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Harmonic Progressions: Landscaping

Goal: To prepare improvisations using harmonic progressions, which include tonicization and modulation.

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 Harmony Smorgasbord for ideas.

Beginning

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Student A sings or plays a chromatic scale upward slowly, as upper voice, starting on a leading tone. Student B sings or plays the ‘5 – 1’ down a fifth, as a lower voice that matches the chromatic scale. For example: sung at the same time, in harmony.
    1. Student A: B C, C# D, D# E etc.
    2. Student B: G C, A D, B E, etc.
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Student C sings or plays a chromatic scale upward, as a lower voice, slowly starting on a leading tone. Student D sings or plays the ‘5 – 3’ down a third and above the chromatic scale that matches the chromatic scale. For example: sung at the same time, in harmony.
    1. Student C : B C, C# D, D# E etc.
    2. Student D: G E, A F, B G, etc.
  2. Students do so.

Advanced

Resolving the tri-tone.

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Student E sings or plays F E, G F, etc. as an upper voice, while student F sings or plays at the same time B C, C# D, etc. as a lower voice, a chromatic scale that matches the upper voice. For Example: F E, G F#, A G#, B G# etc. matches B C, C# D, Eb E, F E etc.
  2. Students do so.