Professional Documents
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Scale Degree
Construction
W-W-H W-H-W H-W-W W-W-W
Pitch Placement
la major
la si doh# r mi fa# sol# la si doh# r mi fa# sol# la si doh# r mi fa# sol# la si doh# r mi fa# sol#
Function
in any major mode I - II - III - IV V - VI - VII - I II - III - IV - V VI - VII - I - II III - IV - V - VI VII - I - II - III IV - V - VI - VII
{V II VI { III {VII
I IV
There are four tetrachords found within the major scale, ionian, dorian, phrygian, which outline the perfect fourth, and lydian, which encompasses the augmented 4th or tritone (three whole tones or six half tones).
The first step in this lesson is to provide students the ability to identify each tetrachord by name and to sing each tetrachord from any given pitch up or down first by Roman numerals (function numbers), and then by pitch names using the Latin syllables or letter names (pitch-placement). Study the above tetrachord chart. It describes all the information necessary to achieve this goal. Eventually, students will build each d-t-d scale by placing one tetrachord upon the other and linking them with either a whole or half-tone just as the following d-t-d scale chart illustrates.
doh-to-doh Scales
& # &#
I 4
Doh
Major
V 4
Sol
# #
VII 4 Mi
IV 4
###
IV 4
#
La W
I 4
# #
III 4
# ## &#
# # # # #
VI 4
#### #
# ## # &# #
# # # # # # # b b b b b b b b b
I 4 V 4 V 4 Doh
Fa #
III 4
# # # #
II 4
Si
VII 4 W
II 4 W
# # # # b
I 4
Doh #
VI 4 W
# # # #
V 4
Sol
b b b
IV 4
b b b b
I 4
VII 4 Mi
b b b b b b
W
IV 4
La
VI 4 Fa
b
W
III 4
b b
4 = Tonic
V 4
II
II 4 Doh
b
W
III 4
b b
W
b b
VII 4
b
VI 4
I 4
V 4
The tonic is colored blue, and the subscript 4 under the roman numeral indicates that a tetrachord is built up from that function. Also, the bracket placed between the two tetrachords indicates the type of tone (step) used to connect the two tetrachords. Note that the tetrachords are joined by whole tones except for four keys, sol, r, solb, and rb.
Procedure
Note: This lesson is presented in doh Major but may be presented in any tonality chosen by the teacher.
1. Teacher improvises modulating to a variety of keys. 2. The students listen for the changes in modulation as they step the beat and/or clap the crusis. 3. Once each new key is established, and upon a given command by the teacher (hop, hip), the students sing the new tonic on a neutral syllable. Repeat as needed. 4. The teacher arrives at a given key (doh major), the students are asked to continue to step the beat as they listen to a given song that they will learn by rote.
tude No. 2
Voice
Piano
Voice
Pno.
5. The song is taught phrase by phrase using function numbers (I II III etc.) The students are to discover the meter, and use arm beats as they step the rhythm of the song. a. Once the song is memorized the teacher may ask the students to sit and sing the melody using pitch-placement in the key of doh major. 3
4 &4
mp mf
4 &4
?4 n 4 #
rit.
&
mf p
mp p rit.
& ?
Part II Scale
a. For more advanced students, the teacher may ask the class to transpose the melody to fa, sol, lab, or any tonality the students have already studied. Note that the function numbers will remain the same but the pitches and their names will change.
1. The teacher then asks the students to discover which phrase in the Rote Song houses the entire doh major scale. (Answer: phrase two). 2. The students will sing the scale form d-t-d, repeating several times. a. It is recommended that the teacher harmonize the scale so to eliminate any ambiguity concerning the function of each pitch.
Function I
U 4 &4
Fingering
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
cadence
doh PitchPlacement C
I do C
3.
As the scale is harmonized, the students are asked to sing the scale using the rhythm as written in the above illustration using function names then using pitch-placement. Do not have the students sing the cadence at this point. Gradually, the piano is phased out as the students sing a cappella. a. It is recommended that the students go to the piano and learn to play the scale hands alone using the correct fingering as notated in the above illustration. This practice helps to link the ear, eye, and hand so that the students learn to hear what they see, and play what they hear.
V sol IV fa
Teacher: IV beat
&
Students:
IV fa
V sol
VI VII la si
VI la
&
Students:
II r
III mi IV fa V sol
IV fa
III mi II r
Teacher: II beat
&
Students:
VI la
VII I si doh
II r
I VII doh si
Teacher: VI dactylic
VI la
&
Students:
&
Students:
V sol
III IV V mi fa sol
VI VII la si
VI V IV la sol fa
Teacher:III anapest
III mi
I VII doh si
VI la
Teacher: Vtrochee
V sol
&
II III r mi
II I r doh
VII si
etc.
4. The students may sit to discus which pitches, and which functions form the two minor dichords or half tones. In each tetrachord, the half tones are found at IIIIV and VII or at mifa and si doh). 5. The teacher now introduces the cadence as notated at the end of the scale in the above illustration. The students sing the scale with the cadence. Repeat as needed, and review any scales the students many have already learned.
numerals, and the possible pitch names within a given key (doh major). (see tetrachord chart above) Be certain that the students sing the tetrachords from the top down as well as from the bottom up. Keep in mind that there are two ionian, two dorian, and two phrygian and one lydian tetrachords in any given major scale. Therefore, the teacher can use the left hand for tetrachords built on I, II, III, and use the right hand for tetrachords built on V, VI, and VII. The tetrachord built on IV can be signaled with either hand since there is only one lydian tetrachord in the scale. Now, the teacher can switch between hands as the students sing either the pitch names or the function numbers. Ionian is sung as I, II, III, IV on the teachers left hand and V, VI, VII, I, on the teachers right hand. The students may respond with pitch names in any given major key.
Dorian is sung as II III IV V on the teachers left hand and VI VII I II on the teachers right hand. The students may respond with pitch names in any given major key.
Phrygian may be sung as III IV V VI on the teachers left hand and VII I II III on the teachers right hand. The students may respond with pitch names in any given major key.
Lydian is be sung IV V VI VII on either hand. The students may respond with pitch names in any given major key.
At this time, the teacher may ask for student volunteers to lead the class creating another improvisation. Students may also form small groups or find a friend to form a one-on-one session to practice using the hand tetrachords with each other. The students should be encouraged to go to the piano and play the various tetrachords at the keyboard. They will find that there is a 6
relationship between the shape of their hand and fingers to form the hand tetrachord and the shaper of their hand as they play the tetrachord at the keyboard.
Gradually, the teacher drops the use of function, and simply sings the appropriate doh. Now, the students are more dependent on the hand signs for arriving at the correct scale. It also requires them to think the function numbers as they sing the pitch names. Its important that the teacher focus
the class on the new placement of the two minor dichords by having them sing the cadence at the end of each scale. The knowledge of their placement is vital for improvising melodic and harmonic modulations.
Part V Conclusion
The teacher may now introduce a musical selection that includes tetrachords and the outlining interval, fourths. The suggested piece is form Trent Lessons Mlodique de Solfge, by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. These pieces have been remastered and republished in the United States by Musikineses, Ellicott City, Maryland. These pieces are small musical gems that M. Jaques wrote purposely for the study of phrasing, meter, rests, rhythm, and nuance. However, the pieces are also useful for studying various intervals and chord-classes, i.e., dichords, trichords, tetrachords, pentachords, hexachords, and heptachords. The pieces also work on chromatics and chromatics and the best part is that the accompaniments are easy to play and quick to memorize Number 16 was chosen because it is in doh major, the primary tonality of the lesson, it contains all four types of tetrachords, ionian, dorian, phrygian, and lydian (meas. 36), and the piece contains all the intervals of the major scale including the M7. This piece serves well to give students the experience of the larger intervals before actually studying them, and it also highlights the dactyl e xx, anapest xxe, and trochaic e. x rhythm modes. Rests are also presented in this piece as it is in all thirty lessons.
Trent Leons Mlodique de Solfge, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze Published in 2004 by MusiKineses, Ellicott City, Maryland Copyright 1936, 2004 by Alphonse Leduc & Cie. Editions Musicales, 175 rue Saint-Honor, Paris
1. The teacher asks the students to sing the doh major d-t-d scale (the tonality of the piece) including the cadence. 2. The teacher may present the piece first by playing the accompaniment, and singing the melody with the names of the notes. The students simply listen. Repeat as needed. 3. On the next performance, the students conduct the meter, and listen for any tetrachords that may be recognized in the melodic line. (See measures 10-11, 22-23, and 35-36.) Repeat as needed. 4. On the next performance, the students are asked to listen for raise their hands when they hear the sequence of trichords. Note: All the material in these two lessons is taken form my latest textbook on Jaques-Dalcroze Solfge, Pursuing a Jaques-Dalcroze Education Solfge. It is slated for publication with Apple Inc., and will be available at the iBook Store soon. It is an interactive text formatted for the iPad and iPhone. It is complete with demonstration videos, and music exercises, music examples, and music illustrations that play with the touch of a finger. The material is structured primarily for a four-semester professional Dalcroze students curriculum, and the professional music school students two-year ear training curriculum. However, it may be easily adapted for students at various levels of aural development. All the material in the text has been used with my own students over the course of many years.
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