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Scales: Patterning

Goal: To focus on whole tone and pentatonic scales in groups of notes.

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. Introduce the whole tone/pentatonic scales starting on C, but move to other starting notes quickly.

Refer to the Scales Smorgasbord for ideas.

Beginning

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Choose three adjacent notes from a whole tone or pentatonic scale and create a different pattern with them.” For example: whole tone: 1, 2, 3 becomes 2, 3, 1, etc.
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Choose three adjacent notes from a whole tone or pentatonic scale and create a pattern below the first note of the scale.” For example: pentatonic: 1, 6, 5 (1, 5, 4) becomes 1, 5, 6 (1, 4, 5) etc.
  2. Students do so.

Advanced

Difficult in tempo.

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Choose three non- adjacent notes from a whole tone or pentatonic scale and create a pattern above and/or below the first note of the scale.” For example: pentatonic: 1, 2, 4 (1, 4, 2)
  2. Students do so.