Rhythm Sounds

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I noticed in Harp Dreams that a Japanese contestant was able to say rhythms out loud using Japanese syllables. Does anyone know how they are used, is it a system? The only ones I ever learned were ta-ka for two notes, ta-ki-ta for triplets, and ta-ka-dee-mee for four-note-groups.

What’s neat is how fast she could go in Japanese.

[unknown-user]

Yes my jaw dropped when I saw that. I immediately assumed though that the syllables corresponded to the pitches (i.e. a solfege of sorts). Then again, I might have just inferred that because she was singing the notes as she said the syllables.

~Sam

[liane-james]

I have not yet seen Harp Dreams, but I think I recognize what you are describing. I learned this system in skills classes in my undergrad. We all cursed its existence at the time, but I have actually returned to it frequently since then.

Quarter Note: Ta

Two eighths: Ta-di

Four sixteenths: Ta-ka-di-mi (you’ll notice that the syllables line up)

Triplets: Ta-ki-da

Six sixteenths: Ta-va-ki-di-da-ma

I would love to hear if anyone has any more information!

[liane-james]

Here is a link to a clear explanation of Takadimi:

http://www.takadimi.net/documents/Takadimi%20short%20guide%20for%20Web.pdf

[carl-swanson]

I don’t remember that from the film. But it’s been a while since I’ve seen it. If you’ve never heard a French musician solfege a piece of music, I think you’d be equally impressed by that. Until I went to study in France I had never heard anyone solfege the way they do. Pierre Jamet could solfege the opening arpeggio of the Ravel up to speed! I was stunned when I heard him do that the first time.

[patricia-jaeger]

If you want a version used at Eastman School of Music, look for “Sight Singing Manual” by McHose and Tibbs, published by F.S. Crofts & Co., New York. There we sat in Theory classes for more than one year, making the conductor’s beat with the right hand, tapping the background of the beat on our desks

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I’m confused already, Pat. I can solfege the CPE Bach Sonata, but I can’t get the right syllables to come out.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Thank you so much for that link, I will study it. Sometime I will post my syllables for all the half-steps that avoid repetition of vowels.

[Tacye]

I came across a set of rhythm syllables in Kodaly along with chromatic solfege (Do di re ri/me mi fa fi…).

[sherry-lenox]

Tacye thanks for posting- I was just about to mention that too. The kodaly rhythm work is wonderful.

I had kids as little as first grade reading rhythm patterns accurately with no help, and older kids could read almost anything after a year of instruction.

I often wonder why Kodaly techniques aren’t more popular in the US.

I think part of the problem may be that there is so much emphasis here on entertaining moms and dads as opposed to actual music instruction.

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

I learned to count in this way: “one-ee-and-a” for sixteenth notes, “one-and-a” for triplets, “one-and” for eighths. These syllables roll off the tongue easily and are easy to remember. A great book for learning hot to read and count rhythm and also to recognize conducting patterns is Phil Perkins’ book “A Logical Approach to Rhythmic Notation”.

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