Lesson 5 of 84 · Melody
⭐ 30 XP🎶 Melody MeadowPentatonic Melodies
Pentatonic melodies use only five notes and sound pleasant in almost any combination.
🎯 Your mission
Hear the line. Hum it back.
⚡ The twist
Every great melody is just a few notes used really well.
Listen for this
🎧 Hum along. Where does the tune feel like it lands?
Artist Spotlight
🌟 Paul McCartney woke up with the melody to 'Yesterday' in his head. He thought he stole it from someone.
Mind = Blown
🤯 Earworms (songs stuck in your head) usually last 15 to 30 seconds and loop forever.
Learn about pentatonic melodies: improvise a melody over a given chord progression
What You'll Learn
Pentatonic melodies use only five notes and sound pleasant in almost any combination. Many folk songs worldwide use the pentatonic scale.
Improvise a melody over a given chord progression
Recognize pentatonic melodies by ear
Notes on the Staff
Tap a note to hear it
Check Your Understanding
Question 1 of 3
What does 'conjunct motion' mean in melody?
Where you hear this in real life
The melody you can't get out of your head right now is the result of years of someone else's practice.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Make up a 4-note tune. Hum it three times. See if you remember it tomorrow.
For the dinner table
“Hum the first notes of a song you both love. Can your kid finish it?”
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