Lesson video

Hi everyone.

I'm Ms Friar and welcome to your music lesson for lesson six Under unit seven, fusion music.

Another jam packed lesson for you today.

Exploring a new style and a new part of the world.

But, we're going to start off with our warmup activity which is going to be based around rhythm today.

It's going to be based around rhythm, but we're going to use our vocals and some body's percussion.

So, get ready for that.

We're going to learn a short, rhythmic idea.

One, that's really recognisable from a certain type of music.

We will do it clapping first, and then we will add some different vocal intonations to certain notes of that pattern.

Here is the pattern.

Now, I know it probably looked like, I was just continuously clapping.

But, there were stresses I accented on certain notes of that rhythm.

Can you hear it? ♪ Pam pam pam ♪ ♪ Papam pa ♪ ♪ Papa pa ♪ Okay, so there are certain notes in this phrase that we need to accent for the rhythm to be really clear.

Let's try the clapping first.

I'll clap first and then you copy.

Oh one, two, three, four.

Let's just do that much and then we'll see if we can repeat it.

One, two, three and, ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ Did you get it? Okay, let's try the clapping again and then we'll move to the vocal, does and nos.

Whoo, excuse me.

Okay.

So, there's three accents.

♪ Ta tata tata ♪ ♪ Tata tata ♪ ♪ Tata tata ♪ ♪ Tata ta ♪ ♪ Ta ♪ ♪ One two ♪ ♪ Three ♪ ♪ One two ♪ ♪ Three ♪ And the big three on its own, is actually the first beat of the bar.

Lets have another go.

Me first then you.

And then we'll try it together.

♪ One two me first.

♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ ♪ Accent ♪ You go.

♪ One, two, three, four.

♪ Good, well done.

Okay, let's try it with vocals.

On the accented notes, we're going to say "duh".

And on the quieter notes in between, we're going to say "nah".

So, it will sound like ♪ duh nah nah nah nah ♪ ♪ Duh duh nah duh nah nah nah ♪ ♪ Duh duh nah duh nah nah ♪ ♪ nah nah ♪ ♪ Dah dah, nah dah.

♪ We will try and make it nice as well.

I'll go first then you have a go.

♪ Dah Nah nah Nah nah Dah dah, ♪ ♪ Nah dah Nah nah Nah nah ♪ ♪ Dah dah Nah dah Nah nah ♪ ♪ Dah dah Nah Dah ♪ ♪ You'll go three, four.

♪ ♪ Dah Nah nah Nah nah dah dah, ♪ ♪ Dah Nah nah Nah nah dah dah, ♪ Good.

Well done.

I wonder if you recognise where that rhythm is from.

Let's go on to our lesson and explore.

Great work.

Right, let's make sure we have everything we need, so that you can have a really great lesson today.

You go to need a piece of paper or a book to write your answers and your notes in.

You're going to need a pencil and I suggest a different kind of pen, so that you can mark or make any notes throughout the lesson Today, we are also going to need, either a medium sized cardboard box or a Tupperware box.

We are going to be creating our own dhol drum today.

If you need to go and get any of those things, pause the video now and then resume.

Okay, our plan for today is: first of all, we're going to look at the origins of the dhol.

The dhol drum is the image that's on the top left hand corner of your screen.

We're going to look at where it's from, how it's made and how you make the sound from the drum.

From there, we're going to learn how you play the individual notes and the certain techniques.

Will then start to begin and playing and developing a very recognisable rhythm called "chaal" on our homemade dhol drums. And then we're going to use some audio mixing software to explore a modern version called "bhangra".

Great, let's go.

I'm about to share with you a video of a really exceptional for, I'm about to share a video with you of an artist called "Parv Kaur".

She is a professional musician and a professional dhol player.

And she is the absolute expert to tell you all about this instrument and how you play it.

Pay close attention, as we'll have some questions for you to answer afterwards.

Enjoy.

Hi, I'm Parv Kaur and I'm going to be teaching you about the Indian dhol drum.

The Indian dhol drum is originated from the North part of India.

People used to celebrate their harvest festivals by dancing and celebrating with a lot of noise.

And back then, there was no technology.

So what did they use? The loudest instrument in India.

The dhol drum.

Now the dhol drum is very unique in its look.

It's quite big.

It's very loud.

It can be quite heavy.

It has two sides to it.

One is a bass side with a very low sound, which is made out of camel skin.

And the other side is a treble side, which is the higher pitch sound and it's made out of plastic.

The look of the dhol drum is used with ropes, hooks and rings.

The ropes are used to tune the bass.

So, the bass doesn't sound very flat.

And the treble skin, because it's made out of plastic, we are using hooks to tune up the treble.

The dhol drum because of its size, is played with two sticks.

One is called the "Dhagga".

And one is called the "Thillie".

The dhagga, is a heavier stick which is hooked.

And it's played on your bass side.

Your treble stick because a much thinner stick, played with your fingers.

And played at the top, on your treble side.

The best sound that you will get from your bass using your dhagga is from the middle.

And, the best sound you will get when you are playing with your treble, with your thillie is the top.

Notice how I'm holding the sticks.

And how I'm holding the dhol drum.

You can of course keep it on one arm, or it is easier if you put it on your full shoulder, which is on the left hand side.

And you're holding it as so.

Great, so let's go through some questions about what she's talk through in terms of the making and the certain equipment and techniques that you use, when playing the dhol drum.

There are six questions on your screen.

Pause the video now.

Read through them and write your answers.

Great, get your pen of a different colour and we'll go through these answers together now.

Number one, the dhol originates from the state of Punjab in the North of India.

Number two, the bank's side of the drum is made from camel skin.

Three, the treble side of the drum is made from plastic.

Four, the bass side is tuned by tightening strings.

And remember the opposite to that, that Parv Kaur showed us, is that the plastic side the treble side is tuned with hooks.

Five, the two sticks used to play the dhol are called the "dhagga" and the "thillie".

And six, the best sound is achieved on the Dhol by playing the bass in the middle of the skin and the treble at the top of the plastic skin.

Well done.

If you've got any of those answers right give yourself big tick and then make notes for any questions that you need to improve and remember for next time.

Lovely, let's go.

Okay, so we can kick off the origins of the dhol.

What it's made of, how we hold it and the general techniques.

Now, I'm going to have a look at how to play the dhol.

I've got another great video here for you, Of Parv Kaur actually talking you through the three main notes that can be played on the dhol.

And the specific playing techniques in terms of using the dhagga and the thillie.

Enjoy.

It's very important that you know your dhol drum.

Just like keys and notes on a piano, you have the same sort of beats and notes when it comes to a dhol.

So, in English, the dhol drum has a bass side.

We would call it a bass.

But in the Indian language of music when it comes to dhol, it's called a "Ge".

Ge.

Same with the treble.

In English, we would call it a treble.

But in Indian music, this is called a "Na".

When you impact your thellie end of the treble, it's called a "Na".

Hey, let's put the Ge and the Na together.

So you are playing both hands together.

It's called a "Dha".

Remember, when you were holding your sticks, the dhagga stick is held in your left hand, facing slightly towards the floor.

Your elbow comes out and you impact the bass to give a Ge.

Same with your treble stick.

Just ensure that your arm is slightly bent.

Your fingers are holding the treble stick.

And all you're doing is you're twisting your wrist to impact the treble.

Great, so now we've got an idea of the sounds that are, and the notes that could be played on the dhol.

Let's see how much you remember.

Grab your pen and your piece of paper.

And we're going to answer some questions.

Write numbers one, two, three on your piece of paper.

And you're going to label the images below.

The pictures show the three different notes that Parv Kaur taught through your can play on the dhol.

What images is number one showing you? What note is number two showing you? What note is number three showing you? Pause the video now and take the time you need to answer these questions.

Right, number one.

The note that Parv Kaur is showing in this image is the Ge.

And that is being played on the bass, using a dhagga.

The second image number two, is on the other side of the drum and that is called "Na".

And that is being played on the tremble with the thillie.

And number three is both together at the same time is the Dha.

That's bass and treble together.

Well, then if you've got any of those right, great focus.

let's move on to the next part of the lesson.

Right now, you're going to be having a go at making your own dholl drum.

If you have one at home already, great, fantastic.

But we're going to make our home version, really easy to make.

You're going to need the cardboard box or the Tupperware box that I asked you to get earlier on.

And you're going to need a pencil or a thin item like a pencil or a pen.

And something slightly longer and larger like a ruler.

Pause the video now and go and get those things.

So you're ready to play some Indian rhythms on your home made dhol drum.

Okay, get your dhol drum ready, because Parv Kaur is going to talk you through some basic techniques of playing the three notes and some simple rhythms that she did when she was learning.

Enjoy.

This is your Ge.

This is your Na.

Notice my left arm movement more than my right arm.

And when I play them together, Ge and Na together, it's called dha.

Dha.

Ge.

Na.

Ge.

Na Dha.

These are the notes for the dhol drum.

I will show you some exercises.

So, you get your heads around the notes.

So, if you listen to my voice and then you play, you'll pick up some of the sounds and some of the beats that I'll play and I'll speed it up gradually.

We'll start with, Ge.

Na.

Ge.

Na.

Dha.

Dha.

Ge.

Na.

Now, I'm going to speed up slightly to put two beats in one note.

♪ Ge Ge ♪ ♪ Na NA ♪ ♪ Dha Dha Dha.

♪ ♪ Ge Ge Ge ♪ ♪ Na Na ♪ ♪ Ge Ge ♪ ♪ Dha Dha ♪ ♪ Na Na ♪ ♪ Ge Ge ♪ Once you practise the sounds and notes of your dhol drum and you get to grips with the Ge, the bass side, the Na.

You keep holding up your sticks.

Then you move into sequence of rhythms. So, I'll show you a first rhythm that I played 25 years ago.

And, it helped me gradually build up a rhythm when it comes to drums. So what you would play, would be two Ge's and then three Na's.

Two Ge's.

Three Na's.

And then you kind of play one by one.

So, that would be one.

Then you play it again.

I gradually try and reduce the gaps.

So, you can start feeling a rhythm when you reduce the gaps, but you speed up the beats.

So I'll show you.

That's the first beat I learned 25 years ago.

And, it's going to show you a little bit faster, so you can get your heads around a faster beat.

You can experiment with the sounds.

You can experiment with the sounds of each of the sides.

And you can add or remix how you wish, with the Ge, the Na, and the Da.

Great, so lots of information there and a really exciting look into the first few rhythms that Parv Kaur learn and then developed over 25 years to become the professional musician that she is now.

So, pause the video, I'll show you now.

So, you want to get your box.

I'm going to use a pen.

I haven't got a ruler at hand, so I've gone for similar item from my kitchen.

And I just want you to practise playing.

So remember, it's all in the respect of the Na.

And the GA.

Ge.

Na.

And just practise what she played and then making up some of your own rhythms as well.

Enjoy, off you go.

Okay, now we've got dhol already.

We've practised three notes and had a go at some basic rhythms. We're going to look at specific rhythm, which is really recognisable in bhangra Indian music and played on the dhol called "chaal".

Okay.

Two videos for you here.

On the left hand side, there is a Punjabi dhol group performing a traditional Indian wedding.

So, its a performance to mark and celebrate the wedding.

See, if you can recognise the rhythm that we did at the very start in our introduction.

♪ Duh duh nah duh nah nah nah ♪ ♪ Duh duh nah duh nah nah nah ♪ That's the rhythm we're looking for.

That's the chaal.

On the right hand side the video, Parv Kaur is going to teach you what that sounds like and how you build that rhythm up.

♪ Eeh eeh eeh ♪ ♪ Eeh eeh eeh ♪ ♪ Punjabi ♪ ♪ Punjabi ♪ ♪ Eeh eeh eeh ♪ ♪ Eeh eeh eeh ♪ So, you can see playing the dhol drum as part of a group.

It's like a really exciting performance.

There's movement, there's calling, they're called Punjabi.

Because Punjab is where the dhol is from, the area in North India.

And, they started with maybe the more traditional recognisable chaal with them.

♪ Ta ta tata tata tata ta ♪ ♪ Ta ta tata tata tata ta ♪ And then it became more and more complicated as the piece went along.

Which happens a lot in this style of music.

Let's watch Parv Kaur break that down.

And then you'll be able to have a go.

So, I'm just going to show you a beat that you are familiar with.

Which is called chaal one.

This is a typical beat that we played in dhol.

And you can vary this by keepping the treble notes the same.

Which are, all you've got to do is add in the basses as you go along.

So, you could possibly just start with the ones that you're going, Remember, we are working bass of 16.

So, you will count.

And the we will go into the double.

Two.

And then you will go into three.

Then you will go into four bass.

We going to bang it four times.

You can do as many basses as you want, but rhythms can change.

The rhythms can be the same.

But your chaal bass, stays the same Great, that's a really lovely model, of how to play the thellie part with the chaal.

Which is the part in the right hand.

We're going to look at that and how to gradually add more bass, get beats as you make your personal, complicated.

And that's what you're going to have a go at doing now.

The simple grid on the sheet, is a great way of like notating it.

In this form, the chaal a bhangra music and Indian music.

You wouldn't necessarily write down a score.

Okay? It would be an oral tradition, which we've learned is all by ear.

But we're going to write it down today just to make it easier for us.

So, the first thing you need to do, is pause the video and either if you're working from the worksheet, great.

You've got this grid.

Or copy out into a piece of paper or your booklet.

You're going to need to mark the eight beats.

We're going to do it in groups of eight.

And then if you want to, you can make it more complex and do it in 16 beats.

But start with eight, and the treble won't change.

The nut won't change.

And to help us remember the swung rhythm, the dotted rhythm, I've put some words there to help you.

♪ Peanut Butter ♪ ♪ Peanut Butter ♪ ♪ Peanut Butter ♪ ♪ Peanut Butter ♪ And I've made the P bold.

So you remember that's a long, ♪ long, short, long, short, long, short, ♪ ♪ long, short, long, short, long, short, ♪ ♪ long, short, long, short.

♪ ♪ Peanut Butter ♪ ♪ Peanut Butter ♪ They need two more rows.

Get a simple gap line, bassline and then a more complex one.

Because you're going to add some more beats in it.

So, as you start to compose your own chaal, it's going to get more complex.

Pause the video now and write out your grid.

Okay.

So, I'm just going to give you a quick example of how I've added a simple and then a more complex bassline to the ongoing thellie sound, the treble sound, the nut throughout.

Okay, so I'll give you a quick demonstration.

And then you're going to have time to go and practise yourself.

The first thing that I would suggest you do, is you practise playing this treble rhythm.

♪ data, data, data, data, ♪ ♪ data, data, data, ♪ With this simple bass path.

Or maybe even just one get bass path, at number one.

So, if you have your, Your treble.

And then just go in.

And then you start to add in more of the Ge part.

So, There's the simple one that I've got written.

Definitely start off by just practising that first.

Then we can have a more complex one.

So, we've got really slowly.

You can hear that accent? ♪ Tada tada ♪ ♪ Tada tada ♪ ♪ Nah nah nah ♪ ♪ Tada nah nah ♪ Great.

Pause the video now, with your grades and your homemade dhol.

Go ahead and start putting in your simple and then more complex bass notes into your chaal pattern.

Have fun.

Okay.

So, now it's really clear in our minds what that chaal really sounds like and we've had a go at developing it.

I want us to have a look at a style of music called "bhangra".

Bhangra is like the Indian music that we would hear the chaal, but it's a more modern version.

Okay.

So, now we're really looking at a fusion of it.

Because it's been modernised and made contemporary.

Take a minute now to just read the information on the left hand side of your screen.

Right? So, we now know that bhangra originates in Punjab and is a more modern version of a traditional type of music.

It's a fusion of Indian and Western music.

The three bullet points there outline, which of the two traditions have been fused to create bhangra.

So, there's both lead and female.

Lead female and male vocals you would hear in bhangra.

The traditional Indian industries, such as dhol, which we've been playing.

The tumbi and the sitar, which we looked at in Indian classical music of the lesson before.

But Western influence is electronic instruments and contemporary music production techniques, such as synthesisers, drum machines, and sampling.

All of which, we also looked up in the electric tango lesson.

Lets have a listen to a small section of bhangra music.

Great, so that just gives you a little taste of bhangra music.

What we're going to do now is explore how we can use, music software to do this.

So, you can create a bhangra fusion using audio mixing software.

I'm going to show you a demonstration using BandLab.

Please know that BandLab is for use by over 13's only.

And if you are over 13, you still need permission to use it from your parents or carer.

If you're under 13, you can use BandLab education, but again, if a parent or carer must get you onto the programme.

Great.

So, once you are connected and onto BangLab.

The first thing that we're going to do, is we are going to select some more modernised singh sounds to put a chaal rhythm to.

So.

the first thing that we're going to do, is we're going to add a voice or mic track.

This is what we're going to use to add or perform into our chaal rhythm.

Now, either your laptop or your computer, or even your phone or tablet or anything, we'll have a built in microphone.

If not, this headphones that you can get to connect with mobile phones also have microphones in them.

So, you can use those as well.

So, we've got that track ready to put in our, ♪ Tada tada ♪ ♪ Tada tada ♪ ♪ Tada tada ♪ or whichever pattern that you've created today.

With a combination of Na's the trebbless and Ge's the bass.

First of all, let's choose a more modern singh loop part and maybe a more modern drum part.

To add our chaal through and make our own bhangra.

We click on loops.

And, I'm going to.

Yes, it's come up with piano.

I'm going to choose a piano.

Yes, I much prefer that one.

So, I'm going to click and drag that one on.

Lovely stuff.

And then I need to loop it.

So, it plays again and again for that say 12 bars to begin with.

Great.

Open back up my loops.

And now I'm going to add a simple but very modern drum machine part.

That can sit underneath the chaal rhythm that I'm going to record in.

oh no, that's far too bass.

Now, I think the piano part works pretty well, but I'm not sure about that drum part.

So, lets record in my chaal and then you can find a more electronic dance style from beat that you think will go later wrong.

So, I click record.

And you see how half way through, my performance and decided not to keep just the original.

Now, let's see how the quality of your sound has come out.

Play.

Yeah, I'm quite happy with that.

There's a couple of parts that maybe could be slightly better in time.

But, I think it's a nice start to building up my own bhangra.

Then they take off this little part at the end.

This is what you're going to do.

You're just going to go through until you find exactly the beat, the bass or the electronic synthesise sounds that go well with your chaal rhythm.

Then you save it as your name.

And then when you're ready, you click file, download, mixeddown As, and then it creates an MP3 for you to then share with your teacher to send over email or to show your friends and family.

Enjoy creating your own contemporary bhangra beats using loops and the chaal rythm.

Don't forget to go and take the quiz all around Bhangra music.

And I look forward to seeing you in our next lesson.

Well done everyone.

Bye.