Pattern Block Rock by David Tulga

Pattern Block Rock
- adding whole numbers to make rhythms -

The Pattern Block Rock activity connects your knowledge of geometric shapes and equivalency to musical notes and rhythms. Simply choose your pattern blocks and press play — your pattern will transform into a musical composition you can see and hear!

Here's how it works:

Figure	Name	Description
	Triangle	The green Triangle will equal 1 beat.
	Rhombus	The blue Rhombus will play a note that lasts 2 beats, since two Triangles form a Rhombus.
	Trapezoid	The red Trapezoid will play a note that lasts 3 beats, since three triangles form a Trapezoid.
	Hexagon	The yellow Hexagon will play a note that lasts 6 beats, since six triangles form a Hexagon.

Here are all of the shapes we'll use in this activity.

1 beat	2 beats	3 beats	4 beats	5 beats	6 beats	7 beats	8 beats
long	long	long	long	long	long	long	long

How to play the Pattern Blocks: Scroll down until to see the Pattern Blocks — they're near the bottom of the page. Click on a Pattern Block. While holding your mouse down, drag the Pattern Block up to one of the lines and release the mouse button. To remove a Pattern Block, drag it off the line and release it. Continue adding Pattern Blocks until the top line adds up to eight and the bottom line adds up to eight. Press the Play button and the Pattern Blocks will start playing. Notice that the Pattern Blocks will not play until each line adds up to eight! Also, try moving your Pattern Blocks around — they will continue playing as long as the sum of each line equals eight. You may also change the speed with the Tempo slider, and explore a variety of rhythmic patterns by pressing the Songs button — you will find popular folk songs and TV show themes, as well as ancient Aztec drum rhythms and drum language phrases from Ghana and the Congo. Now you're ready — start playing!

Technical Note: You must have Macromedia Flash Player 6 for this activity to work. If you don't have it, you may obtain this free download from Macromedia at: http://sdc.shockwave.com/shockwave/download/alternates/.

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