Triads: Call and Response
Goal: To set up the improvisation using triads in inverted positions, major, minor, augmented, and diminished (with focus on using whole tone and pentatonic scales to create triads and singing in three-part harmony).
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, three, or four notes per measure.
Speaking, singing, playing.
Refer to the Triad Smorgasbord for ideas.
Beginning
- Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “I sing a major triad and you turn it in to a first inversion triad keeping my first note the same.”
- Students do so.
Intermediate
- Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “I sing a minor triad and you turn it in to a first inversion triad keeping my first note the same.”
- Students do so.
Advanced
- Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “I sing triad x in an inverted position and you turn it in to a root position triad and turn the triad in to a different type of triad.” For example, a second inversion major triad becomes a minor first inversion triad.
- Students do so.