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How can I use pitch and melody in my jamming?

You could jam with just rhythms, but using pitch and melody can make your music a lot more interesting.

Think About

  • How aware are you of the high and low sounds around you?
  • What can pitch and melody contribute to my jamming and improvising?

Get Started

  1. Experiment with the following in private or with other people:
    1. Note: Don’t confuse highness and lowness (pitch) with loudness and softness (volume)! 
  • What’s the highest sound you can make with your voice? What about your friends? What about with an instrument or object?
  • What’s the lowest sound you can make with your voice? What about your friends? What about with an instrument or object?
  1. Watch the following video. Make sure to try the pitch matching challenge!

  1. Try the pitch matching challenge now. 
  • You can access a piano here (JS dynamic audio synth) and a fancier Viktor NV-1 synth here  or if you have access to a piano or keyboard somewhere go ahead and use whatever you have access to.
  • Click on the keys with a mouse or try the different computer keyboard keys
  • Adjust the range of the JS dynamic audio synth by clicking on computer keyboard left / right arrows or the plus – “range” buttons

jsdyanmicaudiosynth

  • Adjust the range of the Viktor NV-1 synth by trying different sounds, which have different ranges.

viktorsynth

Can you think of some ways that matching pitch can be useful for jamming?

One strategy you can use is matching some of the pitches someone else is playing to then play back your own version of it. 

Challenge: Listen to a song you like and try matching some of the pitches of your favorite part of the song. Then change it up a bit into your own version.

Share What you Learned

If you are using the LRNG platform:

  • You do not need to submit anything for this XP
  • You should be able to try matching pitch – it takes practice so don’t worry if it takes a while!

If you are not using the LRNG platform:

  • Continue below and share with your teacher or organization:

Sharing What You Learned

  • Share your experiences trying to match pitch with the piano and music you like.

Next Steps

Return to the XP What skills will help me improvise and jam?