Ties: Landscaping
Goal: To set up the basic contexts needed to improvise with rhythmic ties.
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, rhythms.
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.
Refer to the Tie Smorgasbord for tie combinations to use in the improvisations.
Beginning
Speaking in Tempo
- Teacher prompts, “Count 4/1, 2, 3, 4/1, 2, 3, 4 clapping on the number 1.”
- Students do so.
- Teacher prompts, “Count as before and with clapping on the number 1, say the word ‘tie' instead of the number 1: 4/tie, 2, 3, 4/tie, 2, 3, 4.”
- Students do so.
- Teacher prompts, “Count as before and with clapping on the number 1, now ‘mouth’ the word ‘tie' instead of the number 1: 4/(tie), 2, 3, 4/(tie), 2, 3, 4.”
- Teacher prompts, “Count as before and with clapping on the number 1, and now hold the number four across to number 2: 4/(4), 2, 3, 4/(4), 2, 3, 4.”
Intermediate
Singing in Tempo
- Teacher prompts, “Sing a repeating solfege scale starting on the last beat of a measure and tie that note over the bar line.” Example: In the key of F: Fa/Fa fa fa Sol/Sol sol sol La/La: The fourth beat is tied across the bar line.
- Students do so.
Advanced
- Teacher prompts, “Sing a NON-repeating solfege scale starting on the last beat of a measure and tie that note over the bar line.” Example: In the key of F: "Fa/(Fa) sol la Ti/(Ti) doe rey Mi/(Mi) fa mi Re/Re….." Etc. The fourth beat is tied across the bar line.
- Students do so.