Intermediate syncopation, melodic rhythm patterns,
and a cowboy’s vocabulary lesson.

 

Description

• Grade: Fifth
• Origin: USA – Cowboy Song
• Key: G Major
• Time: 3/4
• Form: phrases: ABb – song: AB, verse/chorus
• Rhythm: intermediate: | ta/ ti ta | syncopation,
  | ti ta/ (ti) ti | syncopation, ta/a ti ti | ta/ ti ti ti | syncopation, | ta ta ta | ta ta ti ti |
• Pitches: beginners: So La Ti Do Re Mi
• Intervals: beginners: So/Do (P4), Do\La (m3), So/Re (P5), Do/Mi (M3), Ti\So/Ti (m3)
• Musical Elements: notes: half, dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, vocal slur, syncopation, melodic rhythm patterns, verse/chorus
• Key Words: USA history, USA geography: Montana; westward expansion, cowboy life, cowboy vocabulary,* herding song, Paint, lead, Dan, hoolihan, coulees, draw, mated, raw, doggies, fiery, snuffy, raring to go, daughter, son, college, killed, wife, poolroom, fight, singing, die, saddle, pony, stall, bones, west, prairie; contraction: we’ll (we will) abbreviation: Montan’ (Montana), mornin’ (morning)
• Recorder: intermediate: Excellent follow-up to the Beginning Recorder Songs!

* see cowboy vocabulary below lyrics

“I Ride an Old Paint” 

		1.	I ride an old paint, I lead an old Dan. I’m goin’ to Montan’ just to throw the hooluhan, They feed in the coulees, they water in the draw, Their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw.
			Chorus:
			Tide around little doggies, Ride around them slow, For the fiery and snuffy Are raring to go.
		2.	Bill Jones had a daughter, Bill Jones had a son, The son went to college, the daughter went wrong, His wife she got killed in a poolroom fight, And still he keeps singing from mornin’ till night.
			Chorus
		3.	Oh, when I die take my saddle from the wall, And put it on my pony, lead him out of the stall, Tie my bones to his back, turn our faces to the west, And we’ll ride the prairie that we love the best.
			Chorus
		Cattle herding songs subdued the stock and provided entertainment around the campfire.Cowboy vocabulary: Paint: two toned (colored) breed of horse Dan: breed of quarter horse coulee: (or coulée): deep steep-sided ravine formed by erosion draw: small natural depression where water drains; a shallow gully hoolihan:fast overhand rope throw with an open loop used to catch a horse in a corral doggies: motherless calves. fiery/snuffy nervous, skittish cattle that want to break away from the herd

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