Instructions
In this pack you will sing Major, Natural Minor, and Harmonic Minor exercises. Use an open AH neutral syllable like LA, DA, NA or similar. For faster tempos DA is recommended - make sure you keep your mouth open, don’t let fast tempos close down your syllables. Make sure to project the sound out, especially on higher notes. If you feel the tone or vowel shape is changing significantly as the exercises move to higher keys, STOP, the exercise has become too high for you. Instead spend more time on an area where you are just starting to experience these issues. The goal of ear training is to sharpen your sense of pitch and rhythm. While tone is secondary in these exercises, it is always important to keep a strong natural tone in mind. Make sure to take in sufficient air, there are no dedicated air breaks in this recording, so when you need a breath, drop out on one or two of the notes, take a quick powerful breath, and hop back on time for the following note. You will find a PDF file with notes to help follow the pattern of the exercises. Use it only if you are proficient in reading music. The goal of this exercise is to train your ability to listen, NOT read.
Selecting Range
There are three options for range in the pack: starting on A is recommended for Basses. Starting on B is recommended for Baritones and Altos (Female), and starting on C is recommended for Tenors and Sopranos (Female). Do not pick an exercise outside of your range, if a part of the exercise feels too high, skip it, then once you master the lower sections, try the higher notes.
Major
Major always follows the interval pattern of Whole Step (W)-W-Half Step (H)-WWWH. In solfege it is known as Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. If you struggle with a neutral syllable, revert to solfege as it will help you find the pitches easier. In this section, you will sing a straight scale in duple time, followed by two major chord triads in triplet time.
Natural Minor
Natural Minor always follows the pattern of WHWWHWW. In solfege it is known as Do Re ME Fa So LE TE Do. Minor is created by lowering three intervals of the major scale, Mi moves half step down to Me, La down to Le, and Ti to Te. In this section, you will sing a minor triad in duple time, followed by two minor triads in triplet time. Remember to use a neutral Ah syllable, unless you are struggling with pitches, then use solfege. If you use solfege, the first minor chord in duple time will use Do Me Sol Do, repeated three times, followed by Do Me Sol Do Sol Me three times, finishing with Do Me Sol Me Sol Me, three times.
Harmonic Minor
Harmonic Minor is only different from Natural minor by one raised half step. The last internal is raised from Te to Ti, while all others remain exactly the same as natural minor. In solfege it is known as Do Re Me Fa So Le TI Do. This is a very important scale because the Ti Do relationship is powerful and instantly recognizable to the ear. Natural minor does not appear as often as Harmonic minor because natural lacks the Ti Do interval and instead has a less useful Te Do interval. In this section, you will sing a straight harmonic minor scale in duple time, followed by two minor triads in triplet time. If you use solfege, the straight scale will use Do Re Me Fa Sol Le Ti Do Ti Le Sol Fa Me Re Do, followed by Do Me Sol Do Sol Me three times, finishing with Do Me Sol Me Sol Me, three times.