1 E & A vs. Du De: Battle Of The Rhythm Syllables
Find out which of these popular sets of rhythm syllables is most helpful to music students!
In The Beginning
Students first learn rhythms by hearing them performed in tunes. By learning to perform the tunes along with the rhythm patterns that make up the tunes, students begin to audiate rhythm. Once students can demonstrate their achievement by singing and playing rhythm patterns on a neutral syllable (such as “bah”), they are audiating rhythm at the oral/aural level and are ready to move on to the verbal association level.
Verbal Association
The human brain is all about neural connections. The more connections there are to a given thing, the better the brain can work with that thing. By providing music students with a set of rhythm syllables as tools to connect with sound, you will facilitate the students’ ability to perform and understand rhythm accurately.
1 E & A
The system known as “1 e & a” is time keeping mnemonic device based on notation. It is geared mainly towards usual duple meter, making no accommodation for combined meters. The numbers do not help students audiate macrobeats and microbeats. For example, counting 1 2 3 4 5 6 in six-eight time steers students to interpret microbeats as macrobeats, instead of feeling the lilt of the meter. This leads to a mechanical sounding performance.
Du De
The rhythm system known as “du de” is based on beat functions and has no ties to notation. If you are familiar with “movable do,” consider: movable du. The system works in any kind of meter: duple, triple, combined, usual and unusual, paired and unpaired, etc., and any style. No music theory is required in order to understand it. Macrobeats are always called “du.” Microbeats are “du de” in usual duple, “du da di” in usual triple, and “du be” and “du ba bi” in unusual meters, so a student knows what the meter is just by the syllables being used. Divided microbeats are called “ta.” By differentiating between meters, macrobeats, and microbeats, the du de system helps students audiate rhythm, and thus accurately perform and understand it.
Du is pronounced like “doo,” de like “day,” da like “dah,” and di like “dee.”
Examples:
Winner: Du De
Du de is most beneficial system for students because it is based on beat functions, differentiates macrobeats, microbeats, and meters, and can be learned with no knowledge of notation. Even if you grew up with different syllables like Kodaly or 1 e & a, try a beat-function based notation system like du de, or make up your own! Your students deserve it.
Like Spice
A rhythm syllable system should not be used all the time on an entire tune, but rather just on short rhythm patterns. Eventually, the syllables will be audiated unconsciously and only brought into consciousness when the student is faced with an unfamiliar or complex rhythm.
Help From High Places
This entry would not have been possible without the wonderful teachings of Dr. Edwin Gordon, Dr. Christopher Azzara, and others. For more information on du de, read Dr. Gordon’s web article on Rhythm Content Learning Sequence, and check out his book Learning Sequences in Music. You can also check out some of my other entries, such as How People Learn Music and 25 Ways To Improve Your Music Program.