http://musicmattersblog.com/2007/01/09/black-key-songs/ inspiring creativity in music education Tue, 22 May 2012 12:36:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://musicmattersblog.com/2007/01/09/black-key-songs/comment-page-1/#comment-2253 natalie Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:42:45 +0000 http://musicmattersblog.com/2007/01/09/black-key-songs/#comment-2253 Wow, that's fascinating, Sally! I'd love to have the list of spirituals you came up with. Thanks for sharing this info! Wow, that’s fascinating, Sally! I’d love to have the list of spirituals you came up with. Thanks for sharing this info!

]]> http://musicmattersblog.com/2007/01/09/black-key-songs/comment-page-1/#comment-2252 Sally Buxton Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:35:42 +0000 http://musicmattersblog.com/2007/01/09/black-key-songs/#comment-2252 I once saw a musicologist on TV who said that all spirituals could be played on the black keys, as they are based on penatonic scales as sung by the Africans who came to the West on slave ships. John Newton, having been a slave-trader, no doubt heard this kind of melodic pattern and put words to it to create "Amazing Grace." I just showed this to some students tonight, although we couldn't come up with a very long list of spirituals. Those we did think of certainly fit the pentatonic pattern. I once saw a musicologist on TV who said that all spirituals could be played on the black keys, as they are based on penatonic scales as sung by the Africans who came to the West on slave ships. John Newton, having been a slave-trader, no doubt heard this kind of melodic pattern and put words to it to create “Amazing Grace.” I just showed this to some students tonight, although we couldn’t come up with a very long list of spirituals. Those we did think of certainly fit the pentatonic pattern.

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