Uploaded January 2019 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
Second in a new series of videos designed to teach solfege to absolute beginners by singing simple, familiar songs on solfege as a way of introducing and reinforcing the syllables. Later videos will build on these skills as they become more familiar.
If you are an absolute beginner and want to improve your musical literacy, this is the video series for you!
If you teach beginners, or have students who need to reinforce their skills, this ought to be a good resource to share with them.
This series will always use functional solfege, where do is the tonic.
As a singalong, I am relying on the listener to intuitively understand octave equivalency. I will try to keep things in a key that will be comfortable for most people. If a song seems too high or low for your comfort, try singing it in another octave.
Students who know Curwen/Kodaly hand signs may find it beneficial to sign along as well, for the added kinesthetic component. I will also be adding some hand sign resources as we go.
This series is also based on my strong belief in building useful frameworks, and that music theory is something that naturally springs out of our experience in listening and recreating. Thus, we should learn aurally first, and then proceed toward notation, in the same way that culture developed. Notation is a means of conveying musical ideas, and we should therefore initially learn it through those ideas.
Second in a new series of videos designed to teach solfege to absolute beginners by singing simple, familiar songs on solfege as a way of introducing and reinforcing the syllables. Later videos will build on these skills as they become more familiar.
If you are an absolute beginner and want to improve your musical literacy, this is the video series for you!
If you teach beginners, or have students who need to reinforce their skills, this ought to be a good resource to share with them.
This series will always use functional solfege, where do is the tonic.
As a singalong, I am relying on the listener to intuitively understand octave equivalency. I will try to keep things in a key that will be comfortable for most people. If a song seems too high or low for your comfort, try singing it in another octave.
Students who know Curwen/Kodaly hand signs may find it beneficial to sign along as well, for the added kinesthetic component. I will also be adding some hand sign resources as we go.
This series is also based on my strong belief in building useful frameworks, and that music theory is something that naturally springs out of our experience in listening and recreating. Thus, we should learn aurally first, and then proceed toward notation, in the same way that culture developed. Notation is a means of conveying musical ideas, and we should therefore initially learn it through those ideas.






![Second Inversions Song (six-four chords!)
There is now a full studio recording! Please buy the album on Bandcamp! http://bit.ly/Well_Trained_Ear
A song about second inversions (six-four chords).
Yes, the chord identifications are carefully timed to coincide with their appearance in the harmony. If you want to hear the inversions clearly, be sure to listen with good headphones or a stereo system that allows you to hear the bass. A laptops speakers may not give you enough bass.
If you would like to analyze the song, I suggest that you first check out my video on The Gospel Chord which was posted just before this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SQ9tRtWFic
Lyrics:
Second inversions
are chords I adore.
I write them down
with a 6 and a 4.
These chords we encounter
in four different ways;
You can tell from the context you hear,
From the chords that are near,
And the movement you hear in the bass.
The first well call PEDAL (or STATIONARY) [or auxilliary, or neighbor tone]
Cause the bass stays the same,
But when bass notes move stepwise,
Often PASSING is the name.
When the bass goes a-leapin
ARPEGGIATED is what well say.
And when we come to the end
Of a section, my friend,
A CADENTIAL 6-4 can help carry the day.
Ooo IV 6-4. (That IV 6-4 was stationary!)
Ooo I 6-4. (A passing I 6-4!)
Ooo vi 6-4. (Aint it great when we can arpeggiate!)
And for the next one Im just gonna savor it,
Cause a Cadential 6-4 is my favorite second inversion.
Second inversion.
Oh, Second inversion. Second Inversions Song (six-four chords!)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xh4_tIb9l-0/mqdefault.jpg)