Exploring Bass Clef
Reading and Notation and Bass Line Musical Patterns |
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All About the Bass - Bass
Line Riffs Resources |
All About the Bass - Cover
and Homework Activities |
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All About the Bass - Music
Theory |
All About the Bass - 5
Minutes Silent Reading For teachers who prefer to begin
their lessons with quiet, focused openers.
All contain “Questions to Think About” which can also be used as Cover
or Homework tasks. |
1. Bass Clef
and Bass Clef Notation 2 & 3.
Musical Instruments that use the Bass Clef A & B. 4. The Bass
Guitar 5.
Bass Line Patterns |
All About the Bass -
Plenary Review Activities A series of lesson reviews where
pupils review their learning and understanding. |
All About the Bass -
DOITNOW (Starters) and Plenary Activities |
All About the Bass -
“DOITNOW” Presentation Cutting down on printables, file
storage and media files, the “new look” Musical Contexts “DOITNOW” All About the Bass lesson openers Presentation
contains a wealth (only two samples
shown here), of effective “DOITNOW’s” when delivering the All About the Bass unit in just one place - all audio
and video files are embedded and there’s accompanying Teacher’s Notes in the
“slide comments” section. |
Bass Clef Reading and
Notation forms the foundation of this unit which explores a range of commonly
used Bass Line Patterns within a variety of different types, styles, and
genres of music from different times and places. Pupils begin by exploring the
various meanings of the term ‘bass’ before looking at the Bass Clef and the
names of the notes in the lines, spaces and ledger lines on the Bass
Stave. Instruments and voices which
use the Bass Clef are referred to throughout the unit. Bass Line Riffs, as short,
memorable, repeated Bass Line Patterns are explored as pupils realise and
perform some famous Bass Line Riffs from Bass Clef Notation from the genres
of Rap and/or Hip-Hop. Pupils then explore Walking
Bass Line Patterns in the genres of Jazz, Blues, Rhythm and Blues and Rock
and Roll, constructing a Walking Bass Line using Chords I, IV and V using
notes of the chords (root, third and fifth) and ‘extra’ Passing Notes, performing
a Rock and Roll-style song constructed on a Walking Bass Line and using Bass
Line Riffs. The concept of prolonging a
Bass Line chord by performing the notes separately, using Arpeggios, Broken
Chords and Alberti Bass Line patterns, are explored through a range of music
from different genres including Classical and Modern Solo Piano Music, Surf
Rock, Popular Songs and Rock and Roll, all with short, structured performing,
composing, and listening and appraising activities. Finally,
pupils explore “pedals”, and how a Bass Line note can be sustained or
repeated over a long period of time, as a pedal note, exploring their use in
Baroque Music, Organ and Keyboard Toccatas, Jazz, Popular Song and Film
Music. |
All About the Bass -
Walking Bass Line Resources |
All About the Bass -
Scheme of Work and Lesson Pathways |
All About the Bass -
Scheme of Work and Lesson Pathways Includes Scheme of Work Overview,
Unit Learning Objectives, Learning Outcomes and Lesson Pathways. |
All About the Bass -
Alberti Bass Line Resources |
All About the Bass -
Arpeggios and Broken Chords Resources |
All About the Bass -
Pedals and Pedal Notes Resources |
Key Words,
Concepts and Musical Knowledge |
Bass Line, Bass Clef, Bass Clef Staff Notation,
Stave, Staff, Lines/Spaces, Pitch, Musical Instruments that use the Bass
Clef, The Bass Guitar Chords: Root, Third, Fifth, Passing Notes Bass Line Patterns: Walking Bass, Bass Line Riffs,
Alberti Bass, Broken Chords, Arpeggios, Pedal |
Music Theory |
Bass Clef Staff Notation |
Links to GCSE
Music |
Popular Music/Conventions of Pop Film Music/Music for Film/Music for Stage and Screen |
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Naming notes in the Bass Clef. Contains Answers |
Naming notes in the Bass Clef. |
Funeral March from
Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 Naming notes in the Bass Clef including
sharps. Could be performed. |
Naming notes in the Bass Clef of a 12-bar
Blues Bass Line including flats. Could
be performed. |
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Drawing Bass Clefs, naming and identifying
notes in the Bass Clef. |
Crossword covering key words relating to All
About the Bass. Contains answers. |
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Bass Clef Hip-Hop
Riffs to Perform Four famous Hip-Hop riffs given in the Bass
Clef with and without note names to perform. |
Bass Clef Rap Riffs
to Perform Four two-part famous Rap riffs given in the
Treble and Bass Clefs with and without note names to perform. |
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Learning about
Walking Bass Lines Listening to solo and ensemble Walking Bass
Lines and constructing a Walking Bass Line pattern using Chords I, IV and V
in C Major. Contains answers. |
Rock and Roll-style song using a Walking Bass
Line in the 12-Bar Blues style using Chords I, IV and V in C Major with 2
Bass Line Riffs and Song Melody for small ensemble performing. Full score of all four parts also
included. |
|
Learning about
Alberti Bass Lines 5-page Study Guide (can be spread over 2
lessons or content selected) covering Alberti Bass Line patterns from chords.
Listening, theory, notation and performing
activities. Classical piano sonatas of
Mozart and Thomas Attwood, solo piano music of Ludovico Einaudi and Surf Rock
by The Chantays. Some scores have been adapted and transposed
from the originals. Teacher’s Notes
and Answers provided.
Alberti Bass Audio 1 - “Experience” (Ludovico Einaudi)
Alberti Bass Audio 2 - “Pipeline” (The Chantays) |
|
Learning about
Arpeggios and Broken Chords 6-page Study Guide (can be spread over 2
lessons or content selected) covering Arpeggio and Broken Chord Bass Line
Patterns. Listening, analysis, theory, and performing
activities covering popular and Rock ‘n’ Roll songs and Classical chamber
music. Some scores have been adapted and transposed
from the originals. Teacher’s Notes
and Answers provided.
Arpeggios & Broken Chords Audio 1 - Extract from “Bohemian
Rhapsody” (Queen)
Arpeggios & Broken Chords Audio 2 - “Hound Dog” (Elvis Presley)
Arpeggios & Broken Chords Audio 3 - “Heart & Soul” (Piano Duet
Version)
Arpeggios & Broken Chords Audio 4 - “Heart & Soul” (Song
Version)
Arpeggios & Broken Chords Audio 5 - Opening of 1st movement from
Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart) |
|
6-page Study Guide (can be spread over 2
lessons or content selected) covering Pedals (instruments that use pedals,
their function and pedal notes). Listening, analysis, performing and composing
activities covering Baroque Music, Toccatas, Jazz, Popular Song and Film
Music. Some scores have been adapted and transposed
from the originals. Teacher’s Notes
and Answers provided.
Pedals Video 1 - Toccata in F Major (J. S. Bach)
Pedals Video 2 - “The Intruder” Short Film with on-screen timer
Pedals Audio 1 - “Fantasia upon
One Note” (Purcell)
Pedals Audio 2 - “Fugue in C Major No.1” from ’48 Preludes &
Fugues’ (J. S. Bach)
Pedals Audio 3 - “Shhh/Peaceful” (Miles Davis)
Pedals Audio 4 - “You Keep Me Hanging On” (The Supremes)
Pedals Audio 5 - “The Phone Booth” from the soundtrack of ‘North by
Northwest’ (Bernard Herrmann) |