Seventh Chords: Arithmetic

Speaking letters, scales degrees, intervals, or solfege.

Beginning

1. Teacher speaks interval content, “Major third plus minor third plus minor third.”
2. Students repeat.

Intermediate

1. Teacher speaks scale degrees, “5th plus 7th plus 2nd plus 4th.”
2. Students repeat.

Advanced

1. Teacher speaks solfege, “Sol + Ti + Re + Fa = Dominant seventh chord."
2. Students repeat.

More Advanced

1. Teacher starts in a different key therefore using fixed do solfege.
2. Example: Key of F = "Do Mi Sol Ti-flat" = Dominant seventh in the key of F.

Beginning

1. Teacher speaks (numbers, letters, chord tones, intervals, solfege) the four chord tones of the dominant seventh.
2. Students repeat.
3. Teacher then subtracts one of the chord tones.
4. Students repeat and answer which one is missing.

Intermediate

1. Teacher speaks (numbers, letters, chord tone, intervals, or solfege) the four chord tones of the dominant seventh.
2. Students repeat.
3. Teacher then subtracts two of the chord tones.
4. Students repeat and answer which ones are missing.

Advanced (Subtracts then replaces)

1. Teacher speaks (numbers, letters, chord tone, intervals, or solfege) the four chord tones of the dominant seventh.
2. Students repeat.
3. Teacher then subtracts one of the chord tones, then prompts, “Replace with another element of the dominant seventh." (Subtract fifth, replace with interval from root)
4. Students repeat and answer with a new descriptor of the missing note.

Beginning

1. Teacher speaks, “Root, third, fifth, seventh,” x times.
2. Students repeat.

Intermediate

1. Teacher speaks chord tones in a different order beginning with the root and repeat x times.
   1. "Root, seventh, fifth, third,” etc.
2. Students repeat x times.

Advanced

1. Teacher prompts, “Repeat each pair of chord tones x times.”
2. Students answer, “So Ti, Sol Ti, So Ti, Sol Ti /Ti Re, Ti Re, Ti Re, Ti Re/Re Fa, Re Fa, Re Fa, Re Fa."

How do you divide a seventh chord?

Beginning

1. Teacher speaks, “Sol Ti" then "Re Fa” and divides the dominant seventh chord in half.
2. Students repeat.

Intermediate

1. Teacher prompts, “Divide a dominant seventh chord into half steps grouped by chord tone.”
2. Students answer, "Sol Sol# La La# Ti/Ti Do Do# Re/Re Re# Mi Fa."

Advanced

1. Teacher prompts, “Divide the Dominant seventh chord in to three parts."
2. Students answer, "Sol Ti, Ti Re, Re Fa."

Singing or playing scale degrees, solfege, or chord tones.

Beginning

1. Teacher sings, “Sol Ti, Ti Re, Re Fa.”
2. Students repeat.

Intermediate

1. Teacher sings, “Sol Ti, Ti Re, Re Fa/Sol Fa Re Ti Sol.”
2. Students repeat.

Advanced (Up and down)

1. Teacher sings in scale degrees upward then downward, “5 6 7 / 7 1 2 / 2 3 4," then "4 3 2 / 2 1 7 / 7 6 5."
2. Students repeat.

Beginning

1. Teacher sings, “Sol Ti Re Fa/Fa Re Ti Sol” in a slow tempo.
2. Teachers prompts, “Repeat and subtract Ti, continuing in the same tempo – marking the omitted notes.”
3. Students sing without Ti.
4. Process continues, leaving out other individual chord tones.

Intermediate

1. Teacher sings, “Sol Ti Re Fa/Fa Re Ti Sol” in a slow tempo.
2. Teachers prompts, “Repeat and subtract Ti and Re continuing in the same tempo – marking the omitted notes.”
3. Students sing without Ti and Re.
4. Process continues, leaving out other individual chord tones.

Advanced

1. Teacher sings Sol, and then the other chord tones in a different order in tempo.
2. Teacher prompts, “Sing Sol then the other chord tones and subtract one of them.”
3. Students sing and subtract.
4. Process continues with different omissions and on different starting solfeges in different keys.

More Advanced

1. Teacher sings dominant seventh chord as above.
2. Teacher prompts, “Subtract a chord tone and replace it with a different descriptor of the missing note.”
3. Students answer as prompted.

Beginning

1. Teacher sings, “Root, third, fifth, seventh,” x times.
2. Students repeat.

Intermediate

1. Teacher sings chord tones in a different order beginning with the root and repeat x times.
   1. Root, seventh, fifth, third,” etc.
2. Students repeat x times.

Advanced

1. Teacher prompts, “Sing each pair of chord tones x times.”
2. Students answer, “So Ti, Sol Ti, So Ti, Sol Ti /Ti Re, Ti Re, Ti Re, Ti Re/Re Fa, Re Fa, Re Fa, Re Fa."

Beginning

1. Teacher sings, “Sol Ti" then "Re Fa" and divides the dominant seventh chord in half.
2. Students repeat.

Intermediate

1. Teacher prompts, “Divide a dominant seventh chord into half steps grouped by chord tone.”
2. Students sing, “Sol Sol# La La# Ti/Ti Do Do# Re/Re Re# Mi Fa.”

Advanced

1. Teacher prompts, “Divide the dominant seventh chord in to three parts."
2. Students sing, "Sol Ti, Ti Re, Re Fa."

More Advanced

1. Teacher prompts, “Sing a dominant seventh chord mixing chord tones, letters, numbers, solfege, and intervals.”
2. Students answer singing different combinations of the above.