The Millennial Whoop
Wa-oh, wa-oh: two notes bouncing back and forth, in a lot of pop hits. The whoop jumps between sol and mi, the fifth and the third of the major scale; in 2016 Patrick Metzger named it the Millennial Whoop, in an article listing many pop hits of the 2000s and 2010s that use it. The same sol and mi make the traditional playground chant. Using a whoop of our own (G–E in C) over the four-chord loop, learn why it is so easy to sing, see how its two notes sit on every chord of I–V–vi–IV, and write a two-note singalong hook of your own.
In this lesson you'll
- Know the whoop: a melody that bounces between sol and mi, the fifth and the third of the major scale (in C, G and E), named the Millennial Whoop by Patrick Metzger in 2016, and the same sol–mi as the traditional playground chant (sol mi la sol mi).
- Understand why it is so easy to sing: a falling minor third (3 half steps, lesson 3) with both notes in the home chord, the first interval Kodály's method teaches children, sung on an open vowel that a whole stadium can join.
- Hear how G and E sit on each chord of C – G – Am – F (chord tones over C; root and 6th over G; 5th and 7th over Am; major 7th and 9th over F), then write your own two-note hook from the home chord and repeat it over the loop.
Music in this lesson
- The playground chant (sol mi la sol mi)traditional
- The Millennial Whoopnamed by Patrick Metzger · 2016 (an article listing many pop hits of the 2000s and 2010s; no song is played)
Remember
The whoop bounces between sol and mi, a falling minor third, and both notes belong to the home chord: no tension, instantly singable.
It is so easy to sing that Kodály's method starts children with this sol–mi interval, and sung on an open vowel, oh, a whole stadium can sing along.
Both notes fit every chord of the four-chord loop, as chord tones or colour notes, so a two-note hook can repeat all the way around; the recipe for a singalong hook: few notes, repeat them, an open vowel, rhythm on the beat.