Jumbala Lyala – a new game for 3 metre

Have you noticed that, in Western cultures, we don’t sing a lot of songs in 3 metre?
This means our students find it hard to use 3 metre for composing and improvising, as well as transcribing, as it is not part of their regular music language.

I originally created these actions to highlight the accents in 3 metre songs (I used “Edelweiss” and the “Coffee Canon”).

(Scroll down for simpler patterns to highlight 3 metre if required).

3 Metre Song Actions

Formation: A single seated circle. 

Left hand held out to the left, face up under the person’s hand on their left.

Right hand held out to the right, face down on top of the person’s hand on the right.

On each beat for the first six beats, using your right hand,

1. tap down on your neighbour’s left hand

2. tap your right knee,

3. tap your left knee

4. tap under your OWN left hand 

5. & 6. tap on top of your left hand twice.

Repeat in reverse for the next 6 beats.

Repeat both patterns to end of song.

This is a song I wrote to practice 3 metre. It also uses the natural minor scale and the “ti-ta-tam” rhythm.

More, simpler, 3 metre clapping patterns:

Example Pattern 1

Beat 1               Clap own hands once.

Beats 2 & 3       Hands on own knees twice.        Repeat for rest of song.

Example Pattern 2

Beat 1               Clap own hands on own knees once.

Beats 2 & 3       Lean towards the left and tap person on your left’s knees twice.

Beat 4               Clap own hands once.

Beats 5 & 6       Lean towards the right and tap person on your right’s knees twice.          Repeat for rest of song.

Example Pattern 3

Beat 1               Clap own hands on own knees once.

Beats 2 & 3       Cross hands and clap own knees twice.

Beat 4               Uncross hands and clap own hands on own knees once.

Beats 5 & 6       Spread hands and tap the knees closest to you on your left and right. (This means the right knee of the person on your left and the left knee of the person on your right).                                   Repeat for rest of song.

Example Pattern 4

Beat 1               Clap own hands on own knees once.

Beats 2 & 3       Tap right hand to own left shoulder twice.

Beat 4               Clap own hands on own knees twice.

Beats 5 & 6       Tap left hand to own right shoulder twice.           Repeat for rest of song.

Example Pattern 5

Beat 1               Clap own hands once.

Beat 2               Hands crossed at elbows and tap shoulders once.

Beat 3               Clap own hands on own knees once.                  Repeat for rest of song.

Example Pattern 6

Beat 1               Clap own hands on own knees once.

Beat 2               Clap own hands once.

Beat 3               Place right hand pointer finger on nose and left hand over right hand on right ear

Beat 4               Clap own hands on own knees once.

Beat 5               Clap own hands once.

Beat 3               Place left hand pointer finger on nose and right hand over left hand on left ear

Repeat for rest of song.