How to play the rhythm tracks of Believer

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will learn to play the rhythm tracks of the song “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, exploring different percussion instruments and playing techniques.

🎲 Activities included:

• Analyzing the song (artist, genre, mood, tempo);
• Learning to switch between clapping quarter notes and eighth-note triplets;
• Learning the 3rd rhythm line and playing it in a popular song;
• Learning the 2nd rhythm line and playing it in a popular song;
• Learning the 1st rhythm line and playing it in a popular song;
• Combine and play all rhythm lines in a popular song
  

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Simple percussion instruments, such as shakers, maracas, guiros, tambourines, claves, wood blocks, hand drums, buckets, drumsticks etc.
• Alternatively, body percussion can be used

Believe Me

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the song and its rhythm section
• Describe and reflect on different musical elements and the meaning of the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Open the song “Believer”.
• Select “Notation” under “Tools” - “Visuals” on the right side of the screen.
• Click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline.
• Listen to Verse 1.
• Discuss with students what you heard. If you want, you can mention some facts from the song description (e.g. - “This song has over a billion views on YouTube. How much is a billion?”).
• Discuss:

What is the song about? (e.g. about finding growth through misery. Have you ever been sad or unhappy about something but in the end it made you stronger?)

Not counting the voice, which instrument in this song is the most important, in your opinion? (Drums. Some parts in the song are just drum solos, like the intro, and in the other parts, the instrument is still very loud, in-front.)

What is the genre/mood/tempo of this song?

What adjectives would you use to describe this song?

Split The Rhythm - 1 & 3

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Clap along quarter notes and eighth-note triplets
• Learn to differentiate between quarter notes and eighth-note triplet rhythms

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

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• Start the lesson by practicing clapping quarter notes and eighth-note triplets - these will be the rhythm values used in this song. We encourage using this two-bar motive for the exercise, but you can use your own motive as long as it contains both quarter notes and eighth-note triplets!
• Click on the Minus button two times (it is on the left to the play button) - this will make the song slower. Then, press the loop (🔁 on the right side of the Play button) button, press on Intro - this will loop the Intro section of the song!

Ask your students to put their hands on a desk or any other surface.

Ask your students to tap the rhythm shown in the picture (4 quarter notes and 4 eighth-note triplets) together with the Intro section of Believer a couple of times - press play!

Next, press the Plus button - it will make the song a bit faster. Do the same exercise again!

Finally, press the Plus button again - the song will be in its original tempo. Do this exercise again! By now, students should feel comfortable tapping quarter notes and eighth-note triplets one after the other!

3rd Rhythm Line

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the 3rd rhythm line
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Tell your students that they will now learn the 3rd rhythm line (the bottom one). They should also take their rhythm instruments if they have them or use body percussion.
• Click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline of the song player and listen to your rhythm track. You can solo it under “Controls” - “Volume” - the 3rd rhythm track is represented by the kick drum and is right above the metronome track. Press on the speaker on the right side of the kick drum icon and it should mute all the tracks except that one!
• Play Verse 1 again and ask your students to try to play or clap along with their instruments or body percussion.
• Here are some tips depending on the level of your class:

You can loop Verse 1 by pressing 🔁 on the right side of the “Play” button.

If the tempo is too fast, you can slow it down by pressing the “﹣” button up to 4 times on the left side of the “Play” button.

When you're comfortable with the slower tempo, you can try playing the Verse 1 at a faster speed and try to reach the original speed!

Tip: Give special attention to the eighth-note triplets - see if the students are not rushing them or tapping too slow. If the students are using body percussion, it is better to use their feet/hands interchangeably while doing the triplet rhythm (e.g. right-left-right or left-right-left hands or feet).

• When the students feel comfortable with the rhythm, unmute all the other tracks again. Try to play the same rhythm while Verse 1 is playing in its full sound!

2nd Rhythm Line

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the 2nd rhythm line
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Now, split your class into 2 groups (for example - the left class side and the right class side).
• One group will have to keep tapping the 3rd rhythm line while the other group will tap the 2nd rhythm line.
• Again, click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline of the song player and mute all tracks except the 3rd and 2nd rhythm line (represented by the snare drum and kick drum). Press play and ask your students to listen to how the two tracks sound together.
• Play Verse 1 again and ask the group playing the 2nd rhythm line to clap along.
• Next, play Verse 1 once more and add the group playing the 3rd rhythm line.

Again, you can loop Verse 1 by pressing 🔁 on the right side of the “Play” button if both groups need more time to get acquainted.

• Next, unmute all the other tracks again. Both groups should try to play the 3rd and 2nd rhythm line while Verse 1 is playing in its full sound!

1st Rhythm Line

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the 1st rhythm line
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Now, split your class into 3 groups (for example - the left class side, the middle seats and the right class side).
• The first group will have to tap the 3rd rhythm line, the second group - the 2nd rhythm line, and the third group will have to learn the 1st rhythm line.
• Click on the beginning of Verse 1 on the timeline of the song player and mute all tracks except the 3rd, 2nd and 1st rhythm lines (represented by the snare drum, kick drum and cymbals). Press play and ask your students to listen to how all three tracks sound together.
• Play Verse 1 again and ask the group playing the 1st rhythm line to clap along.
• Next, play Verse 1 once more and add the groups playing the 2nd and 3rd rhythm line.

Again, you can loop Verse 1 by pressing 🔁 on the right side of the “Play” button if all groups need more time to get acquainted.

• Next, unmute all the other tracks again. All groups should try to play their rhythm lines while Verse 1 is playing in its full sound!

I Believe!

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play different rhythm tracks at the same time
• Play the rhythm part along to the song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Explain to students that in the next activity, all groups will try to play the song from start to finish. Their respective rhythms will stay the same throughout the song with very minor changes.
• Press play and let the students perform!

Tip: if the students need a practice run, you can either press the Minus button to slow the song down and practice with that OR let them play half of the song in the original tempo.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Which of three rhythm lines did you like the most?
• What were the differences between the rhythm tracks?
• What was fun/challenging about playing this song?

Beyond the lesson

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice the rhythm track students learned in the class
• Learn other parts of the song and combine them

🎲 Activity:

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Practicing their part at home by playing along to the song;
• Learning other parts of the song (chords, lyrics, etc.).

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