Skip to main content

Intervals: Change

Goal: To focus on 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 sets up as above and prompts, “Sing upward interval x using scale y, singing the notes in between the two outer notes. When I say change, sing the same interval or to a similar scale degree but switch which scale you sing in between the two outer notes.” For example: in major, 1 up to 6 then upon hearing "change," switch to pentatonic and sing 1 up to 6.
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Sing downward interval x using scale y, singing the notes in between the two outer notes. When I say change, sing the same interval or to a similar scale degree but switch which scale you sing in between the two outer notes.” For example: in major, sing from 1 down to 4 then upon hearing "change," switch to whole tone and sing 1 down to #4.
  2. Students do so.

Advanced

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Starting on a scale degree other than 1, sing upward interval x using scale y, singing the notes in between the two outer notes. When I say change, sing the same interval or to a similar scale degree but switch which scale you sing in between the two outer notes.”
  2. Students do so.