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Borrowed Divisions: Call and Response

Goal: To perform differing borrowed subdivisions of the beat in differing rates of change (triplets in simple meter, duplets in compound meter).

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 Rhythm Patterns/Borrowed Divisions Smorgasbord for ideas.

Beginning

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “I’m playing or singing in key x, eighth notes in two-four time, repeating one solfege per measure. You respond with the next note up the scale in eighth note triplets.”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate

  1. A student sets up as above and prompts, “I’m playing or singing in key x, eighth notes in three-four time, repeating one solfege per measure. You respond with the next note up the scale in eighth note triplets.”
  2. Another students does so.

Advanced

Singing or playing in harmony.

  1. A student sets up as above and prompts, “I’m playing or singing in key x, eighth notes in four-four time, repeating one solfege per measure. Student B sings in harmony with me. Students C and D, singing in harmony sing the next solfege up the scale in triplets.”
  2. The process continues up the scale, alternating between two pairs of students and eighth notes and eighth note triplets.
  3. The process continues until everyone in the classroom has participated.

More Advanced

Continue with the advanced example but use different types of triplets – quarter note triplets and half note triplets, for example. Same process may be used in compound meter with duplets.