Embedded Files
Melodic Skips:
Melodies in simple and compound time that incorporate skips/leaps between 7 and 2 in major and minor.
Warmups
Warmups
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 7 and 2 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 7 and 2. Have your partner pick up on the melody by starting with the last note of your segment (e.g. Do-Re-Mi-Ti-Do, Do-Re-Ti-Re-Mi, Mi-Fa-Sol-Ti-Do, 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: I - V - I - V, I - V7 - I - 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: I - V - I - V (in Bb major) or i - V - i - V (in A minor). Experiment with the settings to try different styles, keys, and progressions.
Alternatively, try another online chord player like Musicca Chord Player or ChordChord.
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.
Simple Time
Simple Time
Rhythm: Beats & Divisions
Rhythm: Beats & Divisions
1) Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, “My Favorite Things,” from the film The Sound of Music [Image File | MuseScore | Youtube 1:13–1:19]
2) Johanna Kinkel, 6 Lieder Op. 6, No. 3 “Die Geister Haben’s Vernommen,” mm. 25–31 (1839) [Image File | MuseScore]
3) Joseph Bologne, String Quartet Op. 1, No. 6, mm. 1–4, Violin 1 [Image File] [MuseScore]
4) Elizabeth Pym Cumberland, 10 Canzonets, No. 1, mm. 9–12 [Image File] [MuseScore] [PDF] (Transposed from the original key of A)
5) Joseph Bologne, String Quartet Op. 1, No. 5, mm. 10–13, Violin 1 [Image File] [MuseScore]
6) Jerry Bock, “Sunrise, Sunset,” mm. 5–11, from the musical Fiddler on the Roof (1964), lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. [Image File] [MuseScore] [PDF]
8) Andrew Lloyd Webber, "The Music of the Night," mm. 1–6, from the musical The Phantom of the Opera (1986), lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. [Image File] [MuseScore]
9) Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, “Falling Slowly,” mm. 18–25, from the film Once [Image file | MuseScore: mm. 9–25 | Youtube 0:59–1:27]
Rhythm: Subdivisions
Rhythm: Subdivisions
1) Francis Johnson, A Collection of New Cotillons, “Ford,” No. 7, mm. 17–24 (1818) [Image File | MuseScore ]
2) Francis Johnson, A Collection of New Cotillons, “Ford,” No. 7, mm. 1–8 (1818) [Image File | MuseScore ]
3) Traditional Folk Song: Bosnia, “Why So Silent, Tell Me, Birdie,” mm1–4 [Image File | MuseScore: mm. 1–16]
4) Jonathan Larson, “Seasons of Love,” from the musical Rent (1993), mm. 1–8 [Image File] [MuseScore]
5) Andrew Lloyd Webber, “All I Ask of You,” mm. 1–8, from the musical Phantom of the Opera (1986), lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe [Image File] [MuseScore]
6) Yoshino Hirai, “Overworld” theme from the video game StarTropics, mm. 5–8 (1990) [Image File | MuseScore | PDF]
7) Beyoncé, “Jolene,” mm. 1–8, from Cowboy Carter (2024) [PDF | Image File | MuseScore | YouTube: 0:12–0:24]
Compound Time
Compound Time
Rhythm: Beats & Divisions
Rhythm: Beats & Divisions
1) Joseph Bologne, String Quartet, Op. 1, No. 6, movt. 2, mm. 162–170, Violin 1 & Cello (1771) [Image File] [MuseScore]
2) Naoto Kubo, Shiho Fujii, and Koji Kondo, “Shiveria Town” music, Super Mario Odyssey (2017, Nintendo Switch), mm. 3-6 [Image File | MuseScore | Youtube: 0:03-0:11]
Rhythm: Subdivisions
Rhythm: Subdivisions
1) Ethel Smyth, 3 Songs, No. 1, “ The Clown," mm. 3– 8 (1913) [Image File | MuseScore | PDF]
2) Boyz II Men “ End of the Road," mm. 1– 8 (1991) [Image File | MuseScore | PDF] [YouTube: 0:00–0:22]
Other Time Signatures (e.g. 3/8, 2/2, 6/4)
Other Time Signatures (e.g. 3/8, 2/2, 6/4)
Time signatures that have beat notes other than quarter notes, including 2/2, 3/8, 4/16, etc.
1) Maria Theresia von Paradis, “Die Tanne,” No. 5, from 12 Lieder, 1786, mm. 1– 7, melody only [Image File | MuseScore]
2) Maria Theresia von Paradis, “Sophia an Siegwart,” No. 2, from 12 Lieder, 1786, mm. 1–7 [Image File | MuseScore]
4) Anna Amalia of Prussia, Sonata for Flute in F, movt. 3, Allegro Ma non troppo, mm. 3– 10 (1771) [Image File | PDF | MuseScore]
Note: Just sing the melody line. The continue includes a chromatic pitch and a leap to Fa.
Advanced Rhythms
Advanced Rhythms
1) J. Gabriel, “Esta Noche Voy a Verla” (“Tonight I am Going to See Her”), Spanish love song [Image File | MuseScore]
2) Florence Price, "Forever," mm. 3–10 (c.a. 1923) [Image File | MuseScore | PDF]
Additional Exercises
Additional Exercises
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Sight Singing Textbook (San Fransisco Conservatory), V7 Chord Outlines
Toby Stewart, Foundational Sight-Singing
Major and minor, simple time, divisions: pp. 78–93
Benjamin Crowell, Eyes and Ears: An Anthology of Melodies for Sight Singing
"Major Keys: Leaps within the Dominant," pp. 37–49
"Minor Keys: Leaps within the Dominant," pp. 58–63
"Leaps between the Tonic and Dominant," pp. 65–66
Dave Smey, Sight-Singing Super Bonanza
Part C, Melodies 61–75 (in major), pp. 9–11
Part D, Melodies 76–89 (in minor), pp. 11–13
Part E , Melodies 90–118 with "Wicked V7 Action" (major and minor), pp. 13–17
Kent D. Cleland & Mary Dobrea-Grindahl, Developing Musicianship through Aural Skills - Available online through the NYU library
Dominant 7th Chords: Explanation, Prep Exercises, 1 and 2 part melodies, and sing-and-play melodies, pp. 175–184 (direct link to section)
Improvisation with Dominants: Explanation, examples, prep exercises, 1 and 2-part melodies, and sing-and-play melodies, pp. 193– (direct link to section)
Examples from the Literature, pp. 199–203 (direct link to section)
Choraletech, Interactive Sightsinging Program, "Dominant," Nos. 227–299
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