228 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



LESSON'S IN MUSIC. XI. 



"THE PATTERN" AND "THE MOVABLE DOH." 



THE other difficulties found by students relate to " the pattern " 

 and " the movable DOH." 



Often students will ask " whether they can learn the Music 

 Lessons without the aid of a friend to set the pattern." A 

 large number of our pupils are, no doubt, like one of them who 

 nays, " I have naturally a good ear for music, and am able to 

 sing almost any song after hearing it two or three times." By 

 such persons, very little patterning will be needed. Let them 

 only learn, from a friend, how to strike the chord (DOH, ME, 

 son) to any sound that may be given, and the rest will easily 

 follow. We ourselves were exactly in their position, and did 

 thus " make out " tunes, and teach ourselves to sing plain tunes 

 at sight constantly using the modulator, and pointing as we 

 sang, and often having to run up or down from one note to 

 another, in order to know how to strike an interval. Wo had 

 nothing but a C l tuning-fork, by means of which we found out 

 the key-note. Everything depends on the faithfulness with 



which you master the exercises of the first three lessons. ]T it 

 to many persons, doubtless, who have no friend to set jhe 

 pattern, some simple instrument will be necessary. If you are 

 already acquainted with an instrument, whatever it is, use that. 

 Only let us warn you not to sing with your instrument that 

 is, to use it as a " pattern," not as a " leader " to make your-' 

 self independent of the pattern as soon as possible, often 

 endeavouring to do without it, and to trust more and more to 

 your own perception of the mental effect of notes, as developed 

 in our lessons ; for instruments may be out of tune, and some 

 of them the piano and organ for instance are systematically 

 (to however small an extent) imperfect in tune. The flatness of 

 the fifths on the piano, for instance, are very obvious. The 

 fifth note in the scale (son) should be brilliant and trumpet- 

 like in its effect. The pupil's knowledge may thus correct the 

 slight inaccuracies of his instrument. 



Before proceeding to the third difficulty, the "movable DOH, or 

 key-note," let our pupils practise carefully the following exercise. 

 It is intended to exhibit tne contrasted effects of ME ard SOH 

 (the third and fifth of the scale) in a somewhat quick movement. 



EXERCISE 19. "I LOVE TO LINGER." KEY A. M. 100. 

 (Words by Martin Farquhar Tupper. Tune, OLD ENGLISH.) 



2. 3fi//ooc/alZs lightly on the sward, 



Yet leaves a deathless dint, 

 With tenderness I still regard 



Its unforgotten print. 



1. In pursuance of the plan already adopted, while our pupils 

 are continuing their practice and study of the three chief notes 

 of the scale, we shall " revise " and enlarge our previous 

 Lessons in reference to those points which are capable of being 

 misunderstood, or need to be more fully explained. We must 

 ask the patience of those pupils who have put themselves into 

 .our hands, with all good faith, content to learn one thing at a 

 time, for we have to teach many who cannot understand us, 

 .because they have misunderstood music before. DociWy 

 that quality so absolutely necessary to the student of any 

 arranged course of lessons, which develops truth step by step, 

 leads from the known to the unknown, from the easy to the 

 difficult is too often forgotten; and, as Dr. Marx says, to 

 punish him for neglect of docility, the student loses all certainty 

 of success. The " MOVABLE DOH," on account of the common 

 misapprehension of the first foundations of musical truth, and 



S. Old places have a charm for me 



The new can ne'er attain, 

 Old faces ! how I long to see 



Their kindly looks again ! 



the false teachings which are abroad, is a great difficulty with 

 some of our pupils. One of them " proceeded very pleasantly 

 as far as the fifth Exercise, in which the key-note (or DOH) i G. 

 But that he could not understand." He says, " In the previous 

 exercise the notes DOH, ME, SOH, are placed respectively below 

 the line in the first and second spaces ; but in the exercise I 

 have mentioned, I find DOH on the second line. Why should 

 there be that change in the position of the note ? And how is 

 it to be sounded ? " The last question is clearly answered in 

 the note to Exercise 5 " Take a middle sound of your voice 

 for the key-note of DOH." In the previous exercises a low 

 sound had been taken for DOH. In the first case any middle 

 sound, and in the second any low sound, would have answered 

 the purpose. The reason of the change of DOH'S position on 

 the staff is, that the staff aims to represent to us height and 

 lowness of absolute pitch, as well as key -relationship ; and as 



