Musicianship 1: listening and reading, pitch and rhythm
Time: 19:45 - 21:15
Location: Keeley Street
- Course Code: MG401
- Dates: 16/01/25 - 27/03/25
- Time: 19:45 - 21:15
- Taught: Thu, Evening
- Duration: 11 sessions (over 11 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: David Harrison
Course Code: MG401
Duration: 11 sessions (over 11 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Discover the use and meaning of terms and symbols for sounds in music. Raise your awareness of aural training and response. Musicianship is an essential supplement to practical music study for singers and instrumentalists in all genres and styles.
What will we cover?
- Introduction to pulse and time patterns; stress; tempo; time signatures; on/off beat; rhythm notation
- Introduction to melody and harmony; note names; staff notation; tones and semi tones; intervals
- major scale and the natural minor scale construction; aural key 'centre'
- active listening and singing.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Understand the basics of music notation: writing, reading, counting, sight-singing/-reading, following a score
- have a better understanding of how musical language works
- have a better understanding of how to read and practise
- Understand the importance of ear training and why we write things
- Play rhythms by ear and reading, sing pitch and rhythm patterns.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for complete beginners to music concepts and notation and novice musicians.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Tutor explanation and demonstration.
Practical exercises in the classroom: listening, singing, clapping and playing rhythms.
Writing staff notation. Practising ear training.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please have manuscript paper, pencil, eraser. You may wish to record some parts of the class. All other materials and resources will be supplied for class and available in the google classroom.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Study of musicianship is an important support for practical music studies. Musicianship 2 follows next term.
David Harrison studied at Oxford Brookes university before taking a post-graduate diploma in saxophone performance at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. David has been teaching at City Lit since 1994. In 2004 he wrote a guitar player’s guide for Collins and joined Music Sales in 2005 to update the famous A Tune A Day tutor series, eventually producing over 40 titles as series editor of the relaunched A New Tune A Day books, which has since become the biggest-selling music tutor series worldwide. Since 2010, David has worked freelance writing, editing and producing mainly educational titles, including Abracadabra Beginning Theory (Collins Music); The Complete Ukulele Player (Music Sales) and most recently the Bob Dylan Complete (Hal Leonard), the authorised collection of every Dylan song, together with an extensive introduction covering Dylan’s acoustic guitar technique, his song-writing and Dylan’s place in the American folk music revival. Aside from his guitar and saxophone classes, David runs a course in song writing. a series of talks on the music of The Beatles, and a series on the songs of Bob Dylan’s 1960s albums.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
