
When adults start singing to children they do this in a certain way or style that we have all come to understand is most conducive to retaining a child’s attention. Just as heavy metal or classical music has a certain melodic style, so do nursery rhymes. Melodic association is simply associating a specific style of music to a specific activity, idea, memory, person, or place. The use of this specific key for so many songs means that it is highly possible that many songs were written with similar tunes unintentionally, simply because there are only a limited number of ways that a simple melody can be written in one musical key. The fact that most nursery rhymes are written in the key of C Major makes the majority of them sound familiar, even if they do not share the same tune. This style of music is most easily executed by using the most simple key to write music in, which is the key of C Major. Nursery rhymes are written for children which means that the songs are written in a very simple way that is easy for children to sing along to. Many Nursery Rhymes Are Written In The Same Key Therefore the same tunes and melodies were passed on over and over again with words and lyrics being adapted over time. They come from a time when musical styles were limited and people did not own a device to playback music and only heard music played or sung live. Nursery rhymes used the melodies of the classical or folk music of the day and transformed them into melodies that were simpler and appealed to young children. Nursery rhymes were originally passed on orally – never written down or recorded because these forms of technolodgy were not available. Nursery Rhymes come from the oral tradition. There are many reasons why this tactic is used when writing or adapting nursery rhymes, and all are aimed at aiding children with specific skills such as recollection, memory, language, social skills, and musical development.

This is true across languages, countries, and cultures, as the same melodies are reused for nursery rhymes and children’s songs for specific purposes.
Out of the thousands of nursery rhymes all over the world, there are so many of them that share a very similar or the exact same tune. Why Do So Many Nursery Rhymes Have Similar Tunes? Nursery Rhymes That Sound the Same and have the same tune:.Is Using Similars Tunes & Melodies For Nursery Rhymes Important?.

Why Do So Many Nursery Rhymes Have Similar Tunes?.
