- Having become familiar with singing a major scale, the aim of this page is to get you to find ("establish") and remember ("retain") the "key note":
- For an octave scale, the key note is the first and last notes;
- In the scale, and in most pieces of music, it should feel like the "home" note.
- This is important for general "navigation":
- If you have a good feel of where you started from, and where you are going to, it is easier to know where you are!
- But also, it is good starting point for pitching intervals and, particularly, triads (see the next exercise).
- The exercises below are just for singing:
- They will improve your voice and your ability to pitch notes;
- But their main aim is to improve your "ear" and your memory for notes.
- For each numbered exercise below:
- There are three versions of each, getting higher and faster each time;
- Start with the first of the three, and listen to it two or three times;
- Then try singing with it two or three times;
- Then try singing it on your own;
- Leave it for five minutes and try singing it again on your own without playing it again;
- Try it the next day without playing it first (the exact start note doesn't matter);
- As you get more confident, try the faster and higher ones.
- When you can do them on your own, vary the speed and starting pitch - you need to get used to doing them many different speeds and pitches.
Exercise (please read the comments on how to do these exercises, and what is needed):
- A major scale up and down in a rhythmical pattern: Key1; Key2; Key3.
- These can be sung to "Laa", "Mee" or "Yah" (on each note) or "1---2-3-4-5-6-7-8---7-6-5-4-3-2-1"
- And here's two examples of these scales:
- A major scale down and up in a rhythmical pattern: Key1; Key2; Key3.
- These can be sung to "Laa", "Mee" or "Yah" (on each note) or "8---7-6-5-4-3-2-1---2-3-4-5-6-7-8"
- A major scale upwards alternating with the lower key note: Key1; Key2; Key3.
- These can be sung to "Laa", "Mee" or "Yah" (on each note) or "1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7-1-8"
- And here's and example of this exercise:
- A major scale downwards alternating with the upper key note: Key1; Key2; Key3.
- These can be sung to "Laa", "Mee" or "Yah" (on each note) or "8-7-8-6-8-5-8-4-8-3-8-2-8-1"
- For extra practice at locating and retaining the key note, try these: Low; High.
- The first note you hear in each of the two is the key note;
- You are asked to sing this note every time there is a gap;
- After each gap, the key note is played so you can check if you are correct.
