Tuesday, February 28, 2012

What should I be working on right now?

Here's the content you should be tackling at this point in the course. (From the course information page.)

Practice exercises in Benward Melody 14A (Modulating Melodic Dictation)

Practice exercises in Benward Melody 14B (Error Detection)

Watch Intro to Modes. (aka "fun with modes!) Watch with annotations on if you can. Remember that spelling is important!

Need a mnemonic? There are many based on the order modes appear if you hear how they would start on successive degrees of our familiar major scale. (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian.)

Here is Mattia's mnemonic method for this.

Also, remember that we won't deal with Locrian in class. Ionian is like our major scale, and Aeolian is like our natural minor scale. "Home triads" for Dorian and Phrygian are minor, and those of Mixolydian and Lydian are major. Lydian has a "fi" and Phrygian has a "ra," which gives them each a very distinctive sound. Dorian and Mixolydian each have a "la" and a "te" and differ only in the quality of the third scale degree.

Practice exercises in Benward Melody 14C (Mode Identification)

Watch Secondary dominants of iv (in a minor key, obviously:)

Practice exercises in Benward Harmony 14A (Secondary dominants of iv and VI)