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Music Spelling

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I had ideas about using melodies in mnemonics.

I also had ideas about how an accent of imagined person can indicate something such as a digit:

Accents are:

Accent Digit
Scouse (Liverpool) accent0
Posh English of London1
American Southern state2
Nigerian3
Italian4
Indian5
Japanese6
Cockney7
Scottish (Glaswegian)8
French9

I also thought of how an album selection and then its track selection could be a memory system. E.g. 10 albums each with 10 tracks would represent 100 choices or sequential 'locations'. Replacing lyrics of a song with syllabus notes could be a way to make some notes memorable and reachable via a music index:

Letter Person 1 Person 2 Person 3
AAbba1950s compilation60s compilation
BBeach BoysBeatles, John LennonMore Beatles
CChicagoCole Porter, Ella FitzgeraldCommodores, Lionel Richie
DDavid BowieDeep PurpleDire Straits
EElton JohnElvis PresleyEurythmics
FFleetwood MacBee GeesBilly Idol
GGenesis, Phil Collins, P GabrielGeorge Harrison, Ringo StarrGrease soundtrack
HThe Hollies (Buddy Holly)The DublinersDuran Duran
IBlondie, RamonesEric Clapton, CreamBruce Springstein
JJimi HendrixBilly JoelBon Jovi
KKC and the Sunshine Band, funkKinksKenny Rogers
LLouis Armstrong, Billie HolidayLeo SayerLou Reed
MMadnessMadonnaManic Street Preachers
NNeil YoungStone Roses, Happy MondaysSupremes, Three Degrees, Diana Ross
OOasisOliver SoundtrackMusicals compilation
PPink FloydPolicePrince
QQueenMarvin GayeMichael Jackson
RR. E. M.Rolling StonesMore Rolling Stones
SSimon and GarfunkelSimply RedStock Aitken and Waterman (Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue)
TTake That, Robbie WilliamsTalking Heads2000s Compilation (eg. Katy Perry)
UU2Red Hot Chilli PeppersTerence Trent Darby
VThe WhoThe ProclaimersThe Temptations
WWhamWhitney HoustonWings
XXmas play listRobbie Robertson, The BandRod Stewart
YYes, John AndersonMore KinksTom Petty
ZLed ZeppelinTina TurnerTom Jones
spareBlurBob DylanBob Marley
Bond songsChicagoCole Porter, Ella Fitzgerald
Commodores, Lionel Richie70s compilation80s compilation
90s compilation2010s compilation2020s compilation

I chose the artists and bands, above, because I have heard many of their songs before and could pick 60 bands/artists and take 10 songs from their discography.

On that theme of replacing lyrics with revision notes.

Here are some nursery rhymes, etc. which can be used for memorising revision notes; I like the idea that the tunes are simple:

No Song Title Artist/Ref Also known as
No Letter Song Title Artist/Ref Also known as
1 A Alphabet Song Charles Bradlee (folk / Mozart)
2
Alice the Camel
Dem Bones
3 E Alouette

4
Animal Fair
Hickory Dickory Dock
5 TH The Ants Go Marching
The Animals Came in Two by Two
6
A-tisket-a-tasket
a pocket full of posies
7 B Baa Baa Black Sheep

8
Bear in Tennis Shoes
You are my sunshine
9
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
For he's a jolly good fellow
10
Be Kind to your Web-Footed Friends Here we go / fair music
11
Bicycle Built For Two (Daisy)

12
Big Rock Candy Mountain

13
Billy Boy

14 J Blow the Man Down

15
Brahm's Lullaby

16 G Buffalo Gals Won't you Come out Tonight

17 C Clementine

18 D Do Your Ears Hang Low?

19
The Farmer in the Dell
A Hunting We Will Go
20 F Frere Jacques

21
Frog Went a Courtin

22
He's Got the Whole World in his Hands

23
If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands

24 H Head Shoulder Knees and Toes

25
Here we go Round the Mulberry Bush

26 X Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry

27 I I Love You You Love Me
This Old Man
28 Z I'm a Little Teapot

29
Itsy Bitsy Spider

30
I've Been Working on the Railroad

31 L London Bridge

32 M Mary had a Little Lamb

33
Michael Finnegan

34
The More We Get Together

35 O Oh Suzanna

36 K Oh Where oh Where has my Little Dog Gone

37 U Old MacDonald had a Farm

38 V On Top of Old Smokey

39
Polly Put the Kettle On

40 P Polly Wolly Doodle

41
Pop Goes the Weasel

42
Ring Around the Rosies

43 Q Rock-A-Bye Baby

44 R Row Row Row Your Boat

45 CH She'll be Coming Round the Mountain

46 SH Shortnin' Bread

47
Sing a Rainbow

48 S Sing a Song of Sixpence

49 N Skip to my Lou

50 T Take me out to the Ballgame

51 W Waltzing Matilda

52 Y Yankee Doodle


26 Tunes and 13 Instruments as Spelling Prompts

You can have 26 melodies to represent letters A to Z. You can play any melody by using any of 13 instruments; and that choice of instrument implies the second letter: A/E/I/O/U/L/N/R/S/T/C/H/(Other)

So, for instance, with a visual item that has a foreign spelling, you could imagine its theme tune by using one of the melodies played with one of the instruments. "SP..." is an example where 'S' ['Sing a Song of Sixpence' melody] has its instrument based on the second letter 'P'; 'P' is not in 'A/E/I/O/U/L/N/R/S/T/C/H/' and so I use the 'Other' instrument which is the Harpsichord [see below].

Suggested instruments:

Digit Lettter Prompt Instrument (Synth sound)
0 O Tenor sax
1 I Church organ
2 A Accordion
3 E Grand piano
4 U Double Bass
5 N Violin
6 S Sawtooth lead
7 C Celesta
8 T Trombone
9 R Flute
10 H Harmonica
11 L Harp
12 Other Harpsichord

Spellings or numbers expressed as melodies

What if we add 100 melodies. E.g. 100 classical music melody snippets; and what if we associate each of those pieces with each of the 100 spelling prompts from the 'Double Digit Acrostics' article. So now, a 1 in 100 melody plus the choice of instrument provides a three digit number: look up the two digit number of the melody and append the one digit number of the instrument to make a three digit number. Or treat the melody as a spelling prompt just like in the 'Double Digit Acrostics' article; then the instrument decides what letter to append to that prefix. If no double digit acrostic is applicable then use the A to Z alphabet plus instrument method mentioned earlier in this article.

But the double digit acrostics are also spelling prompts; so a melody and its instrument are also a way to make a spelling prompt. If the word that needs spelling does not match up nicely with a double digit spelling prompt then resort to using the simpler alphabet method explained earlier in this music spelling article.

Note: 0 to 9 are represented by the instruments too (so 'musical piece with instrument' can represent a 3 digit number).

No. Prefix Classical piece extract or popular music Broader work Composer Comment about the Prefix
0 WE Wedding March A Midsummer Night’s Dream Felix Mendelssohn
1 A A Musical Joke Ein musikalischer Spaß, K. 522 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2 AC Ach, ich fühl’s The Magic Flute Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3 AL Allegretto Symphony No. 7 II Ludwig van Beethoven
4 AN An der schönen blauen Donau (The Blue Danube) — Johann Strauss II
5 AR Aura Lee
Traditional Approximately matches prefix
6 AS As Time Goes By
Herman Hupfeld
7 BA Badinerie Orchestral Suite No. 2 J. S. Bach Badinerie means pleasantry, jesting, or banter
8 BE Beautiful Dreamer
Stephen Foster
9 BI Bianca e Fernando (A Tanto Duol)
Vincenzo Bellini
10 BO Boléro — Maurice Ravel
11 BR Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 Brandenburg Concertos J. S. Bach
12 BU Bundeslied, Op. 122
Ludwig van Beethoven
13 CA Canon in D — Johann Pachelbel
14 CE Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude Cello Suite No. 1 in G major J. S. Bach
15 CH Children’s Scenes (Kinderszenen) Op.15 No.1 Robert Schumann
16 CL Clair de lune Suite bergamasque Claude Debussy
17 CO Consolation No. 3 Consolations, S.172 Franz Liszt
18 CO Confutatis Requiem in D minor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
19 CO Coppélia Waltz Coppélia Léo Delibes
20 CO Coronation Anthem: Zadok the Priest Coronation Anthems George Frideric Handel
21 CU Cujus animam Stabat Mater Gioachino Rossini
22 DE Deh vieni, non tardar The Marriage of Figaro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
23 DE Der Hölle Rache (Queen of the Night aria) The Magic Flute Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
24 DI Dies irae Requiem Giuseppe Verdi
25 DO Don Giovanni Overture Don Giovanni Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
26 DR Drinking Song (Libiamo ne’ lieti calici) La traviata Giuseppe Verdi
27 EC Ecossaise in E-flat major — Ludwig van Beethoven
28 EN Haydn Emperor Quartet Main hymn melody Approximately matches prefix
29 EY Eyeglass Duet Mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern Ludwig van Beethoven
30 FA Fantaisie-Impromptu — Frédéric Chopin
31 FE Feuerzauber (Magic Fire Music) Die Walküre Richard Wagner
32 FL Flight of the Bumblebee The Tale of Tsar Saltan Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
33 FO Four Seasons: Spring The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi
34 FR Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring) — Johann Strauss II
35 GE Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods) — Johann Strauss II
36 GL Gloria Gloria in D major Antonio Vivaldi
37 GR Grand March Aida Giuseppe Verdi
38 GY Gypsy Rondo Piano Trio No. 39 in G major Joseph Haydn
39 HE Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave) — Felix Mendelssohn
40 HO Horn Concerto No. 4 — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
41 HY Hymn of the Cherubim Liturgy of St John Chrysostom Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
42 IN In the Hall of the Mountain King Peer Gynt Edvard Grieg
43 IN Intermezzo Cavalleria rusticana Pietro Mascagni
44 IN Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso — Camille Saint-Saëns
45 JU Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity The Planets Gustav Holst
46 KN Kalinka
Traditional Approximately matches prefix
47 LE Le cygne (The Swan) The Carnival of the Animals Camille Saint-Saëns
48 LI Liebesträum No. 3 Liebesträume Franz Liszt
49 LO Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I Lohengrin Richard Wagner
50 LY Lyric Pieces: March of the Dwarfs Lyric Pieces Edvard Grieg
51 MA March Alla Turca (Turkish March) Piano Sonata No. 11 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
52 ME Méditation Thaïs Jules Massenet
53 MI Minute Waltz Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 Frédéric Chopin
54 MO Moonlight Sonata: Adagio sostenuto Piano Sonata No. 14 Ludwig van Beethoven
55 NE Nessun dorma Turandot Giacomo Puccini
56 NO Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 — Frédéric Chopin
57 OP Orpheus Can-Can melody Offenbach
58 OV Overture to William Tell William Tell Gioachino Rossini
59 PA Pastoral Symphony Opening theme Beethoven
60 PA Pavane — Gabriel Fauré
61 PE Peer Gynt: Morning Mood Peer Gynt Edvard Grieg
62 PI Piano Concerto No. 1 — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
63 PL Plaisir d’amour — Jean-Paul-Égide Martini
64 PO Polovtsian Dances Prince Igor Alexander Borodin
65 PR Prelude in C major The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I J. S. Bach
66 PR Prelude in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4 24 Preludes, Op. 28 Frédéric Chopin
67 PU Pictures Promenade theme Mussorgsky Approximately matches prefix
68 QU Entrance of the Queen of Sheba Solomon George Frideric Handel
69 RA Radetzky March — Johann Strauss I
70 RE Requiem: Lacrimosa Requiem in D minor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
71 RE Red River Valley
Traditional
72 RE Rêverie — Claude Debussy
73 RI Ride of the Valkyries Die Walküre / The Ring Cycle Richard Wagner
74 RO Romeo and Juliet Love theme Tchaikovsky
75 SA Samson and Delilah: Bacchanale Samson et Dalila Camille Saint-Saëns
76 SA Salut d’Amour — Edward Elgar
77 SC Scheherazade — Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
78 SE Serenade No. 13 (Eine kleine Nachtmusik) — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
79 SE September Four Last Songs Richard Strauss
80 SH Sheep May Safely Graze Hunting Cantata J. S. Bach
81 SI Sicilienne Pelléas et Mélisande Gabriel Fauré
82 SM Smanie implacabili Così fan tutte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
83 SO Solveig’s Song Peer Gynt Edvard Grieg
84 SP Spring Song Main melody Mendelssohn
85 ST Ständchen (Serenade) Schwanengesang Franz Schubert
86 ST St Matthew Passion: Erbarme dich St Matthew Passion J. S. Bach
87 ST Stars and Stripes Forever — John Philip Sousa
88 SU Sugar Plum Fairy (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy) The Nutcracker Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
89 SW Swan Lake: Scene Swan Lake Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
90 TA Tannhäuser Overture Tannhäuser Richard Wagner
91 TE Te Deum: Prelude Te Deum Marc-Antoine Charpentier
92 TH Thieving Magpie (Overture to La Gazza Ladra) Main overture tune Rossini
93 TO Toccata and Fugue in D minor — J. S. Bach
94 TR Trout Quintet Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 Franz Schubert
95 TR Trumpet Voluntary (Prince of Denmark’s March) — Jeremiah Clarke
96 UD Una Donna a quindici anni Così fan tutte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
97 UN Un bel dì vedremo Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini
98 VA Valse oubliée No. 1 — Franz Liszt
99 VI Violin Concerto in E minor — Felix Mendelssohn