French Rhythm Names
Traditionally note types are given names such as:
- Crotchet (a note that lasts for 1 beat),
- Minim (a two-beat note),
- Quaver (half a beat).
However, these note names do not really convey meaning, particularly when starting out to learn music – after all what is a beat?
In French rhythm names, the note length sounds like its name, for example:
- ta (1 beat) = ±
- two-o, (a two-beat note) = °
- ti-ti (a set of two quavers) = Ö±
This means that it is no longer necessary to count ( eg 1, 2, 3 and 4), but that the rhythm can be felt instead using the rhythm language (in this example, ta ta ti-ti ta). It also works for far more complicated rhythms and means that the music is far more accessible and intuitive, rather than a mathematical exercise that needs to be worked out.
French Rhythm names have no tune (pitch) attached, and as such are only used for rhythms - think of clapping the words from a song. It should be noted that there are various forms of French rhythm names in use – for example some practitioners use te-te instead of ti-ti, or ta-aa, instead of two-o, but the purpose and way of use remain the same.
Just as important as the notes in music are the spaces between them, or ‘rests’. These also form part of French Rhythm Names, for example;
- a crotchet rest £ is known as ‘sh’
- a quaver rest à is known as ‘um’
The order that the rhythms are introduced is vitally important, as is the way they are introduced. Singing songs containing the rhythm and playing clapping games should always come first, before moving on to listening and copying. This all comes before giving them a label, and finally reading the rhythms using the label – i.e. learning in logical, simple steps (a fundamental Kodály principle).
My initial introduction to rhythm begins in the first
few lessons, and consists of clapping animal names, and matching rhythms –
identifying that ‘horse’ sounds the same when clapped as ‘ant’, that ‘beetle’
is like ‘tiger’ and later on that those patterns are ta sh (± £), and ta
ta (± ±) respectively, and that
‘elephant’ is different to ‘grass hopper’ – one is ti-ti ta, the other ta ti-ti
(try clapping them)! An early homework often involves clapping rhythms of
things my pupils find round their houses & seeing if any match, or sorting
through animal names to select which are ta ta, ta ti-ti, ti-ti ta and ti-ti
ti-ti.
I use lots of rhythm games, such as clapping back four beat rhythms (great for building musical memory too). A favourite early game is ‘Don’t clap this one back’ ie if I clap that rhythm, they don’t, but every other rhythm they clap back as an echo. This can be extended to ‘forbidden rhythm’ when any particular chosen rhythm can be the one not to clap back, depending on what we are focussing on at the time.
Later on, we can work on reading four beat rhythmic flashcards, clapping and saying them at the same time – can they keep the rhythm flowing? Another variation is remembering the flashcard and doing after it’s been taken away. More advanced still; can they hear and remember my clapping pattern (without me saying the French Rhythm Names) and clap it back while saying the rhythm names themselves, without a pause between my version and theirs? Or how about improvising, by clapping back a different rhythm to mine, saying the rhythm names, using particular given rhythms that we are currently working on, without missing any beats! As you can see, there are many possibilities! 😊
When
starting a new piece, we often start by clapping the rhythm before even
starting to look at the notes. By being so used to French Rhythm Names, this is
usually a straight forward exercise, but it’s always helpful to remove the
complications of tune and fingering and just look at this one aspect of the
music initially. This is true however experienced the musician is.
French Rhythm Names can be extended with the use of solfa. This then gives a tune to go with the rhythm, but not on fixed notes as it's not on a stave. For example:-
