Accents: Call and Response
Goal: To hear, sing, play and differentiate accents and articulations: staccato, legato, marcato, sforzando, subito, tenuto, fermata, and cesura.
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.
Beginning
- Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Here is an accent or articulation.”
- Teacher plays it.
- Teacher prompts, “You respond singing the same accent or articulation.”
- Students do so.
Intermediate
- Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Here is an accent or articulation.”
- Teacher sings it.
- Teacher prompts, “You respond playing a different accent or articulation.”
- Students do so.
Advanced
- Student sets up as above and prompts, “Here is a group of different accents or articulations.”
- Another student sings it.
- Another student prompts, “The next student responds playing a different group of accents or articulations.”
- The process continues until all students have participated.