Post by e7mHere is the exercise that does not work on my site in Free Stuff concerning tone sets I referred to in previous post.
tone set ear training
This exercise helps the student to hear the various intervals included in the tone set and how they relate to each other and the implied tonality of the tone set.
This example of the process uses the 5 tones of the major pentatonic scale. In elementary level, it may start with smaller portions of this set such as: m_sl, drm, l_s_m_d as well as drm_sl
note: d = DO, r = RE, m=Mi etc.
Here is the prep for singing exercise using the drm_sl.
The first thing you do is to look at the tone set and start with the smallest interval. One easy way is to look at each starting with the first tone and the distance between the next tone of the set.
Dr = major second
rm = major second
ms = minor third
sl = major second
ld = minor third
Then you start with the first tone again and to all the intervals that skip a tone in the set.
dm = major third
ds = perfect fifth
d l = major sixth
We continue from the Re
r s = perfect fourth
r l = perfect fifth
r d' = minor seventh
Then from the Mi
m l = perfect fourth (ms already done)
m d' = ;minor sixth
Then
s d' = perfect fourth
For this example and from a pragmatic standpoint, at the beginning stages of the exercise, do not exceed the one octave of the tone set. For advanced study you can add the next octave.
You arrange this list in order of smallest to largest
major 2 = dr, rm, sl
minor 3 = sl, la d'
major 3 = dm
Perfect4= rs, ml, sd'
Perfect5= ds, rl
Minor6 = md'
The exercise: starting on a comfortable note that will allow you to go up an octave, sing the SolFa syllable and the name of the interval. The SAME STARTING NOTE is used for ALL the intervals. This is the same as for the 5 Pentaton exercises which is a good preparation for this exercise or a sister exercise for this exercise. Both are important parts of learning to hear functional music and music in general.
Sing dr singing DO RE say Major second while singing ddrr, sing RE Mi while saying rm and sing Major second while singing rrmm etc. (all these details are important.
you go through the list and for each interval you say the SolFa as you sing the SolFa and then you repeat sinting the SolFa as you sing the name of the interval.
This is repeated for each interval with the different names for all of the combinations of the tone set. What you are doing is drilling yourself with the various names of the same intervals as they appear in the different settings within the tone set. This is important as it teaches you context of the intervals. For example, the three different major 2nds have a different function within the scale. This is important if you want to hear common chord modulations. SolFa is one way of defining function and it is an important part of training the ear to hear function. Saying the intervals trains you to hear linear intervals which would allow you to sight sing random or serial tone sets such as twelve tone melodies. Its a good exercise and has many useful applications related to ear training.
This is the first part of the exercise using just the pentatonic scale. The next step would be to start on the higher note and sing the intervals down. When doing so, remember that a major second inverts to a minor 7th and a major 3rd inverts to a minor 6th, a minor 3rd inverts to a Major 6th, a Perfect 5th to a perfect 4th.
Then of course you can expand the exercise to the tones to two octaves or how ever far you can go. Generally this would be done to includes the tones below the common starting note and above the original set until you get all the intervals that are included in the octave but the sky's the limit.
Remember that all the singing starts at the SAME common starting tone. That starting note changes its name for each set to start the interval on that same tone.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions either here on by email through a contact box on the site.
LJS
element7music.com
As you complete this exercise, you really know what the (in this case
Pentatonic) scale sounds like and you will find that sight singing in that
scale is so much easier than you could imagine. Remember that when this is
applied to the major scale tone set, that it also gives you the skills for
singing in all of the modes as well. In the Kodaly system, You do not use
DO as the C note for all the modes. For the Dorian mode, the tonic note is
RE. For Lydian it is Mi. etc. If you modulate from Cmajor directly to the
Aeolian or relative minor, you would use the same SolFa for the same notes.
The only accidentals would be Sis for the Sol Sharp in the Harmonic minor
and Fis for the Fa sharp in the ascending form of the Melodic minor. As
such, if you were to inject your scale into Cmaj, the SolFa would be the
same note for note as in Cmaj except that you would have the Me or Mi Flat
instead of Mi in your SoFa.
Most musicians that studied SolFa in the US do not use this approach to
sight singing. The system that we use in the US is Movable Do however and
is more functional and modaly friendly than the Fixed DO system often used
in European schools. In Europe they use more of the arabic number system
that was used in the scale description in Stephen's response. In2 that
translation, the SolFa would be
6 71 2 3 4 #5 6
Sounds a bit strange and complicated but it really is much simpler than it
seem and with Joey's suggestions about the possible use of this scale, you
would be using the same SolFa syllables with the appropriate alteration of
one note for the various rotations that Joey mentioned as to what use the
Harmonic Major would be. Thus, with the ear training, you would have the
tools necessary to hear the tones by ear using SolFa and you would be able
to transpose it to any of the keys quite easily to any key that you know as
well as Cmaj on any instrument.
I hope this gives you some food for thought and some insight into another
way of looking at scales.
LJS
element7music.com