The Riddle Song -

Instructional formats to foster pattern recognition, expanded pentatonic scale, and intervals most often found in minor tonalities.

Description

Grade: Fifth
Origin: USA – Folk Song
Key: G Major
Time: 4/4
Form: ABBC
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti ti ta ti | syncopation,
| ta ta ta/ ti | syncopation, | ta ti ti ta/ ti | syncopation
Pitches: intermediate: So La Do Re Mi So La – expanded pentatonic scale
Intervals: beginners: La/Do (m3), Do\La (m3), So/Do (P4), Mi/So (m3), So\Mi (m3)
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, repeated melodic rhythm patterns, imperfect ending (So), syncopation, pentatonic scale; note: intervals are most common in minor tonalities, giving the tune a minor quality; instructional formats*
Key Words: USA history, riddle, earth science: cherry stone, ring with no end, baby crying, animal science: piping chicken, chicken bone, blooming, rolling, sleeping; abbreviation: cryin’ (crying)
Recorder: intermediate: syncopation, expanded pentatonic scale, melodic rhythm patterns
Keyboard: intermediate: challenges students to change hand position from G Major to D minor

* Each format includes questions to discover musical patterns.

**“The Riddle Song”**

	1.	I gave my love a cherry that has no stone; I gave my love a chicken that has no bone; I gave my love a ring that has no end; I gave my love a baby, there’s no cryin’.

	2.	How can there be a cherry that has no stone? How can there me a chicken that has no bone? How can there be a ring that has no end? How can there be a baby, there’s no cryin’?

	3.	A cherry when it’s blooming it has no stone; A chicken when it’s piping, it has no bone; A ring when it’s rolling, it has no end; A baby when it’s sleeping, there’s no cryin’.

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names