Subject: RE: Reading shape-note music
From:
Burke
Date: 07 Feb 03 - 06:55 PM
Chaz,
The shapes are representations of Do-Re-Mi solfege. Do is movable, so it will be in a different place on the staff depending on the key signature. Just think of it as that is does not matter what your beginning pitch acutally is when you sing: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do.
Each of the shapes used on the staff represents one of the 7 syllable used in the scale. I mis-spoke in my last message. The 7 shapes are used in Stamps Baxter books, but they are known as Aiken Shapes because someone named Aiken patented them. He enforced his patent in such a way that alternate shapes for Do, Re, and Ti from other books were forced our. Some of the others used are actually much clearer.
I'm assuming you at least know how to find C on a staff. Look at that copy of Angel Band or anything in one of your books with no sharps or flats in the key signature. Find C (in Angel Band it's the last note for the sopranos, the first for basses & tenors). You can see it's an equilateral triangle. Continue scanning to music to find the next note up from this Do to see what Re looks like. The beginning of the chorus for the sopranos has it. It's looks a bit like the bottom half of a circle. One up from there is a diamond- Mi. You can continue this way and end up with:
Do equilateral triangle
Re Half circle
Mi Diamond
Fa Right triangle
Sol Oval (looks like a regular dot)
La Square
Ti Upside-down triangle with rounded top (sometimes described as like an ice-cream cone)
If these shape discriptions don't match your books, just use the method I've described to figure out what they are.
Assuming now that you already know the tune for Angel Band, sing the melody on the syllables. Doesn't matter what pitch you start with, change it if you find it going too high or too low for you.
With out timing:
Sol, sol, sol, sol, sol, la, do, do; la, sol, do, mi, re, do.
Sol, sol, sol, sol, sol, la, do, do; la, sol, do, mi, re, do.
Re, re, mi, re, do (rest) re, re, re, mi, re, do;
Sol, do, do, do, re, do, la, sol, mi, sol; sol, do, do, re, re*, mi;
Sol, do, do, do, re, do, la, sol, mi**, sol; sol, do, do, mi, re, do
*when a sharp or flat is present there is an alternate syllable to sing. In this case, I'd stay with re because I don't think I've ever heard it sung going up that half step. I checked one other copy of the tune that I have & it also stays on the re.
**this Mi is really smudged. It shows why I don't like Aiken Shapes. This Mi almost looks like Ti.
End of lesson one, is it helping?
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sj
