Mommy T's adventures; bringing up Baby T

X is for Xylophone

My life is a last minute affair. The entire #AtoZBloggingChallenge has been a last minute affair. I try and look for a word over days and hours and finally around 10 pm a flash of brilliance goes off in my brain (well according to me anyway.) and I have a word which I love and feel so excited to write about. Today’s word is such…

After poring over geeky lists of words beginning with X and getting some scary ideas for blog posts (Xeniatrophobia – the hatred for foreign Doctors. Innocent Dr (Mrs.) Singh from my childhood in the UK was going to get a mention.) I had almost relented my fate and went to clear up babyT’s play room for the night, when my eyes fell upon this Xylophone. (Fanfare went off in my head, really, you had to be me to know it.) 

Every house that has a new baby has a Xylophone or two. And of course babies are meant to hit, whack, throw and poke the crap out of it.. they of course cannot play it, unless they are the late Mr. Brahms incarnate. Does your Xylophone really get the due that it is born to do?

Well, some of us do… one of my favourite Mommy Bloggers BeingMammaBear has made it her mission to play her lovely daughter MissS meaningful songs on the Xylophone and I make it a point to listen to all her Instagram stories of her playing the Xylo. So i hunt those headphones, plug them in and listen to her soulfully tippytapping nursery rhymes on the Xylophone.

I could play only one song on the Xylophone, up until now that is. But nonetheless here is the one song that I ever learnt to play when I was a wee lass and one that I have kept close to my heart till now.  Its “Are you Sleeping, Brother John?” or “Freres Jacques, Dormez vous?” Watch this video here.. 🙂

So I am a total tone deaf person. My husband is a guitar player (not his day job) but I have imbibed zero music sense. I am however great at memorizing numbers .. I know phone numbers of my friends from school and all the car number plates in the apartment complex I lived in when I was 12. Sounds like some Beautiful Mind kind of shizz doesn’t it? No, it just means I am an introvert who was happier doing numbers than running amok with friends. So what I did was write down numbers on the Xylophone keys from 1 onwards and then did some research online (google baba ki jai ho) and some quick trial and error to figure these songs out.

Number the keys 1 to 8 and then try these

Are you Sleeping

Are you Sleeping, Are you Sleeping?
1 2 3 1, 1 2 3 1
Brother John, Brother John 
3 4 5, 3 4 5
Morning Bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing 
5 6 5 4 3 1, 5 6 5 4 3 1
Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong
5 1 1 , 5 1 1, 5 1 1

Twinkle Twinkle Litte Star

Twinkle Twinkle Litte Star
1 1 5 5 6 6 5
How I wonder what you are?
4 4 3 3 2 2 1
Up above the world so high
5 5 4 4 3 3 2
Like a diamond in the sky
5 5 4 4 3 3 2
Twinkle Twinkle Litte Star
1 1 5 5 6 6 5
How I wonder what you are?
4 4 3 3 2 2 1

Row Row Row your boat

Row row row your boat
1 1 1 2 3
Gently Down the stream
3 2 3 4 5
Merrily merrily merrily merrily Life is but a dream
8 8 8 5 5 5 3 3 3 1 1 1 5 4 3 2 1

So easy no? Try a few songs and tell me how it went?

If you do read and understand music you can use this key. But I am sure you already knew that. 🙂

(Source: http://www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/fun-music-theory-do-re-mi/ )

8 Comments

  1. ShilpzShilps

    Hmm interesting need to buy n try these no’s. Remembered my bro used to play banjo(bulbul) when small ?

  2. Perzen

    Okay now I want to go buy M a Xylophone so I can play too. What a cool guide 🙂

  3. Shub

    Xylophone has played integral part of my kids’ toddlerhood. Lovely instrument cum toy that gets them acquainted to music.

  4. Minakshi Bajpai

    Very interesting and well written. Thanks
    mommystimeline.com/how-to-wake-up-early/

  5. Afsha Galar

    Hey that’s an aMazing hack !! I am going to try them and definitely tag you on it ???

  6. Richa Choudhary

    Wow!! i never knew we could play such notes on xylophone !!! My bub always used it to beat up or play some random music.

    AllThatsMom

  7. Lata

    Wow! This is awesome! Thanks for sharing the keys. This will make a fun activity for my kids 🙂

  8. Tessica

    You keep it up now, understand? Really good to know.

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