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Melody: Landscaping

Goal: To set up the improvisation using four note combinations (and focus can be on larger intervals of sixths, sevenths, and octaves using major, minor, whole tone, and pentatonic scales).

Out of Tempo

All Levels

“Out of Tempo” exercises are not presented separately in Ear Training III and Ear Training IV improvisations. Should any exercise prove difficult performed in tempo, out of tempo versions of the materials in Ear Training III and Ear Training IV can be modeled on Ear Training I and Ear Training II approaches to out of tempo improvisations.

In Tempo

Teacher sets up a tempo, time signature, tonality, and rhythms.

Phrases can be four to thirty-two measures in length depending on the student’s ability.

Start with one note per measure and add different rhythms as students become more comfortable with the exercise. For more confident students, use non-repeating notes and rhythm patterns.

Students sing one, two, three, or four notes per measure.

Speaking, singing, playing.

Refer to the Melody Smorgasbord for ideas.

Beginning

  1. Using an electric keyboard or sustaining sound, the teacher plays all notes of a scale at the same with a basic pulse and prompts, “Choose four non-repeating notes from scale x and sing them along with my accompaniment.” For example, the teacher sustains the sounds of a whole-tone scale and the student sings four non-repeating notes – "Doe, Rey, Mi, Fa#."
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate

  1. Using an electric keyboard or sustaining sound, the teacher plays all notes of a scale at the same at prompts, “Using the same four non-repeating notes from scale x as above, and sing them along with my accompaniment in a different order.” For example, the teacher sustains the sounds of a whole-tone scale and the student sings four non-repeating notes – "Doe, Fa#, Mi, Rey."
  2. Students do so.

Advanced

  1. Using an electric keyboard or sustaining sound, the teacher plays all notes of a scale at the same time and prompts, “Choose four notes from scale x that are not adjacent and sing them up or down with my accompaniment excluding the first scale degree from the notes you choose.” For example: using the whole tone scale: "La#, Rey, Mi, Sol#."
  2. Students do so.