Chord Drill Vocalizing
Found in: Accompaniment, Curriculum, Supplemental Programs
Laurie Richards, Nebraska
Question for Elizabeth Gaikwad about Chord Drill: Is there an easier way to vocalize ALL the chords when going through the drill? We get tongue-tied saying this out loud – “C# major, C# minor, C# major, C# suspended, C# major, C# major7, etc. etc. Some are easier than others, but the sharps really get me. I think it’s important to say it, so I’ve tried short cuts like omitting the ‘C#’ or whatever chord name from all the majors. Any other thoughts?
Jim P., North Carolina
I say “C#…minor….C#…suspended…C#” for all four positions. I think the kids know it belongs to that particular chord since we say it in between.
Laurie Richards, Nebraska
So you say C# only when you return to the major chord, is that correct?
Jim P., North Carolina
Yep. It seemed much easier to say and I made sure to quiz them afterwards to see if it stuck. It’s worked across the board so far…
Elizabeth G., Australia
Sometimes I try to imitate the rhythm of the syllables of the chord name… it’s a bit hard to explain without demonstrating… but I will try!
(T= together
R = right)
C # Ma-jor
T R R R
C # Sus-pend-ed
T R R R R
C # Ma-jor Se-ven
T R RRRR
Etc! It makes it a little more fun…and they are practicing coordination skills.
In the Chord Drill Part 2 there are some suggestions for different rhythms… waltz… tango…sometimes varying the rhythms helps to “jolly along” the process!!
Original discussion started November 27, 2018