What's the easiest way to study the major and minor scales in fixed do form?

duo8675309 · #1 12-01-2009, 07:29 PM

I have an exam on this Friday and I really want to do well on it. I'm not trying to cop out of doing hard work - I know at the end of the day the best way is to just sit down and do the work. I'm just looking for the most efficiant way to do this.

I realize there's a pattern and I shouldn't be memorizing them so much as learning the pattern and applying that to every scale. Right now I'm studying with a keyboard, which is helping a lot. Is there an online tool that could help me with this maybe? Like a flash game or a quiz? To the theory majors/upperclassmen who have done this, do you have any tips?

Also, WHY FIXED DO??? I get that assigning a syllable to every note gives them an identity, but isn't that what the note letters are for? Fixed do seems more logical in that it would help me visualize the intervals much better. Why can't G# just be Geffing# instead of si? I'm just complaining and ranting now...

Thanks in advanced for the help!

MarkTAW · #2 12-01-2009, 10:06 PM

What exactly do you need to learn? I don't know what your test is going to be - singing intervals, naming intervals...?

duo8675309 · #3 12-02-2009, 12:07 AM

I'll be singing every major and minor scale frontwards and backwards. Sorry, I should have clarified that.

MarkTAW · #4 12-02-2009, 12:10 AM

You want us to teach you to sing in 2-1/2 days?

The basic trick is to learn various songs that correspond to certain intervals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_tra...al_recognition

duo8675309 · #5 12-02-2009, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkTAW

You want us to teach you to sing in 2-1/2 days?

The basic trick is to learn various songs that correspond to certain intervals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_tra...al_recognition

I made it pretty clear I was looking for tips, not for you guys to teach me what I need to know. I appreciate the link, though. I still think you misunderstood me. I have to memorize the major and minor scales (this is a basic music theory class).

**jmattbassplaya** · #6 12-02-2009, 03:18 AM

As long as you know what note you`re starting on and have a decent enough voice this should be easy. There really are no tricks in music besides knowing the theory behind what you`re doing and how to properly apply it. Know your intervals and sing them accordingly. Also, Mark`s link was incredibly relevant to knowing your intervals and helping memorizing basic scale patterns.

MalcolmAmos · #7 12-02-2009, 06:41 AM

OK it's a test, don't get into why a G# can not be called G#.

Take the scale pattern and repeat your Do, Ra, Me yep I've forgotten the spelling, and there was different spelling for certain symbols because of certain things which I don't remember now.

Suggest you just get a picture of the scale on your fretboard or keyboard and "tick" off the symbol names going up scale and back down - then in random order. The test will have random order questions I bet.

Why is this necessary - just like running our scales until they are in muscle memory is one of the thing we just have to do, so is this, it's a passage thing.

Good luck.

duo8675309 · #8 12-02-2009, 08:30 AM

I took another look at that link and you were right, my apologies Mark. I guess grunt work really is the only way to go. Thank you guys for the help.

Ed Fuqua · #9 12-02-2009, 09:24 AM

Using fixed solfege is a way to identify a specific syllable to a specific pitch. Sure it seems like "why can't I just sing C if I'm singing the pitch C?" A couple of reasons - 1. when you start getting into the enharmonic spellings you aren't singing a syllable anymore, you'd be singing 3 or 4 (Dee double flat,etc.) 2. fixed solfege isn't just for singing scales, it's for singing melodies that have specific rhythms attached to them, they NEED to be only one syllable so that you aren't singing 4 eight notes (d dub uhl flat) instead of 1.

duo8675309 · #10 12-04-2009, 01:24 PM

Just made a 28.5/15 on the exam! (you get one point extra credit on every scale if you play them on the piano, and I played them all on my bass)

MarkTAW · #11 12-04-2009, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duo8675309

Just made a 28.5/15 on the exam! (you get one point extra credit on every scale if you play them on the piano, and I played them all on my bass)

Congrats!