Blue jello words

June 13, 2007 at 05:50 PM · The words come from the book "Music Mind Games" by Michiko Yurko.

Whole note: four..or..or..or

Half note: too..oo

quarter: blue

eighth: jel

2 eights: jel-lo

triplet: my wife, Lisa, says straw-ber-ry

There are also different words and different groupings discussed in the book.

Other words will also work.

I, personally, don't teach rhythms this way but my wife does and she said it works great.

June 13, 2007 at 06:08 PM · One year in all county, I had the most unique conductor. He suggested counting four 16th notes as 'hel-i-cop-ter' and suggested counting eight 16th notes as 'Wish-I-had-a-hel-i-cop-ter'. Triplets were 'cho-lo-late'. In one measure, we had 'wish-i-had-some, cho-co-late'. :) I have to admit, it works!

I was rehearsing with my cellist friend in a practice room, and I was telling her about the conductor I had. Eventually, I started saying 'wish-i-had-a-heli-cop-ter' and she joined in with 'char-lie-brown-and-snoop-y' (four 16th followed by two eighths). We got really into it too (don't ask why I had spoons in my case) and it turned more into a rap. ('Cause I, wish I had a helicopter..') What a great moment it was when our teacher walked in! I've never seen anyone so shocked. ;)

June 13, 2007 at 06:22 PM · I'm trying to think of words for a dotted quarter followed by an eighth. In fact, I think Pauline was having this question, too! Ideas? Also a triplet where the first two notes are held, because it's not working for this students to say, "pineap-PLE." Just isn't natural.

I use "pineapple" for the triplets. I was actually using strawberry for an eighth followed by two sixteenths.

It's funny, some students don't need this at all, but it works like a charm for others. For example, the adult student who claims to have no rhythm but speaks with perfect vocal inflection. And also pre-reading child.

June 13, 2007 at 07:35 PM · I use solfege names for the rhythms so a dotted quarter followed by an eighth would become ta-i-ti however you could try a sneeze ah ah chi.For triplets we say tripleti which can be lenghened into tri-i-ti for a tied triplet but you could try the name Martin.

June 13, 2007 at 09:02 PM · We had some rather, er, less tame variants for quintuplets and septuplets at McGill. The ear training teacher was deaf (!) - but she seemed to be the only one who could actually teach the singers rhythm...

June 14, 2007 at 12:29 AM · Greetings,

I have always used `I`m in love with you,` for fves. It has got a few odd looks when I havew said it aloud by mistake,

Cheers,

buri

June 14, 2007 at 12:56 AM · Solfeggio!

Back in primary we used:

Ta = crotchet, Ta-a = minim, Ta-a-a-a = semibreve

Interesting story happend to quevers: in Russian we used Ti-Ti for a group of 2 beamed together, but at my first attempt to use the same words for my first-ever english-speaking pupil, his father, how to say... slightly overreacted!

It was more then 10 years ago, but I'll always remember to use Ti-Ki instead of old Ti-Ti to avoid shameful discussion about using inappropriate referrals to female body parts in presence of a child!

So, if you are going to make-up your own words to go with rhythms, then make shure to check that they don't mean anything contravercial in the native language of your pupil, or...!

June 14, 2007 at 11:28 AM · Gary Williams, a cellist in Australia, tells his students to use 'Lollobrigida' for 5, and 'Gina Lollobrigida' for 7. I don't know anything about this former screen goddess at all but I suspect she must have had impressive ti tis.

PS Gary has a lovely Southern US accent, and is therefore a native of your fair land.

June 14, 2007 at 03:05 AM · I think they use 'watermelon' in choir for some reason...

June 14, 2007 at 03:25 AM · nah they use apple pie. well my teacher does. this is my list. I use chocolate, apple pie, and for fun, laxitive ;D. During rehearsal one of my directers used, tomato, yo mama, tatiya, and other stuff. Great times.

June 14, 2007 at 03:50 AM · My band teacher used U.S. geographic locations for all of her rhythms. On the other end, one of my violin teachers used strictly fruits.

Sixteenths: watermelon or Minnesota

Triplets: cantaloupe (I forget the state for this one), I just say tripla (trip pul la)... I suppose you could use Wichita even though it isn't a state

Eighth notes: either Apple or Texas

Quarter notes: Pear or Maine

To go out there on a limb, we could try famous buildings, elements from the periodic table, monuments, and government branches as well- White House for eighths, Pentagon or hydrogen for triplets, Legislative for sixteenths-neodymium for pentuplets-the possibilities are endless! Ugh, I shudder to think of what could happen to students if I were to begin giving lessons.

Ah, I also recall that St. Louis was a combination rhythm of sorts... and don't forget the classic Mississippi Hot Dog!

June 14, 2007 at 05:56 AM · LOL, Olena!

these are all good suggestions. No, I've never forgotten "Mississippi Hot-Dog," or for some reason "Let's go, to the zoo, we will see the kangaroo..."

"Martin," that's a good one. It's almost impossible NOT to hold the "Mar," unless you say it like a computer phone voice.

That's the problem with "chocolate," you can say it in two syllables or in three. Or "banana" has such an emphasis on the second syllable. I've been using "pineapple," which I think is one of Yerko's words. Hers are quite well thought-out. If I could just remember them...!

I remember blue (quarter), jello (two eighths), pineapple (triplet), blueberry (eighth and two quarters), huckleberry (sixteenths). I don't remember the rests, though, or that business of the dotted quarter with the eighth. It's weird to go, "blue-jel LO!"

Also, I want Michiko's book, but I can't figure out a way to get it, other than to download it. And, that's just a heck of a lot to download and print out.

June 14, 2007 at 10:30 AM · The Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) uses a volume of Technical Work, Level 1 where in exersise No.2 called "Fruit Salad" for preliminary grade pair of duplets come as "App-le Man-go", then triplets "Pine-app-le", quartduplets follow as "Wa-ter-me-lon", and the last note is a nameless semibreve which my kids are calling "Pear"... They just love it!

June 14, 2007 at 03:33 PM · hmm... I remember my string specialist in Honor Orchestra during the summer camp one year was teaching us a passage at the beginning of the second dance in a set of two of Borodin's Polovetsian Dances from "Igor". She was teaching us the rhythm for the second theme by singing, "Get uuuup, right-now! No-I-won't-I-want-my-breakfast!" My friends and I still laugh about that to this day. Honestly, that's the only time I ever had a teacher use words for rhythms, unless you count the "ta ta tee-tee ta" thing. But I like to make up words in my head, sometimes.