Martyria & Fthora Cards

These pictures show prototypes of the Martyrie & Fthores Cards.  There will be one card for each martyrie and fthore.

First, students need to learn the martyries for each scale.  I think that Telos is a great game to accomplish that (pictured).  This is best done at the beginning of level 2 when students are learning hymns in all 8 modes.

 

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Once students know all of the martyries then I teach them which fthore goes with which pitch in each scale.

I just played a simple matching game but I am sure that the more I use the material I will come up with some better games.  Don't use this picture as a reference as the cards got moved during our tea party.  (Would you like some lettuce with your diatonic pa?  Why, yes I would, thanks.)    

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As students encounter a new fthore in a hymn this is how I teach them conceptually and concretely what is happening.  Students start by writing out the phrase with the interval playing cards and the two martyrie cards at the beginning and end.  Then, students write out the phrase using the Greek letter cards---noting that the last martyrie has a vou on top.  Then, we place the fthore card in the phrase and rewrite the phrase below using Ni Pa Vou cards (which are always used with pitch).  When students get to the fthore they put the cards for the original pitch and then place the card for the new pitch associated with the fthore overtop.  They continue writing the sentence out from the new pitch.  At the end of the phrase they change the martyrie symeion (the bottom part of the martyrie) so that it corresponds to the what it should be for the pitch in the new scale.  Now the phrase looks the way that they would see it in the music.  Once they understand what is happening they will do this naturally in their heads.