A fun song for beginner cellists to join in with the tune and everyone else to contribute percussion and pizzicato actions.
The video
Pizzicato Plonk
A fun song for beginner cellists to pluck their open strings to fit the tune, and everyone else to join in by miming the pizzicato actions (plucking the instrument’s strings), saying or singing the words, or joining in various percussion accompaniments.
The music has an Italian flavour, recalling how a few centuries ago the popularity of the violin and cello spread from the Mediterranean right across Europe and beyond.
- During the introduction, cellos and other melody instruments get ready notes C, G, D and A. Meanwhile, body percussion sets a steady beat, while shakers and tambourines play fidgety rhythms.
- In Verse 1 cellos and melody instruments follow the note names and arrows, mainly playing steady crotchets, while drums play patterns to keep the beat going.
- The Chorus has the same notes played to a jerky, dotted rhythm - listen and copy to get the right timing. Shakers join in too.
- Verse 2 and its chorus follow a similar pattern: shakers and tambourines getting fidgety again.
- Verse 3 and its chorus are also similar but with woodblocks, claves and castanets getting in on the fidgety action! Listen to the track for ideas here, but percussion players can make up their own rhythms to fit. Body percussion can join in improvising here too, tapping knees, thighs, tummy, chest, cheeks and head!
- At the end there is a double chorus to join in, until everything ends with a big cowbell ‘clonk’!
Resources
Teacher Notes
Download / print the Teacher Notes for the series (pdf)
Download audio
Download the audio file for this music video (mp3)
