Commentary for Teachers

1 High & Low

This topic is mainly about the length of pipes and the different pitches of the notes they produce.  In principle, each note on the keyboard needs a separate pipe.  The critical measurement determining pitch is the distance between the mouth and the top of the pipe.

♪ The picture shows just 6 pipes. How many should there be altogether for all the keys?

Most organs have 5 octaves = 61 notes.

♪ What is the main difference in the sound given by these six pipes?

As the pipe gets smaller, the pitch becomes higher.  For these six pipes the pitch rises by one octave from each to the next.  This is because the length halves from each to next.

♪ Why do we say that the notes from these pipes are ‘an octave apart?

Musicians always count the first and last note when describing an interval between two notes.  Thus 8 notes is called an octave.

An octopus has 8 tentacles (legs, toes or fingers)

The only connection with an octave is the number 8!

Another 8 connection: octagon

Left: The octagonal lantern at Ely Cathedral

Right: An octagonal table top.

♪ Try humming a note and then another, an octave higher or lower.

The octave is the simplest of musical intervals and getting children to hear this is an important aural skill.  For younger children it is less easy than it seems, but by demonstration they can be taught to recognise the octave.  The pitch of the first note is critical in determining how easy the second note is to find. It may be easily demonstrated with any musical instrument available.

♪ Write down the lengths of each of the other pipes in feet.

In feet:  4, 2, 1, ½, ¼

♪ If 1 foot = 30 centimetres, write down the lengths of the pipes in centimetres.

In centimetres:  120, 60, 30, 15, 7.5