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Ties: Patterning

Goal: To set up the basic contexts needed to improvise with rhythmic ties.

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.

Refer to the Tie Smorgasbord for tie combinations to use in the improvisations.

Beginning

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Choose one rhythm pattern with longer and shorter rhythms and connect the pattern to a repetition of itself with a tie.”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Choose two rhythm patterns with longer and shorter rhythms and connect the two patterns with a tie.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “Choose three or four rhythm patterns with longer and shorter rhythms and connect the three to four patterns with a tie.”
  2. Students do so.