Know any songs with only six notes?

Subject: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Marion
Date: 14 Sep 00 - 10:53 PM

Hello all. As I've mentioned in some other threads, I live in an intentional community for people with mental disabilities. Many of the folks here have guitars, fiddles, ukeleles etc. and enjoy whaling away at the open strings while I do my stuff. But I'm starting to think about the possibility of teaching some of them to play real stuff on their instruments. A couple might be able to learn to play in standard ways with enough time and patience, but I'm also brainstorming for ways to modify the playing process for stringed instruments.

One thing that occurred to me: if a person wanted to learn a song with a small number of notes, I could tune their strings to those notes, put colour-coded stickers on the instrument, and teach them to play it like a harp.

I then realized that it's not so easy to think of a tune with only six notes. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Marion

PS And I'll definitely be coming back for more help as I try to develop other strategies.

PPS Does anyone else here know the song, "This Song is Just Six Words Long"?

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Allan C.
Date: 14 Sep 00 - 11:14 PM

I think that you might do well to locate a zither. Then is would be a simple matter of creating some of those paper templates which you can slide under the strings and which indicate which strings to pluck in what order.

As for your question, "Mary Had A Little Lamb" leaps to mind.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Branwen23
Date: 14 Sep 00 - 11:18 PM

also, Hot Cross Buns.... and I'm not sure but "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star might work.....

kind of lame, I know, but you know what they say about beggars and choosers...


Hope you get lots of ideas... Good Luck!


-Branwen-

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Alice
Date: 14 Sep 00 - 11:23 PM

Are Sleeping Brother John (Frere Jacques)

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 01:33 AM

Marion, I'll be away for about ten days - I think I can direct you to loads of stuff (in print) but unfortunately I can't help right now. Look up 'Pentatonic' on the Web and you'll find a site with references to tunes with one, two, three notes etc. Regards for now, John

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: GUEST, Banjo Johnny
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 02:18 AM

Jingle Bells (chorus) has 5 notes. Get ready for the big Christmas show. == Johnny in OKC

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Giac
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 08:36 AM

Skip To My Lou - it's also fun for beginners to sing.

This Old Man (He Played One...)

A Tisket, A Tasket

Bile (and/or Boil) Them Cabbage Down

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Kim C
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 10:57 AM

Doesn't Shady Grove just have five?

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: MMario
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 11:10 AM

url=http://www.pentatonika.com/songs.html

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Mbo
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 11:57 AM

Sinner Man
Yankee Doodle
The Leather Winged Bat

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Bernard
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 01:38 PM

Hate to mention it, but Amazing Grace only has six! And it's 'pentatonic' - you can play it on just the black notes of a piano.

Similarly, 'Morning' from Grieg's 'Peer Gynt' suite (first section before the key change), and that only has five notes... it goes

D B A G A B

D B A G A B

D B D E B E

D B A G

Not forgetting Beethoven's Ode to Joy! But that isn't pentatonic.

See! You can be highbrow and simple at the same time!

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: GUEST,Mbo_at_ECU
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 01:41 PM

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: SINSULL
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 02:07 PM

Get a recording of Bryan Bowers doing Frere Jacques and Twinkle Twinkle on his latest CD. You will not believe the music he makes of them. You may be able to download from his website. If not PM me and I'll make a tape from my CD. Let your students learn the melody and then show them the magic that can come from the simplest source.
Mary

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Grab
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 02:16 PM

Volga Boatmen theme. Also the clock tower/Big Ben tune (which has had a children's tune put to it: "Oh Lord our God, thy children call, grant us thy peace, and bless us all.")

Grab.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: GUEST,Bud Savoie
Date: 15 Sep 00 - 08:15 PM

Any military bugle call has only four notes. Taps, Reveille, Assembly, Retreat, Charge, they all have the same four notes. you can tune your banjo or uke to DGBD or any comparable intervals, and pick out all of them with just your right hand. If you want, you can put words to them for added interest.

Bud Savoie, former toast of Saigon and darling of the ladies

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Bernard
Date: 16 Sep 00 - 11:33 AM

Former toast? Does that mean they ate you, Bud?

'Merrily we roll along' only has four notes

'Old Macdonald Had A Farm' has five

- both pentatonic, too.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: GUEST,Kristi
Date: 16 Sep 00 - 11:38 AM

The American Folk songs for Children by Ruth Crawford Seeger has a multitude. It is a wonderful book(out of print, but AMazon found one for us) It also has an accompanying CD with all the songs on it.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Bud Savoie
Date: 16 Sep 00 - 09:19 PM

Bernard, I wouldn't touch that first line with a ten-foot pole. Whoops. Getting pretty Freudian here.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Sep 00 - 09:32 PM

Achy Breaky Heart?

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: GUEST,Poltroon69
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 06:47 AM

"Five Hundred Miles" Nice melody, too.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 07:33 AM

MMario I am a little tired and not paying attention. So I keep on clicking that link and freezing the window.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 07:38 AM

MMario Link

does that work??

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 07:45 AM

Ok so they both work now........I am going back to bed!!!

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Bernard
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 09:40 AM

'Ere! Wot about 'One Note Samba'?! No prizes for guessing how many notes that has, one would think, but it really has two! Until the twiddly bit, that is!

Mind you, for it to work well there needs to be somebody doing the chromatic harmony-type chords, too...

I can MIDI it if you want...

email clicky

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Marion
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 05:38 PM

Wow people, thanks for all the great suggestions.

Bernard, I know a one-note song - it was the first one in my piano book when I was a kid. The note was middle C, and the lyrics were: "I am playing middle C. I can play it well you see." No twiddly bits, but you were supposed to play half with your right hand then half with your left to make it even more interesting.

Allan, assuming that a zither is the same thing as what is being sold as a "Music Maker", that's a wonderful idea - I've seen one a few years back but forgot that they existed. And I can totally see some of my friends here getting into it. I wonder if I could make my own with a wooden box and a few sets of guitar strings - I'd just have to figure out where luthiers get the tuning pegs.

If anyone wants to know what I'm talking about, here is an ad for it:

Music Maker, properly called zither I think

Marion

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: The Lighthouse
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 05:48 PM

"Jingle Bells" works too. Start with the open top string E

E E E E E E Jin gle bells Jin gle bells

E G C D E Jin gle all the way

F F F F F E E Oh what fun it is to ride

E E E D D E D G In a one horse o pen sleigh Oh!

Repeat the first 3 lines then:

E E G G F D C In a one horse o pen sleigh!

Good luck!

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 06:10 PM

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: GUEST,Dave Auty
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 06:22 PM

Marion,

"Summertime" (Gershwin) I can email the .gif if you want, [e-mail] Can't do the clicky bit..can anyone enlighten me?

Dave.

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: Bernard
Date: 17 Sep 00 - 07:32 PM

Email me, and I'll tell you!

email clicky

Subject: RE: Know any songs with only six notes?
From: IanC
Date: 18 Sep 00 - 07:32 AM

Try childrens' songs. Many of them are based on a three-note scale, as are quite a few "ritual" songs (souling songs, pace egging etc.).

There are also a whole lot of songs based on a pentatonic (5-note) scale (e.g. Danny Boy) and quite a few ordinary major scale songs don't use all 8 notes.

Tke your pick!