Mouse in the House: Rhythm Dictation & Chords

Transcript

Hello and welcome back! I'm Joseph Hoffman.
Today we are going to be dictating the rhythm of "Mouse in the House,"
and we’re going to learn how to add chords in the left hand.
So let's come over to the heartbeat mat to get started.

Okay, here's our heartbeat mat.
Let's touch each beat together as we sing it once,
and try notice where are you hearing one slow sound, like TA,
or where you are hearing two quicker sounds like, TI-TI, as we sing.
Ready, go:

♫ Mouse mousie in the housie, ♫
♫ hurry, hurry do, ♫
♫ or the kitty in the housie ♫
♫ will be chasing you. ♫

Good job. Now let's just take two beats at a time
and try to figure out the rhythm words.
Here at the beginning we have ba-ba-ba,
but can you turn that into rhythm words for me? Baa-ba-ba.
If you said TA TI-TI, you're correct.
There's one slower sound, baa, and then two quicker sounds inside one beat.

♫ mouse mousie ♫

Now how about ba-ba-ba-ba? What would that be in rhythm words?
The correct answer is TI-TI TI-TI.
So far we have: TA TI-TI. TI-TI TI-TI.
How about these next two beats? Baa baa. What do you hear?
If you said TA TA, you're correct.
Now what about ♫ hurry, do? ♫
The correct answer is TI-TI TA.

So here's the rhythm of the first half of "Mouse in the House."
I'll sing the rhythm words once and you just listen,
then I'll give you a turn to try it by yourself.
So here's my turn. Just listen:

♫ TA TI-TI ♫
♫ TI-TI TI-TI ♫
♫ TA TA ♫
♫ TI-TI TA ♫

Now your turn. Can you point to each beat and sing the rhythm words?
Ready, go.
Good. Ok let's do the second half of "Mouse in the House."
Here we have ♫ or the kitty in the housie. ♫
If I take out the words, it would sound like this:
♫ ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba ♫
What did you notice? That's right, they were all eighth notes.
So we have TI-TI TI-TI TI-TI TI-TI.
And then we have ♫ will be ♫ baa baa.
That would be TA TA, and then:
♫ chasing you, ♫ ba ba baa, TI-TI TA,
and then "run" is the glissando at the end.
Good, now point to each beat and let's sing the rhythm words together.
Ready? All TI-TI's on this row. Ready go:

♫ TI-TI TI-TI TI-TI TI-TI TA TA TI-TI TA ♫ Run!

Good job. From our website, if you download the complete materials for Unit 2,
you can try drawing this rhythm yourself on your own heartbeat mat.

Now let's come to the piano and learn how to add chords to "Mouse in the House."
Okay, to add chords for "Mouse in the House,"
let's place our left hand in the C major pentascale.
Here is middle C, so I'm going on the C below that,
and remember, for the chord, we're just playing DO and SO
at the same time with finger five and one. We will just drop and then float up.
Remember, to play a good chord, you think of dropping down
and then float your wrist up after each chord like this.
Each chord will last two beats, like this: one-two, one-two.
Can you try that with me? Say “one-two,”
and you play a chord every time we do the number one. Ready, go:
One two, one two, one two, one two.
Good, now let's sing "Mouse in the House” as we play chords.
We don't play a chord on every word,
but we do play a chord on every two beats, like this:

♫ Mouse mousie in the housie, ♫
♫ hurry, hurry do. ♫

Now will you try that with me? Let's try the whole song,
and we'll play a chord together every two beats. Ready, go:

♫ Mouse mousie in the housie, ♫
♫ hurry, hurry do, ♫
♫ Or the kitty in the housie ♫
♫ will be chasing you. ♫

Good job. Now if you want more practice with that, just press pause.
Otherwise let's try playing the melody in your right hand
while the left hand plays chords.
So let's place the right hand and the left hand in the C major pentascale.
Now, when the right hand plays its first note,
the left hand will play a chord like this, “mouse,”
and then the right hand continues, “mousie,”
without playing a chord on “mousie”
because that's beat two while we're still holding the chord.
So again, it will sound like this: ♫ Mouse mousie ♫
Now you try that.
Good. Then on the next note, in the, we play another chord: ♫ in the housie ♫
Now you try that.
Good. And then it continues: ♫ hurry ♫
Your turn.
Good, and then: ♫ hurry, do ♫
Your turn.
Good. Now press pause and try going through the whole song, adding chords.
When you're ready to try playing it with me, You can press play again.

Ok, here's the whole song of "Mouse in the House” with chords.