Games

Duple Subdivisions

Ear Training Games

Music Theory Games

Keyboard Skills Games

Sight-Singing Games

Music Theory Games

Keyboard Games

Many of these games have COVID-19 in mind for musicians who prefer making music in an ensemble but are stuck in isolation. These games can be played alone or can be done in ensembles or with partners or small groups, of course.

The general approach here is to deconstruct musicianship and musicality in a logical (and sometimes random) sequence, examining each issue under under a microscope.

Some goals include…

1. practice skills you want to improve or review
2. Phrasing and expressivity
3. Crash and burn (push beyond what you can do right now)

Game Categories:

1. SightSinging
   1. Rhythm only
      1. without notation
         1. Pulse & Subdivisions
            1. Pulse is a Important concept and phenomenon in music. Let’s explore several aspects of pulse Steady, Meaningful, Flexible (can respond to stuff around me
            2. Pulse can also be conducting
         2. Note values
            1. Quarter and whole
            2. etc.
      2. with notation

Messing with things:

1. Key signature (random sequence or orderly)
2. Accelerando
3. Two or four measures then generate new one to read
4. Force yourself to turn page earlier and earlier
5. Transpose
6. On scale degrees, pitch names, or solfege
7. Basic pulse     
   

1. with lyrics
   1. 1. with lyrics, expression markings, and tempo markings
   2. Pitch only
   2. 1. without notation
      2. with notation
      3. with lyrics
      4. with lyrics, expression markings, and tempo markings
   3. Rhythm & Pitch (with notation)
      1. without lyrics
      2. with lyrics
      3. with lyrics, expression markings, and tempo markings
   4. Intervals
      1. without notation
      2. with notation
2. Ear Training Games
3. Theory Games
4. Keyboard Games

The concept of taking turns (alternating / going around the circle)

Playing with pulse – Meaningful pulse vs steady pulse   A accel, rit, phrasing lifts – extra time, ebb and flow – rubato, metronome, relationships.

Sightsinging is not a competitive sport, but if it were… How would you stack up??? which league would you play in? Would you be Olympic, professional, semi-pro, varsity, JV, intramural, friendly pickup games, or just watching on TV with a big bag of pretzels in your lap?

Compared to other sight-singers you know, How would you rate your sightsinging skills on a scale of 1 to 5?
Which of the following best describes your self-perception vis a vis sight-singing.

1. i’m 100% clueless when it comes to sightsinging. I can’t even read one or two simple notes.
2. I understand the concept of sight-singing, but I’m not very good at it (my skills are definitely below average in my choir)
3. I’m ok, but not great (average)
4. My sight-singing skills are pretty solid (if I do say so myself), but I wouldn’t say I’m a sight-singing superstar. I definitely know at least few people are better than I am.
5. At the risk of sounding immodest, I’d say that I’m truly a sight-singing superstar (wherever I go, I’m always the best sight singer in town, or very close to it).

Rhythm games:    Intro to rhythmic notation (steady pulse, quarter note and whole note)

Pulse Games: one body part keeps steady pulse, another speeds up or slows down (then switch)… this could be in ratios (digital) but also analog.

Goal, even with these very simple patterns is to render the notation both accurately, expressively, and flexibly – in other words, to approach every pattern as a musical phrase, rather than simply a mechanical, mathematical exercise.

Step 2 – What happens at moment when a note ends? There are three options:

1. Another note (with or without a space before it (smooth or with space)
2. A rest (t, n, rhythmic sniff, or rhythmic silence)
3. The note gets cut short for a breath or phrase lift

If you can’t sight-sing a super simple pattern expressively (with gestures), you can’t do a more complex one. Rhythm before pitch. Accuracy before flexibility.

Reading rhythm notation switching off between hands and hand/voice – pulse vs pattern

Two hands two lines or hand and voice

Switching half and whole notes without notation game (video intro verbiage)

Abcde (video intro verbiage)

Jingle bells challenge (video intro verbiage)

Full body subdivision game and pass it around (video intro verbiage)

Alternating words (or notes or measures) of a song between two body parts

Sight-singing

Pitch games (with and without notation)

Sight-singing    Verbiage (and videos?) to introduce these:

Rhythm and pitch Random generators:

1. QHW no barlines https://perchance.org/quarterhalfwholenobarlines
2. Syncopated no rests https://perchance.org/syncopatedgood
3. Syncopate with rests https://perchance.org/syncopatedgoodwithrests
   G and A half and whole http://www.randomsheetmusic.com/generate.php?txtMeasureNumber=24&chkNoteLength%5B%5D=0&chkNoteLength%5B%5D=1&selKey=C&chkNoteValue%5B%5D=7&chkNoteValue%5B%5D=8&btnSubmit=Generate%21
4. One person reading in two parts – Switching (two part) with notation (random pitch generator for switching half and whole)

Creativity, Leasership, and Serious Fun for Choral Musicians

Mild medium spicy inferno video demo versions for each exercise

Goals: