Lesson video

Hello and welcome to another music lesson with me Miss.

Miner and for this lesson, we're going to be exploring music from a different part of the world.

I wonder if you can guess which.

Without further ado, let's get going.

What will we cover in this lesson? We will start off with a warm-up and some singing.

We will then listen to Indian Classical music and identify key instruments and characteristics.

Following that we will learn how to perform and read Tala cycles.

In this lesson, you will need, your body, some paper or the worksheet provided and a pencil.

If you need to get any of those things, do it now and pause the video.

When you have everything, press play and we'll continue.

I hope you're ready for our warm-up today.

And this is a new warm-up.

This is an Indian lullaby called "Hari Coo Coo".

Now, as I sing, I would like you to keep an ostinato for me at a repeated pattern and that repeated pattern goes like this.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

So I'd like you to keep that going as I sing.

while you're playing the ostinato, please listen.

as we're going to be learning the song together later.

Keep going.

♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo yari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo hari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo yari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo hari coo coo alay ♪ Super, well done.

Hopefully you had chance to listen to the melody then as well as concentrates on that ostinato.

Now we're going to learn the whole song, my turn, and then yours.

♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo yari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo hari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo yari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo hari coo coo alay ♪ Super, now it's chance for us to sing this together with the ostinato that we practised right at the beginning.

When you're playing the ostinato, try to think about which beats are the strong beats and which are the weaker beats.

Let's start with the ostinato.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, ♪ Off we go ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo yari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo hari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo yari coo coo alay ♪ ♪ Hari coo coo yari coo coo hari coo coo alay ♪ Well done.

Now pause the video to practise this song.

When you're ready, press play and we'll carry on.

So what type of song is "Hari Coo Coo?" Is it a pop song, a lullaby, a sung prayer or a nursery rhyme.

Point to the answer you think is correct.

That's right, it was a lullaby.

Close your eyes and listen to the music.

As you're listening, think about what do you enjoy about the music? How does it make you feel? What instruments can you hear? Can you hear the pulse of the music? This is a Rag Desh.

So, which of these instruments do you think you could here? That's right.

You will have heard the tabla.

Let's learn a little bit more about the tabla.

Tabla are a pair of small drums placed side by side, on the floor in front of the player.

Their main role is to keep the time, but they sometimes interact with the soloist and have short solos.

That means playing on their own.

The heads are made out of goatskin with a central area, which has a coating made from iron filings and rice flour.

It is very difficult to become a tabla master and can often take years and years of practise.

his is due to the complex rhythm patterns taught aurally.

And the range of different sounds on the tabla.

Some are open sounds, which are left to ring and some all closed sounds, which are dampened.

Traditionally, rhythm patterns are taught by saying it first.

This is the tukda.

So as a reminder, tabla, are a pair of small side-by-side drums often heard in Indian Classical music.

Pause the video to list three new facts about the tabla that you didn't know before.

Why not tell someone in your family, your three new facts about the tabla.

When you're ready, press play, and we'll carry on.

So, which of these instruments is not commonly used in Indian Classical music? Is it the xylophone or the tabla? Point to the instrument you think does not belong in Indian Classical music? Yes, you'd be right, the xylophone.

So now it's time to explore the Tala cycles, especially characteristic of Indian Classical music.

Now these are rhythm or beat cycles.

They keep going round and round.

As the musicians in the ensemble may well be improvising.

So these Talas have been written out using rhythm grid notation.

You can see the numbers across the top and X's and zeros marked underneath.

If you see an X, on that beat you are required to clap.

If you see a zero on that beat, you're required to wave like this.

So this cycle would go like this.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

Let's have a go at this Tala together.

Off we go.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

Now let's have a go at this Adi Tala, which goes like this.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Let's try it together, off we go.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Well done.

Now I would like you to have a look at this Tala cycle and tell me what is unusual about it.

Yes, it's quite unusual compared to Western music that this has seven beats and also very unusual that the first beat, the sum is in fact, a wave.

I'd like you to pause the video now and have a go at this cycle before we try it together.

Pause now.

Super, let's try this together.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Did you work it out correctly? Now it's time to look at one of the more popular rhythm cycles and this is the Tin Tal.

This goes like this.

I would like you to watch what I do with my fingers for the inner beats.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.

Did you notice what I did for the inner beats as well as the strong beats of this Tala? Yes, you're right.

I use my fingers on my palm to tap the inner beats and I'm moving from my ring finger in towards my thumb.

So we have a clap on the first beat and then beat two beat three, beat four and then beat five is another clap.

Beat six beat seven, beat eight and beat nine is a wave.

Beat ten, we'll do it on that hand.

eleven, twelve, thirteen, back to a clap.

Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.

Let's try the whole thing together.

Ready, steady off we go.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.

Well done.

So now your challenge is to clap that Tin Tal with me while my friend claps a rhythm over the top.

Let's see if we can maintain that Tin Tal the whole time.

Ready, steady, off we go.

This time I would like you to improvise that rhythm over the top, as I am playing the Tin Tal cycle.

Remember when you're improvising, you're making it up.

So it doesn't have to be something that you've already learned, and it certainly doesn't need to be the same every time.

♪ Ready, steady, off you go ♪ Keep going.

One more cycle.

And stop, well done.

So as a reminder, Tala, a repeating rhythm cycle usually played on the tabla.

These are usually between six and 16 beats.

Although can be a lot more.

The beats are grouped into smaller sections within the pattern.

Pause the video to practise each of these Tala cycles.

When you've finished press play and we'll continue.

So what is a Tala? Is it a pair of small side-by-side drums often heard in Indian Classical music? Or is it a repeating rhythm pattern usually played on the tabla.

Within this cycle beats are grouped into smaller sections.

Point to the answer you think is correct.

Well done, it's that rhythmic cycle.

So now it's your turn to compose your own Tala cycle.

Do decide on how many beats your Tala will be.

You do not need to use all the columns in the table.

You can decide which beats will be a clap marked with an X, and which will be a wave marked with a zero.

Do then practise your cycle.

You can either do this on paper, or you can do it on the worksheets provided.

Pause the video to compose your own Tala.

So what is a tabla? Is it a pair of side by side drums traditionally used in Indian music? Is it a table? Is it a rhythmic cycle or is it a stringed instrument? Point to the answer you think is correct? Well done, it's a pair of side by side drums. What is a Tala then? Is that a pair of side by side drums traditionally used in Indian music? Is that in fact, a table? Is it a rhythmic cycle traditionally used in Indian Classical music? Or is it a stringed instrument? Point to the answer you think is correct? Well done, it's a rhythmic cycle traditionally used in Indian Classical music.

So here comes the challenge.

Can you clap my Tala? Can you show the inner, weaker beats as well as the stronger ones? Can you distinguish between the clap and the wave? Pause the video now to practise.

So that brings us to the end of the lesson.

A really big well done on all the fantastic learning you've achieved in this lesson.

I've got two final things I'd like you to do now.

Firstly, think back and identify one key thing you've learned today.

It's totally up to you what it is.

Secondly, if you'd like to, please take a picture of your work and ask your parent or carer to share it with your teacher so that they can see all the fantastic things you've learned.

If you'd like to, please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, tagging @OakNational and #LearnwithOak.

Now don't forget to complete the end of lesson quiz.

Well, all that's left for me to say is thank you, take care and enjoy the rest of your learning for today.

Bye.