Product Description
This
book provides its user with a series of notes on a treble staff with
no rhythm values and no meter. Chapters are organized by the
placement of the notes relative to the staff; on the staff, above the
staff, below the staff, on and above the staff, and on and below the
staff. For each pitch range there is one chapter with no accidentals
and one chapter with accidentals. All exercises have a space at the
beginning of each staff to write in a key signature, allowing each
exercise to be read in all keys and used in many ways.
The
aim with this book is to allow the user to focus specifically on
exercises centred around pitch without the distraction of rhythmic
values or time signatures. This can begin with the practice of
sight-reading but can expand to include many other learning goals.
The
diatonic sets contain notes with no accidentals or key signature.
These collections can be read as written, using only natural notes,
or in any of the 15 key signatures from 7 flats to 7 sharps.
Chromatic
collections include sharp and flat notes as well as natural ones. The
later exercises in these chapters increase the difficulty by
including B#, Cb, E#,
and Fb.
Ledger
line chapters
start with the first ledger line and gradually expand away from the
staff. Exercises above the staff reach up to the space above the
fifth
ledger line while exercises below reach down to the space below the
third.
The
random nature of the notes in these exercises is intentional; it
forces the user to pay attention to each note and makes the exercises
very difficult to memorize, ensuring that they will still present a
challenge even after multiple readings.
Its
important when sight-reading to cycle through the exercises quickly
rather than dwelling on a single exercise for a long time. This will
ensure that youre strengthening your ability to read the notes
rather than just memorizing the exercises.
Some
suggestions for how to use this book include:
-
Gain
comfort reading the notes and finding them on your instrument in no
particular rhythm or tempo. A greater challenge can be achieved by
playing them at a steady tempo or by playing them in a simple
rhythmic pattern. Beginner students can begin by writing in the note
names.
-
Play
each exercise in all 15 key signatures.
-
Advanced
theory students and improvising musicians can also use these
exercises to practice identifying scale degrees in various keys or
playing chords built on every scale degree in the chosen key.
-
Develop
comfort with chords by playing a chord built on each note in the
exercise. For example: for each note in the exercise, play the major
chord with that root. Increase the difficulty with different chord
qualities or different chord tones, for example: for every note,
play the minor 7th chord in which the given note is the
3rd.
-
Practice
transposing into different keys. This is an especially useful
challenge for people who play transposing instruments such as brass
and woodwind instruments.
-
Chapters
with wide ranges can present a great exercise for musicians who play
instruments where large leaps are a challenge. People who play
strings, mallet percussion, piano, woodwinds, and brass would be
among those who would benefit from practising these awkward leaps
and falls.
As
with any of the Dots and Beams books, the uses for this particular
collection are limited only by the imagination of the musician using
it. I highly encourage anybody using this book to find as many uses
for it as possible. My hope is that as you grow as a musician you
will find ever more creative and challenging ways to use these
materials so that you can return to these books for years
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.