1 wrote it myself," she said, "I loved to do it and I can sing it." This one little piece of really thoughtful work had stamped itself in- delibly on her mind and made her happy. Teachers will find that all children are interested in thinkiuLr music and that the 15 interest grows where otherwise it is apt to flag. It is Emerson, I think, who says that the really great man is he who dwells on the af- firmative, positive side of things, and so it is with the teacher. The teacher "«"!. " must meet the pupil on some con- genial ground. For mstance, if the pupil always has wanted to "pick things out" on the piano, the teacher should find out the music he is interested in and let him pick that out. If he has difficulty in play- ing it he will be willing soon to think and sing it first, because he desires to play it. Thus he will see the use of singing. "Desire is the soul of will." Actual work with every imaginable kind of child, from the "unmu- sical," "uninterested," "stubborn," "nervous" kind to the interested musical and willing one, has proven the truth of this statement. When I first started to teach some appar- ently hopeless pupils were given me, but their interest, once aroused, has never wavered. One boy whose mother brought How to Arouse ... , . . , ^ . him to me as a last resort — a Interest pitched battle with his teacher having been the final episode of his stormy career as a would-be "performer" on the much-abused and long-suflFering piano — now talks of composing an opera, and was quite insistent about having a lesson on Christ- mas day because that happened to be his regu- 16 lar time for a lesson, and he couldn't bear to miss it. The fact is that when true music thinking is aroused, it never can be forgotten or neglected. Two or three years ago I was asked to take a desperate case, a little girl who came of a musical family, who had had lessons all her life, and who had fought regularly with her distracted teacher. "I am told," said the mother, "that you will help Mary to love her music, but I must tell you that she is unwilling and disobedient, and if you can interest her I shall be surprised." At first it was uphill work, but by studying the child's tastes I managed to stir up a spark of interest. All singing and note writing was unpleasant to her, so that she simply played some Schumann and Mozart, for the first six months. Gradually the love of music grew. Finally she asked me to teach her harmony, and even begged for extra hours, and this year she has laid a foundation that will never leave her, and on which she is building al- ready. This foundation consisted first of all of thinking, singing and writing and playing melodies. Through mental photography certain neces- sary facts may be impressed upon the mind. A clear mental image consciously made is in- valuable in the study of music. Take the very simplest facts which we are obliged to know in order to read music easilv : First of all the 17 notes. Place the chart before the pupil. Let him look at it intently, then close his eyes and mentally see — middle C — in its position be- tween the staves, and then — "twice lined C" — above and below. c^-- c^ Have him repeat this process until he can write out from memory what he has seen. Then take up the next point, i. e., the position of the notes on the two staves, Writing from , . ., 4. u • ^u Memo ^ impress it mentally in the same way. (See Addenda, p. 53.) S- -^ 3:0 Then the next — to teach the Values of Notes values of notes and rests. Have and Rests the child see the chart, first of all, with the physical eye, and afterward with the mind's eye. One might term it conscious mental photography. 18 Notes. -A fS N fV H 1 1 1— Ay-A,- N > _&»._V.-N>.-K.-N. N S- N N ^ ^ N - ir N - N- N- N [i^ . rs -IN-N-A-^-A- N N -N-N #- Rests. _-, =1 -?_ -; SI ^ -1 s^ :t=H=H=^*«=:§=i=:t=«=«: The next step is the transposing of melo- dies. As soon as you can think a melody, you 19 should be able to transpose it. The tones of which melodies consist are, of The Scale course, made up of tones of the scale. Since the scale is the basis of all melodic thought, it must be studied thoroughly and with understanding. The diatonic scale exists in the conscious- ness. We come to feel that the scale is an established and logical relationship, just as two and two are four is an established and logical relationship — just as the multiplication table is an established and logical relationship. It is not necessary to explain why this is so, it is sufficient that it is so. In order to transpose melodies, we must be absolutely at home in singing, writing and playing the scale in all keys. Children can be taught the scale as the simplest melody. The following scale-songs were composed by children seven and nine years old. - i -m- ** The fish are swimming all a-ronnd Because ihej can't walk on the ground. ^g ^ 1-, _r;,_,_rl«-P-, m—. — ^ ^-1 •- iJUgoeiiii I have a bird who sings all day, He neT-er sings when I'm a-waj. The rain is rain-ing all a-round. I'p • on the trees and on the ground. 20 Therefore let the children make scale songs, using their own words, or words given by the teacher, and let them sing these same songs in another key, i. e., transpose " °^ ' them. Suppose, for instance, that a child is familiar with the C scale only, can hear, sing, write and play it. Let him play D, for instance, as the first note, and find the scale. He will play D, E, F natural, but quickly hear that F natural is not the tone he wants. Then he will find F sharp and know that it sounds as he wants to hear it ; then follow G, A, C. C sounds out of harmony with the other notes, and he quickly puts his finger on C-sharp, then D, and he has discovered the scale of D for himself. Let him discover all of the scales in this way. Let him write each scale that he dis- covers and indicate the half-steps. Thus he will see that the form is a half-tone at 3 and 4 and the same at 7 and 8. Proceeding in this way, it is plain that it is the sound that counts, and that the form is the outcome of the sound. Dwell on this point. This discovery of the scale in different places teaches many things : the sound of it, the form of it, and that it does not matter at all whether there are two flats or six sharps in it — it is always the same scale of eight perfectly related tones, as easy to deal with in one key as another. Most pupils ask why you call a note 21 sharp and not flat, or vice versa. For instance, take the key of G : why, when you have played G, A, B, C, D, E, must it be F-sharp? Why not G-flat? Simply because the scale consists of eight tones, and each tone must have its own name. We have had E, and G is the last tone, so we must have F something, and since it goes up, it must be sharp. Tell the chil- dren that a sharp is a half tone higher and a flat a half tone lower. The question of tonality is very important. The pupil, in order really to think in the key, must feel the rest tone,* root tone, tonic or keynote, i. e., the tone which rep- Root Tone resents home, the tone which is the goal of all the other tones, and which the pupil must be conscious of in his playing and singing, so that he could stop at any time and give the keynote or tonic at once. This point must be dwelt upon and made very clear ; the pupil must perceive it, under- stand it and illustrate it. In order to transpose in writing, the signa- tures must be explained. Teach one new signature at a time, using the following charts for mental imaging, and apply the knowledge at once by having the pupil transpose into the key whose signature has been learned. ♦Also see ADPENDA, p. 53. 22 Key o£ C Major Key of G Major m m Key of D Major Key of A Major ^fe m ; w*7!gr* Key of E Major Key of B Major i ft mi m Key of F|^ Major Key of Cjjl Major Ith ps 5*.^ SK 23 Key of F Major Key of B'7 Major # ~Bt£ Key of E7 Major Key of A2 Major ijpl 1:H- m^EE Key of Djl Major .£2. Key of Gi7 Major i^. m^- m IK^ ^^E !^ Key of C? Major As soon as the scale is understood, let the pupil take a short melody and "find it" in the key of G, of F, of D — that is, sing, write and 24 play it. A progressive drill in this trans- posing of melody should be a part of the daily work from now on, but always with the recognition of the keynote or root tone. Folk- music, especially the simplest French and Ger- man folk-songs, is the best material to use — but in the case of very young pupils, the short- est melodic phrases, such as the following, should be used : ^ — U__< U 1 =f=r -B-^- 1*-*-.^- and here words, thought of either by the teacher or the pupil, are extremely useful, such as: Spring is here ! Bloom like a rose ! Rejoice and sing! An illustration given by a child : "Little birdie, little birdie! It is time to build your nest, For the winter now is over. You must sing your very best." As soon as possible, use Folk-music. Tak- ing familiar tunes, such as "The Star-Spangled Banner," and transposing them at the key- board is very helpful ; but I find children woefully at a loss when asked for a song. It appears that American children, except those who attend the public schools, know practically no songs. "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" has 25 been given me so often as the only song known, that my piano can almost play it of itself. We ought to sing more at home, as the Germans do. Boys like the Wagner motifs, and the trans- position of these motifs is helpful, both for the thought involved and the familiarity ac- quired with the best in music and literature. These motifs are really very simple, and neither teacher nor pupil need be terrified by the name of Wagner. Siegfried's Motif. Use of Wagner Motifs The Rhine. 1=^1^ :=3=i:zSi =M^:ff: Walhalla. This kind of work is necessarily slow, and in order to do it thoroughly more time should be allotted for the study of music ; but, even as it is, a few moments taken from each lesson, and devoted to the thinking side of music, will be more than well spent. During the first year or two, these seeds will produce no flowers that can be passed around to fond relatives and friends ; but in the years to come, the garden will flourish, and there 26 will be ample proof of the "worth-whileness" of it. My experience has been that the parents have become so interested in the children's work that they have taken up their own study of music once more, and found what they had been unable to grasp previously — an under- standing of the fundamental principles — the principles of music which enabled them to use their knowledge and to enjoy it as they never had before. This is one of the questions that I usually ask pupils of this kind : "Can Thinking Scales you think all scales and sing them, saying the name of the note, as the A scale (singing each tone) A, B, Cf, D, E, F#, G#,A?" If not, drill in this way on every scale. Fol- low this with singing and playing of short original melodies in all keys, first singing and saying the scale. Think the melody, and sing exactly what you have thought, then write it and play it in all keys. When a grown per- son is asked whether she can do this, she usually says she can, but upon trying, she has trouble first of all in thinking a melody ; sec- ondly, in singing what she has thought ; and thirdly, in remembering it long enough to write it down ; finally she cannot play it. Concentration and clear thinking are at the root of this drill, and I have seen women who have not studied at all since they left college or school really suffer over this work; but after 27 a while they give thanks and are fascinated by the working of their own minds. Some thorough interval work is helpful at this point. Give the keynote on the piano and let the pupil sing any note you designate, as give C — ask the pupil to sing E (a third), G (a fifth), etc. Drill in all keys, keeping strictly to the intervals of the scale, in the following way: Give E, ask for a 5th Let the pupil write out tables of intervals. Grown persons also are likely to be uncon- scious of the root-tone or keynote, and must be drilled on this. Dictation is a Writing Tables ,• ^- ^ 1 1 . distmct help to transposition, i. e., giving short phrases on the piano and having the pupil write them in dif- ferent keys. Plan the work in this way — ■ some dictation, some singing — a good deal of work at the keyboard. 28 Thus far we have dealt only with the melodic side of the question. In most cases it seems best to do this, but again there is no iron-clad rule, and if the harmonic side ("the bass") interests an older pupil more than the melodic does, work may be done there first as well as last. To sum up what the pupil must have learned in order to transpose simple melodies into all keys ; he must hear or think a melody ; be con- scious of the tonality or "home" tone, and of the scale relationship. He must be sure of the simple intervals as they occur in the scale and be able to sing the melody he has con- ceived, and to find it on the keyboard in all keys. If there is time, the sol fa syllables should be taught and used, but as time is usually so limited, it is better to use the ordi- nary alphabetical names. Key of C. TJ . g > < - ? -^ -s<- -G>- -S>- S>- ■<»- Key of A. n |-»-« r^° -<&- ■TO~=^ — r^S— r~s? — :z:c233 :— 23ZZZ r-=i — c J Key of F. -^ — I — '^- Key of AJj. To be written in all keys. CHAPTER III. RHYTHM. "The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye, the Lord has made both of them." HYTHM has been defined as the feeHng that iinderHes music, the Hfe or the motive power of tone. We cannot separate the sound from rhythm ; for as soon as ont thinks of or conceives a melody, it has rhythm. As soon as the musical idea takes form in the mind, motion becomes a part of it. There could be no melody without this thought of motion or rhythm — it is the very soul of mu- sical expression and must be definitely con- ceived and understood. This, of course, is, first of all, a mental process. Again we must listen and hear; and having heard consciously the melody and its rhythm, we must be able to express it definitely. Take for example this melody : Where did it come from ? 1 kept still and lis- tened and finally heard it. That "something ever singing" that Browning speaks of, sang the song to me. I recognized melody and rhythm and I sang it. But how am I to ex- press this rhythm of which I am inwardlv 30 conscious? Here is the melody, or rather, here are its tones : In this form, however, it is a hfeless, motion- less thing, yet I hear in my mind not the mel- ody only, but the rhythm (motion). How am I to express this ? By the help of what we call time. When this has become a matter of definite knowledge, the next step is the expressing of rhythm (motion) that has been clearly thought out. In music there are in reality two rhythms only. One represents two and its multiples, the other three and its multiples. This is an important point ; dwell on it ! I use every expedient to develop this truth from the pupil, so that it is not simply a matter of information given by the teacher to the credu- lous pupil, but a matter of con- Rhythm the soul viction, perception and under- of Music standing on the part of the in- telligent pupil. _It is worth while to take time to think out this question of rhythm. It is the very soul of music, and must be realized by the would-be musician. No person can realize rhythm for another — it must be realized in the mind of the student. Let the child give (by clapping hands or tapping the foot) examples of two-pulse and three-pulse rhythm. Play waltzes and two- M Steps, and let him tell you which is which. Dwell on these simple rhythmic forms until they can readily be discerned by the pupil. Then take the next step. Let the pupil hear a melody and its rhythm, sing it — clapping hands or tapping the strong or accented tones or pulses. After this has become an easy matter — let him write the melody he has thought and sing it, and let him find and dis- cover the time through the rhythm. "Time" is simply a mechanical aid, used to enable us to express rhythm. Tell him that the first note of every measure is apt to be the strong one, and that if he feels a strong tone, he must arrange his time so that the strong tone will fall on the first beat in the measure, as i^^ :t=«EEE-z =S^ The King of love my Shep - herd is. Thou, thou, ^:z^=S^. Thou, thou, thou art my life. This is of course elementary and not ideal. Musicians deplore the use of regular accentuation and insist upon more freedom but most teachers will agree with me in saying that to teach solely by phrases in the very beginning makes rhythm less clear to the pupils. (See Addenda.) Dancing is invaluable as a help in arousing the sense of rhythm. Cecil J. Sharp, the famous 32 English authority on Folk Songs and Dances, has published several collections, which can be used. Playing these dances and asking the children to indicate the rhythm is another good way. We must ask what makes the difference be- tween 3/4 and 4/4 time, and Jwpe that the pupil will be able to give the correct answer, i.e., that it all depends on the musical idea. If we are thinking our own original melo- The Musical dies, it depends upon the charac- Idea ter of our idea, and if we are expressing the idea of Schumann or Beethoven, we must study to conceive and understand (and later to visualize) the com- poser's idea. In rhythm, as in melody, the sound or idea is the vital thing, and the time is the outcome of the sound. In this study of rhythm words are often of great assistance. The strong accent, of course, comes on the important word, as "The year's at the spring, The day's at the morn." R. B. "The world is so full of a number of thifigs I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings!" R. L. S. But this is only a passing aid, since we are dealing with sound, and ultimately must feel the rhythm (motion) without the help of words. There are other ways of helping children to realize rhythm, and dancing is one of the best. Needless to say this is popular with the chil- dren. (Also see Addenda. ) 33 Several little pupils have told me that, thanks to this drill in rhythm, they have been promoted in dancing school. As soon as they get the consciousness of true rhythm in sound they are able to express it in the other arts. When melody, rhythm and harmony become a conscious realization in the mind, musical edu- cation may honestly be said to have made a good beginning. Work done away from the piano at odd moments is invaluable, and older pupils have been able to think out this question of rhythm while they dressed or traveled to and fro on the cars. It is not what is done at the lesson that counts, but what is done in the mind of the pupil from day to day, or more correctly speaking, from minute to minute. It will soon become evident that there are two kinds of tones in a musical idea : those that, through duration or accent, are more im- pressive, and those whose mission it is to ad- just themselves to these more authoritative tones. The latter are commonly called "pass- ing tones," and it is well to analyze in this way, finding the rest or accented tones, and then finding the passing tones, and express- ing the music accordingly. With children the idea of the family may be used again. The strong tone or home tone may be said to represent the mother in the scale ; so in a melody, we may find the father, mother, aunt, etc., and all the children adjust- 34 ing themselves obediently to the wishes of the elders. DICTATION IN CONNECTION WITH RHYTHM When the rhythm of your short original melodies can be felt, clapped, sung and played, you have made a good beginning. Dictation is a distinct help. With very small children, clapping, singing and playing make a good sequence, but children nine years old, or older, take dictation quite readily and enjoy it. Such a melody, for instance, as Sleep, Baby, Sleep (Folk Song). g=g=t:g=^ V=Xr=±r- :P2= 3^ '-4 -I 1 — ^- :tst :- IV IV IV After this teach the child 1, IV, V, I, and let him find this harmonic relationship in every key, and write it out. Then show the three positions as follows : Key of D. IV This is very crude, of course, and unmusi- cal, but it is necessary in order to make the point clear. From this point the pupil will be able to think and play simple basses to songs and tunes, and this being thoroughly worked out the older pupil can then, if he is inclined, en- 47 rich the harmonies to suit himself. It is best to keep the children to the fundamental har- monies. Next take up the chord of the dominant sev- enth or v. Explain it as the dominant chord with the seventh note added. If the pupil can instantly hear it (and many Chord of the can), that is the best way to be- come acquainted with it. If not, play it and get the child to give its resolution or "home-coming." This is read- ily done. Then have him play chords of the dominant seventh in all keys and resolve them, writing them out thus : To find Chord o£ the Dominant Seventh. Key of C. Dominant Seventh t = g=- =g= l_g_ I ^ <=. D V V — s- I And if the previous work has been clearly understood this is not difficult. Let the pupil say what chord or harmony he is playing and write the figure under the bass as follows : The Dominant Seventh and its resolution. Key of G. Key of D. Key of F. Key of C. n li — P— 1 ,^ S^i~ g £?FiE — & 5 g -s— = g= — ,^ — m^r-^^ '^r- — =1 ._ VT I VT I 1^— g^— V7 I -f. I 48 For children this is sufficient, but older stu- dents must be shown the other forms of the dominant seventh chords. Explain that just as the common chord of three tones may be presented in three different ways, thus f, so the four-toned chord, called the dominant seventh, has four forms, i.e., one for each tone ; and these different forms may be used according to the desire of the student, the root being, of course, always the same. siSe^=p All dominant seventh chords, the root being C. Have the older children and older pupils analyze Folk Music, giving the simple har- monies as they play them in this way : Folk Song. Folk music is the best, because in this there are no complex harmonies. This is, of course, very elementary work for older pupils, but for those who have not become con- Value of scious of simple chord rela- Folk Music tionships these drills prove helpful, and, needless to say, 49 make piano playing far more intelligent and thoughtful. It is not at all uncommon to have a pupil whom you have asked to tell you what some simple harmony she is playing is, answer quite naively, "1 haven't the least idea." One older pupil came to me for help on a Beet- hoven Sonata. She played it well, technically, but with so little understanding that I was led to ask her whether she could play a simple melody and harmonize it. She clasped her hands rapturously and said: "Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to do that !" She could not "pick out the treble" even of a child's song and give a respectable bass for it, and she is one of a thousand ! Major and Minor Modes. In connection with the harmonizing of sim- ple melodies, we must take up the subject of the major and minor modes. The root tone or tonic being the same, pupils Relative Minor should be taught to play minor and Natural ^j-j^^g ^^ lowering the middle tone or third. They may be asked to tell the difference between a major and minor chord, and after they are able to think, sing, write and play both major and minor chords, knowing the difference and being able to tell which is major and which minor when you play it for them, let them practice writing and playing major and minor melodies and harmonizing them. After this teach them the minor scale. 59 This question of teaching the minor scale as a relative minor, relative to the scale three notes above it, is discussed a good deal by teachers. Musically, the so-called relative minor has "nothing to do with the case," but because it has borrowed its signature from its relative major it seems necessary to teach it. I usually let the pupil discover and find the natural minor scale, as, for instance, C major has C minor for its natural minor. Then I show them how in music the minor borrows its signature, and let them find music written in the minor mode and observe its signature, looking through some folk music or the Schumann Kinderscenen to find their minor signatures. Then I have them write out a table of the major and minor signatures, thus : C major and A minor have the same signature. G major and E minor have the same signature. D major and B minor have the same signature. A major and F sharp minor have the same signa- ture. E major and C sharp minor have the same signa- ture. B major and G sharp minor have the same signa- ture. F sharp major and D sharp minor have the same signature. F major and D minor have the same signature. B flat major and G minor have the same signature. E flat major and C minor have the same signature. A flat major and F minor have the same signature. D flat major and B flat minor have the same sig- nature. G flat major and E flat minor have the same signa- ture. 51 The way to play the so-called relative minor is to play the scale exactly as you would the major and raise the seventh tone a half-step. For instance, A is the relative minor to C. 1234567 Play a b c d e f g; g being the seventh tone is raised a half step and is therefore sharp. G-sharp is, of course, followed by a — , and the scale is This holds good for all the relative minor scales, of course. Most children are quick at hearing major and minor intervals and chords, but in case they seem unable to distinguish between them Keep up the drill until they can tell one from the other easily, especially the drill of playing a major or a minor chord and letting the pupil say what it is until he can finally hear in- wardly and sing major and minor and is per- fectly conscious of each mode. The child learns thus how to think clearly; in other words, he learns how to study, as one child explained to me, "with his mind instead of with his eyes." It is needless to say that this little book is not in any sense complete. It is simply sug- gestive of what may be done to make the 52 thinking of music better under- Studying with stood. I have purposely re- the Mind frained from discussing the alto and tenor voices, and the sec- ondary chords, because the mental hearing of melody and the harmonizing of melodies in a simple way was the goal to be attained. If, after reaching this goal, the music lover is imbued with a desire to continue his study in this manner, he will be more than repaid and will, I trust, teach others to listen, sing and play so that in time there shall not be one soul that has not discovered the source of harmony and well-being which resides within himself. ADDENDA To page 17 Drills for visualizing : I. Five notes up. f c d e f g 2. Five notes down. c b a g f ,^ -^- ffi_ - 1=E =2Z=^= i 5. Scale up. 6. Scale down. c b a ^ii g f 7. ^ ^ e> ii== ~^^ g S> °^— /« SI I 5^- — <= C chord. Three positions of the C chord. i To page 21 Another good drill for hearing the rest tone or key-tone is for the teacher to play a phrase 54 and, stopping just before the end, ask the pupil to sing the last note ; for example : ^w j=^^^3^l^i:^ m S^^^ ^ Pupil to sing d s-»- To page 31 Since writing this I have decided that it is pernicious to lay down this law. The best way to begin with the children is to have them indicate rhythms by lines, as Baby bye, Here's a fly, teaching the notation from the lines given by the child and thus showing the long and short notes. To page 32 It is a good thing to ask the children to give you some example of rhythm in nature, or of anything rhythmic that they can think of. For rhythm the children have brought me the fol- lowing answers : Day and night. The seasons. The moon and the sun. The waves. The clock. Breathing. To page 36 Besides this, it is well to have a definite plan for teaching each piece; finding and singing each phrase, marking the fingering and pedal- ing, and making a simple harmonic sketch giv- ing the I, IV, V, V^ chords and changes of key. 55 TEACHING MATERIAL Graded as to difficulty, Grade I being for beginners. GRADE I Schwalm, Easy Duets Newton Swift, 12 Easy Pieces Maxim, Noah's Ark Czerny, Studies (Germer) Forsman, Duets Loomis, After the Lesson Diabelli, Easy Duets Gaynor, Miniatures Cady, Folk-Melodies for Ten Fingers Martin, Tone-Pictures Gurlitt, Folk-Songs GRADE II Germer, Opus 34 Reinecke, Unsere Lieblinge Gurlitt, Opus 117 Cady-Bach, Folk-Dances Schumann, Opus 68 Czerny, Studies (Germer) Tschaikowsky, Children's Album Grieg, Opus 12 Reinhold, Miniatures Heller, Op. 45, Op. 46, Op. 47 Hofer, Music in Child World, Vols. I-II Kullak, Scenes from Childhood Gaynor, Easy Pedal Studies Burchenal-Crampton, Folk-Dances GRADE III Schumann, Opus 68 Heller, Op. 45, Op. 46, Op. 47 56 Hofer, Music in Child World, Vols. I-II Kullak, Scenes from Childhood Mozart, Minuet from Don Giovanni Bach, Short Preludes and Fugues (Mason Ed.) Handel, 12 Easy Compositions Haydn, Easy Compositions Beethoven, Easier Compositions — — Minuet in Eb Minuet in G major Gluck, Album Rebikow, Silhouettes Ph. Em. Bach, Solfegietto Schytte, Clown on Tight Rope Hide and Seek Handel, Largo without Octaves Thorne, Forgotten Fairy Tales Sonatina Album Mendelssohn, Songs without Words GRADE IV Beethoven, Easier Compositions Minuet in E Minuet in G major Debussy, Little Shepherd Sonatina Album Bach, Inventions Sara Heintz Album • Grieg, Sailor's Song Birdling MacDowell, Woodland Sketches Mendelssohn, Songs without Words (Also Grade V) MORE DIFFICULT Bach, Suites Well-Tempered Clavichord Italian Concerto Gavotte in B minor (Saint-Saens Arr.) Fantasie in C minor 57 Beethoven (Selected movements good to teach before an entire sonata is taken up) Opus 2, No. 2, Largo and Scherzo Opus 2, No. 3, Scherzo Opus 7, Largo Opus 10, No. I, Adagio Opus 10, No. 2, Allegretto Opus 10, No. 3, Largo and Minuetto Opus 13, Adagio Opus 14, No. 2, Andante Opus 26, Theme Opus 27, No. 2, Adagio Opus 28, Andante Opus 31, No. 3, Allegretto and Minuetto Opus 49, No. I Opus 49, No. 2 Opus 57, Theme of Largo Opus 90, 2nd Movement Brahms, Intermezzi, Op. 117 and Op. 118 B minor Capriccio 2 Rhapsodies Hungarian Dances Chopin, Preludes Waltzes Etudes Ballades Impromptus Mazurkas Nocturnes and Fantaisies Polonaises and Scherzo Czerny, Opus 240, Opus 740 Daquin, Le Coucou Gluck-Brahms, Gavotte Gluck-Saint-Saens, Air from Alceste (Josefify Arr.) Mendelssohn, 2 Preludes in E minor Nocturne from "Midsummer Night's Dream" Rondo capriccioso Scherzo 58 Mozart, Sonatas in C major, G major Fantasies Pastorale varie in Bb ^-^ Minuet from Eb Symphony Schubert, Marche Militaire Impromptus Minuet in B minor Moments Musicaux Sonatas Schumann, Opus 15 Novelletten Fantasiestiicke Albumblatter Romance in Ftf major Nachtstiicke Papillons Carnaval Scarlatti, Album, 22 pieces Sgambati, Gavotte in Ab minor (Supplementary List) Rubinstein, Kamennoi Ostrow Barcarolle Romance in Eb Rachmaninoff, Preludes Polichinelle Tschaikowsky, Song without Words in F major Chanson triste Barcarolle Romance in F minor Debussy, Children's Corner 2 Arabesques Reverie Suite Bergamasque Preludes Grieg, Sonata Lyrics (5 books) Slav Album, Vols. I and II Album of Russian Music, Vols. I and II 59 Scandinavian Album MacDowell, Sea Pieces — ^ Tarantella Scotch Poem ^— Improvisations Hexentanz Shadow Dance D'Albert, Gavotte and Musette Sibelius, Romance in D(j Scriabine, Nocturne for left hand Paderewski, Cracovienne ■ Melodic in Gb Chant du Voyageur Rameau, Album (Litolf Ed.) Paradies, Toccata Couperin, Album Moszkowski, Album Saint-Saens, Romance in B minor Strauss, Traumerei in B major Stojowski, Waltz in Eb Chant d'Amour This book is DUE on the last date stamped below REC'D l|jRL-E0 OCT 10 194S ^f'f^ 2 9 7950 0CT13I955 URL '"'0V3 ®«RP «ltel^8 twOrl AUG k 1959 OCT 21 NOV I 2 )m NOV 24 1972 HKitt RECEIVER MAIN LOAN DESK NOV 23 tS84 Cr9imilfl2fll2l3l4l ^M. Ri Die 1 6 I97fi g4ll9bb Form L-9-35w-8,'2S ^ lllllllllilllliiillilillillp 3 1158 00137 1763 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 834 066 3