Embedded Files
Melodic Skips:
Melodies in simple and compound time that incorporate skips/leaps between 4 and 6 in major and minor.
Warmup
Warmup
1) Scale Ladders:Major Solfège Ladder & Minor Solfège Ladder
Suggested Exercises. Open the solfège ladder to use as a visual guide for the following exercises:
Point & Sing: Practice stepping within the scale and leaping to (or skipping between) scale degrees 4 and 6 as classmate or instructor points to each step on the ladder.
Improvised Melodies: Make up a 3–5 note melody that uses mostly stepwise motion, but adds leaps to (or skips between) 4 and 6. Have your partner pick up on the melody by starting with the last note of your segment (e.g. Do-Fa-Mi-Re, Re-Mi-La-Sol-Mi, Mi-Re-Do-La-Sol, etc.)
Call & Response: Have a classmate or instructor improve a 3–5 note melody using the criteria above on a neutral vocal syllable ("Da") or played at the piano. Sing the melody back using solfège.
2) Melodic Improvisation: Select a chord grid to use as a visual guide for improvisation or create your own:
Chord Grids:
With IV: I - IV - I - IV, I - IV - V - I, I - I - IV - V, I - IV - I - V, I - V - IV - I, I - IV - V7 - I, I - IV - Cad64 - V - I
With ii: I - ii - V - I , I - ii - V7 - I , I - ii7 - Cad64 - V - I
With vi: I - vi - IV - V, I - vi - ii - V
Suggested Exercise: Open the chord grid to use as a visual guide for improvising a melody over progressions that use I, V, and V7.
Setup: Select a time signature, key, and mode (major or minor).
Select your Ensemble: You may sing solo, in groups, or all together simultaneously as a class.
Sing A Capella or Select a Backing Track.
Here are some online options: Chord Player, Musicca Chord Player, and ChordChord.
Experiment with the settings to try different styles, keys, and progressions.
Pick a Level:
Level 1: Improvise a melody that uses only one chord tone per measure. Move as smoothly as possible to a chord tone in the next measure.
Add rhythm: Improvise a repeated rhythm to go with your chord tone.
Level 2: Improvise a melody that skips between 2 or 3 chord tones per measure. Slow down the rhythm for the final cadence.
Level 3: Incorporate passing and neighbor tones between chord tones.
For example for I - V - I - V, you might sing: | Do Re Mi | Re Do Ti | Do Re Do | Re Sol |
As you get more comfortable, try adding rhythm and other types of non-chord tones.
Skips/Leaps to Scale Degree 4
Skips/Leaps to Scale Degree 4
Rhythms with Division Values
Rhythms with Division Values
1) Harry T. Burleigh, “A New Hidin' Place,” from The Southland: Piano Sketches, mm. 1–10 [Image File | MuseScore]
2) Béla Bartók, Mikrokosmos Vol. I, No. 21 (1939) [Image File | MuseScore | PDF | Youtube 10:58–11:22]
3) Amy Beach, Summer Dreams, Op. 47, No. 18, “Twilight,” mm1–4 (1901). Outer voices only. [Image File] [MuseScore]
4) Nobuo Uematsu, “Opening Theme,” mm. 1–4, from the video game Final Fantasy (1987) [Image File | PDF | MuseScore] [Youtube: 0:00–0:10]
5) “Wanagi Wacipi Olowan. Song of the Spirit-Dance (Ghost-Dance Song).” Native American Dakota Song. Transcribed by Natalie Curtis. [Image Link] [MuseScore]
6) Maria Theresia von Paradis, 12 Lieder, 1786, No. 3, “Aus Siegwart,” mm. 1–4 (1786). [Image Link | MuseScore]
7) Louise Reichardt, Zwölf Deutsche und Italiänische Romantische Gesänge, No. 3, “Durch die bunten Rosenhecken,” mm. 1–4 (1811) [Image File | MuseScore ]
8) Grupo Naidy, “Aguacerito Llové,” mm. 1-3 [Image File] [Youtube: 0:00–0:15]
11) Barbara Strozzi, “Che si può fare” (What can you do?) (1664), mm. 101–109, vocal part [MuseScore | Image File]
Rhythms with Subdivisions
Rhythms with Subdivisions
1) Joseph Bologne, String Quartet Op. 1, No. 6, mm. 13–20 (Violin 1) [Image File] [MuseScore]
2) Pink & Nate Ruess, “Just Give Me A Reason,” chorus, from The Truth About Love (2012) [Image file] [MuseScore] [PDF]
3) Stephen Sondheim, “Comedy Tonight,” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum [Image File] [MuseScore] [PDF] [Youtube 0:31-0:40]
4) Ignatius Sancho, "The Royal Bishop," mm. 1– 4 from Twelve Country Dances for the Year 1779 [Image File] [MuseScore]
Instructor Note: The only skip to 4 is in the bass part.
5) Rosamond Johnson, “Congo Love Song” (1903), mm. 9–16 [Image File] [MuseScore]
6) Farid El-Atrache, “Kahramana,” mm. 5–8, from Afrita Hanem (1949), written by Farid El-Atrache [Image File | MuseScore | Youtube: 0:11–0:53]
7) Vicente Lusitano, “Allor che ignuda,” madrigal, published 1562, mm. 1–11 [Image File] [PDF | MuseScore]
Note: The bass part is the only part with a leap to 4.
Skips/Leaps to Scale Degree 6
Skips/Leaps to Scale Degree 6
Rhythms with Division Values
Rhythms with Division Values
1) "Passamaquoddy Dance Song." Native American Wabanaki Song, as sung by Asawhis (Salis), Eastport, Maine. Transcribed by Natalie Curtis [Image File | MuseScore]
2) Johanna Kinkel, 6 Lieder Op. 6, No. 6 “Die Sprache der Sterne” (1839). [Image File | MuseScore] (Transposed from the original key, A major)
3) Florence Price, “Cabin Song,” from 3 Sketches for Little Pianists, no. 1, mm. 1–8 (1937) [Image File | MuseScore]
4) Traditional Folk Song: Bosnia, “Why So Silent, Tell Me, Birdie,” mm9–16 [Image File | MuseScore]
6) Robert Nathaniel Dett, “After the Cake-Walk,” mm. 53–60 (1900) [Image File | MuseScore]
7) Josephine Lang, 6 Lieder, Op. 10, No. 4, “Im Frühling,” mm. 7–10 (1841) [Image File | MuseScore]
8) Traditional Song, China, "Wǒ Hé Nǐ (You and Me)" [Image File | MuseScore] Song info, translation, and video recording here.
9) Maria Theresia von Paradis, 12 Lieder, 1786, No. 4, “Das Gärtnerliedchen aus dem Siegwart,” mm. 1–11 (1786). [Image Link | MuseScore]
10) Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, “Oh, The Summer” (1911), mm. 3–10 [Image Link | MuseScore]
11) Alan Menken, “Under the Sea,” mm. 21–28, from The Little Mermaid (1989) [Image File] [MuseScore] [PDF]
15) Jerry Goldsmith, Theme from Star Trek Voyager (1995), mm. 5–13 [Image File | MuseScore | PDF]
Rhythms with Subdivisions
Rhythms with Subdivisions
1) Traditional Song: Sichuan Province, China, “Frogs” [Image File | MuseScore]
Directions: Sing the melody as a round in class, following the numbers given for each group.
2) Fred Onovwerosouke, “Mshila,” mm. 2–8, No. 8 from Twelve African Songs (2011) [Image File | MuseScore | PDF]
4) Zenobia Powell Perry, “Homage,” mm. 1–9, from Piano Potpourri (1990) [Image File | MuseScore ]
Multiple Skips or Leaps with 4 and 6
Multiple Skips or Leaps with 4 and 6
Rhythms with Division Values
Rhythms with Division Values
1) Teresa Carreño, String Quartet, movt. 2, mm. 1–4, violin 1 (1896) [Image File | MuseScore | PDF]
2) Johanna Kinkel, 6 Lieder, Op. 15, No. 1, “Römische Nacht,” mm. 9–16 [Image File | MuseScore | PDF]
3) Joseph Bologne, Sonata No. 3 in A major, movt. 1, mm. 155–161 (Violin 1), from 6 Sonata for 2 Violins (1800) [Image File | MuseScore]
6) Cécile Chaminade, Album des Enfants, Op. 126 (1907), “Idylle,” mm. 1–8 [Image File] [MuseScore] [PDF] (Transposed from the original key of C)
7) David Arnold, Title theme from the TV Series Good Omens (2019– 2023), mm. 65– 79 [Image Link] [MuseScore] [PDF] [Youtube: 1:08–1:25]
8) Alan Silvestri, “Feather Theme,” from the film Forrest Gump (1994), mm. 5–12 [Image File | MuseScore]
9) Cécile Chaminade, Album des Enfants, Op. 126, “Aubade,” mm. 1–5 [Image File] [MuseScore] [PDF] (Transposed from the original key of E)
10) Langston Hughes, Founding Fathers, mm. 1–8. Words and music by Langston Hughes, Toy Harper, and LaVilla Tullos (1945) [Image File] [MuseScore]
11) Frank Loesser, “I'll Know,” mm. 1–6, from the musical Guys and Dolls (1950), music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. [Image File] [MuseScore]
13) Florence Price, 4 Songs from The Weary Blues (1941), No. 2, “Songs to the Dark Virgin,” mm. 2–6, vocal part only Image File | MuseScore | PDF ]
14) Liza Lehmann, No. 11. “Love Enthroned,” mm. 4–12, from Songs of Love and Spring (1903) [ Image File | MuseScore | PDF ]
Rhythms with Subdivisions
Rhythms with Subdivisions
14) Leonard Bernstein, “Somewhere,” from West Side Story [Image File | MuseScore]
16) Traditional folksong (Turkey), “Ali Pasa,” transcribed by LyubenDossev (from folkdancefootnotes.org) [PDF | Image | MuseScore | YouTube: 0:30–1:02]
Singing in Harmony
Singing in Harmony
1) Alan Silvestri, “The Real Hero,” from the film Avengers: Endgame (2019), mm. 1–9 [Image File] [MuseScore] [Youtube: 0:00–0:31]
Exercises & Warmups
Exercises & Warmups
David Newman, “Chord Spelling Song”
From The Well Trained Ear. Audio & Lyrics here.
Walks through arpeggiations of I, V, IV, ii, and vi.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Sight Singing Textbook (San Fransisco Conservatory)
Dave Smey, Sight-Singing Super Bonanza
Part H, Melodies 119–150, pp. 18–22
Benjamin Crowell, Eyes and Ears: An Anthology of Melodies for Sight Singing
"Leaps within the Subdominant, Major Keys," pp. 67–79
"Leaps within the Subdominant, Minor Keys," pp. 79–82
Kent D. Cleland & Mary Dobrea-Grindahl, Developing Musicianship through Aural Skills - Available online through the NYU library
Improvisation with Pre-Dominants: Explanation, examples, prep exercises, 1, 2, and 3-part melodies, and sing-and-play melodies, pp. 254–261 (direct link to section)
Examples from the Literature, pp. 261–264 (direct link to section)
Toby Stewart, Foundational Sight-Singing (for warm-up exercises)
Predominant Outlines: pp. 101–115
Choraletech, Interactive Sightsinging Program, "Subdominant," Nos. 300–399
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