PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Woodshedding - Learning to Play! How many of you can sing different scales and modes with reasonable accuracy, and how did you learn

Hi all,

I'm finally working on my ear (something Mac has been telling me to do for many years now - and Mac, I've just started using the BB Ear Trainer, so no need to remind me again : ), because I have a little more free time in the summer.

I've found a program that I really like using for the Android. It's called Perfect Scales, and it's free with a request for donation.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.exaybachay.scales&hl=en

As I walk my dog each morning, I've been playing back different scales and modes, and trying to sing along with them, in the same key, starting with "C" of course.

It is actually quite challenging, and I've noticed getting beyond the major scale - the one everyone learns in grade school, is pretty darn tough if you haven't worked on it (or been born with an uncommon musical gift - and I'm sure some of you are out there).

I'm trying to hear the differences between Natural Major (Ionian) and Natural Minor (Aelolian), and SING them both back accurately WHILE the scale is playing, and then without, and then play again checking my accuracy. Then, I look for a another scale or mode with only one different note, and again try to hear the difference in that note and sing back the scale.

One thing is, I've never had any 'formal, schooled' music training, though I've taken many private guitar lessons throughout my life. The only instrument I've ever studied is guitar. However, there are HUGE gaps in my music background - weak reading, and of course, a weak ear (hence this latest exercise).

So I wanted to:

1.) share my enthusiasm for this program and the convenience of using it during your times when the phone is more handy than an instrument - say a dog walk : ) for you animal lovers.

2.) To ask if anyone out there has developed their ear by actually trying to SING the different scales rather than just RECOGNIZE correct intervals
- and what words do you use during your singing ?
- I've used Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
--> placing and "E" on the end for flats and an "I" on the end for sharps (as shared by my friend's daughter who is in a formal program.

3.) Lastly - ask if any of you can share additional approaches in how you may have mastered this skill (if you indeed even find the SINGING part (in addition to the LISTENING identification part) important - as I think it is

Reminds be of a bumper sticker:

"Caution, Driver is Singing"

vocalizing scales

http://pghboemike.wordpress.com/2013/07/20/vocalizing-scales/

I was taught to sing through my instrument and to voice everything I play when practicing.

What that means is that each new scale should not only be practiced on the instrument, but at the same session, don't play the instrument and sing the scale in any way you can, paying attention to intonation, proper intervals, in other words using what you just played on the instrument as the guide to sing the same.

This is a very efficient approach, as it not only trains the ears, it will really help you to internalize the scales, exercises, characteristic studies, etudes, whatever is in your practice regimen, while at the same time impressing the use of the diatonic relationships, dynamics (because dynamics happen rather naturally when singing), culminating in the ability to actually sing through your chosen instrument while performing.

The voice was first. Then came the various melodic instruments, and every one of them is an attempt to emulate the human voice.

The other factor is more rhythmic in nature, and that is the DANCE. Again the same things apply, endeavor to dance your way through those scale studies, which always involves keeping steady time no matter what you are actually attempting to play.

And don't try to do too much at once. It is far more important to practice one thing correctly and nail it than it is to try to practice a whole lot of things in an effort to "get there faster". The reality is that the proper learning of that one thing, always striving towards performance, will have an impact on the next thing, making that happen faster and this becomes cumulative as you progess.

Never let your practicing sound like some sort of rote repetition.

Instead, always strive to "make music" of whatever it is that you must practice, even the lowliest of linear scales. Practice Crescendo when going upscale, Decrescendo when going downscale. Then reverse it. Decrescendo going up, Crescendo going down. And don't just practice even eighths or the like, mix it up, dotted eights for a few runs, counting the whole time, then triplets, then every other note in ascension and descending, 1-3, 2-4, 3-5, etc. all the while trying to play these as musically sounding as you possibly can. If you can't, slow down until you can, but always keep the tempo count appropriate as you play, for that is the internal clock that makes music happen.

And never overpractice these kind of drills. Short sessions are going to get you there faster than long endurance runs will. Ten minutes, then go do something else, then come back to it and do another serious ten minutes. Like that. Because if its not fun, it is not going to sound musical.


--Mac

As always, excellent advice, Mac. Been working hard on the arps and I gotta tell you, it's really opened up my ears. Sheryl Bailey has a great lesson on the use of arps along with the dom bebop scale. It's a winner.

BTW - The very first scale you should practice singing all the time, Joe, is the Chromatic Scale.

All Half Steps, up and down.


--Mac

Yes Mac, after doing them for a while in a different order, I can see why you would say that : )

Also - found another GREAT program for memorizing the Interval Sounds - it's donation-based and free, for Android.

It is called Interval Recognition - Ear Train:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.marchantpeter.intervalrecognition&hl=en

Very simple, very effective. I've put it into "Listen Mode"at first and set all to begin with middle C - for each interval you tap, it will play the first few notes of the respective song to help you remember that interval, and also place the name of the song it is using on top.

Resurrecting a somewhat dead thread:

I'm 46 and just now trying to learn this - not singing, just the recognition and keyboard skills of the 'chordal scales'. Not because I thought I should do it on my own, it's the main part of the week 2 lesson in the Gary Burton Jazz Improvisation class that I'm in right now.

I have to say that the only scales that really feel natural to me are Ionian, Dorian and Aeolian. I can groove in those with the dance, the music, etc.

I can almost identify some of the others by ear, like Mixolydian. But the other modes are harder for me to hear the subtleties. In this class, we are learning 10 different chordal scales.

I remember in ear training class in college part of our test would be singing scales. These were one on one tests with the teacher.

The teacher would play a note and say, "sing a mixolydian scale starting from that note".

Then, "sing a harmonic minor scale starting from this note".

Etc.

This included Ionian, dorian, phyrgian, lydian, mixolyian, aeolian, locrian, harmonic minor and melodic minor.

Ear Master Pro is the best for this, its got a free trial too - check it out, I have been using it a couple of years and with wwork it really pays off. Its very customisable too