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Intervals: Landscaping

Goal: To set up the improvisation (and focus can be on larger intervals of sixths, sevenths, and octaves using major, minor, whole tone, and pentatonic scales).

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 or three notes per measure.

Speaking, singing, playing.

Refer to the Intervals Smorgasbord for ideas.

Beginning

  1. Teacher plays all the notes of a major, minor, whole tone, or pentatonic scale – sustained on an electronic keyboard.
  2. Teacher prompts, “Sing an upward sixth, seventh, or octave in two-four, three-four, four-four, or compound meter from a note other than the first scale degree.”
  3. Students sing an upward interval in a tempo, one or two notes per measure.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher plays all the notes of a major, minor, whole tone, or pentatonic scale – sustained on an electronic keyboard.
  2. Teacher prompts, “Sing a downward sixth, seventh, or octave in two-four, three-four, four-four, or compound meter from a note other than the first scale degree.”
  3. Students sing a downward interval in a tempo, one or two notes per measure.

Advanced

  1. Teacher plays all the notes of a major, minor, whole tone, or pentatonic scale – sustained on an electronic keyboard.
  2. Teacher prompts, “Sing two different intervals from the sustained notes in two-four, three-four, four-four, or compound meter from a note other than the first scale degree.”
  3. Students do so.