Teaching the Honey Dew melody ‘by ear’
Found in: Playing-Based Methodology
Janita P., Nebraska
How do you teach the melody for Honey Dew and Amazing Grace for the purpose of playing duets after they have accomplished the accompaniment? Do you use the music for those that can read just for the purpose of teaching the melody or do you teach it all by having them watch the keys on the keyboard?
Neil Moore
This is one example of a really good opportunity to create a project to help your students develop their ability to ‘play by ear’. However, rather than leaving them floundering, not knowing where to start or how to go about doing this for themselves, I suggest you provide some basic, foundational assistance that utilizes the base-tools we have been building, as well as incorporating a new challenge.
Naturally this would be easier for me to show you directly, but I think an explanation should suffice.
Tell the student that you would like them to figure out the melody, at home, for themselves. Break down the Honey Dew melody into its base components (but not in their actual order). Explain to them that the melody of the song is essentially made up of combinations of the following elements:
1. A descending 5 Steps of Sound
2. An ascending 5 Steps of Sound
3. A descending middle to bottom (3, 2, 1)
4. A two note sentence that is merely: top to bottom (finger 5, followed by finger 1)
5. And one note (finger 1), played repetitively
Their job, once they are clear about the components, is to go home, listen to the first notes of the song on the audio recording, then pause the recording and figure out which element is being played. Once they have made a decision, they listen to the next notes and figure out which element etc. They would repeat the process until the melody is complete.
As a means of making myself clear to you (and you would not disclose this to the students), if I we were to put the elements into their essential order, Honey Dew could be explained this way:
First half –
5. 3. 5. 3. 5. 1.
Second half –
4. 2. 4. 2. 4. 1. 5.
Jane S., Western Australia
Hi all,
Thought I would just share with you all, my song that I made up with some children to help them remember the melody. They were 6 year olds, and were doing a duet for a recital and we came up with this:
Three Cs now, 2 more then 3/2
Three Cs now, 2 more then 3/2
Three Cs now, walking home today.
Top, top, bottom, walking up now,
Top, top, bottom, walking up now,
Top, top, bottom, walking home again.
And 4 more Cs.
It flows quite well with the melody and I found little ones took to it very easily.