LESSON PLAN: Composing With Chord Tones
Objective
Students will improve their technique while composing short chord tone patterns and employing iconographic notation to document their creations.
Resources
Guitars, Pencil, Paper
Vocabulary and Terms
Arpeggio – playing chord tones in succession instead of all together.
Procedures
- Demonstrate some arpeggio patterns using one or more chords. Pretend to have poor technique preventing you from performing the intended pattern and show the steps necessary to fix it (press harder, closer to fret, fingertips at 90 degree angle to fretboard, thumb straight up and down on the back of the neck, etc.)
- Tell students they will create their own patterns using a progression of chords or a single chord (differentiate according to age and level).
- Patterns can be 1-2 measures long.
- Students can transcribe their patterns using the following iconographic notation: Name of chord, followed by the string number played. (Ex. D 112 123) Represent space in sound, or lack of space by how close together you put the numbers.
Extension
- You can do this with multiple instruments.
- Students can also sing the arpeggio patterns while they play them.
- Students can add words to the tones, and it can become a song!
National Core Arts Standards (Music)
Anchor Standard #1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Anchor Standard #2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Anchor Standard #3: Refine and complete artistic work. Anchor Standard #4: Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation. Anchor Standard #5: Develop and refine artistic works for presentation. Anchor Standard #8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Anchor Standard #7: Perceive and analyze artistic work
Responding - Anchor Standard #10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.