Need advice on intonation in chromatic scales

[Trent_Hill]

While I've worked on material from the Flesch scale studies before, I've always avoided the chromatic scales. My new teacher told me, at the end of my weekly lesson yesterday, that she'd like for me to work on them. So I did this morning, in C, and the results were not pretty at all. Think "train wreck with heavy loss of life."

My big problem with them is intonation--I have little if any sense whether the half-steps are in tune, too wide, or too narrow. Any suggestions or advice?

(Paradoxically, I found after working on them for a bit that my C major scales and arpeggios sounded much more in tune.)

Thanks,

Trent

[MMUUSSIICCAALL]

EARTRAINING 101

A2 = Octave high

g = Octave low

12 Over the rainbow A A2 G# EF#G# A2 A F# E

11 The days of our lives (old soap opera theme) A G# A2F# A F# G#E

10 Star Trek (original theme) A G F# ED DbC Bb A A2 G F# E DC#

9 N.B.C . A F# D

8 Love story (Backwards) (F A)A F F A A F F A Bb A g g g E E

7 Chim chimeree A EEE E EEE E F ED D D E D C D C B A# B E

6 The Simpson’s AD# E

5 Here comes the bride A D DD A E DD

4 When the saint’s go marchin’ in AC#DE AC#DE AC#DE C# A C# B

3 Popeye A C C C Bb A C

2 Do re mi A B C# D E F# G# A2

1 Jaws A Bb etc.

0 [ KNOWN NOTE]

A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E

or A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C Db

D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C Db D Eb E F

Trent, here is a chart I made up. I will try to explain it, pretty tough teaching ear training with no sound____ Here goes.

I have listed 12 songs, one for every note in an octave. All we care about are the first two notes of the songs. The object here is to develop what's called "relative pitch". In a nutshell this means relating a " known note" to an "unknown note". I have pitched this chart in the key of A because it"s one of the violin strings open(also guitar string open). This A note will be the " known note". Let's do an example:Say you want to play an F# on the A string, looking at the chromatic scale across the bottom of the chart F# is 9 notes higher than an A. Therefore song number 9 is our target song. Play the open A which is the "known note" and now the first note of N.B.C. we are searching for the second note of this song which is up the fingerboard 9 half steps. Play the string open once and then place your finger up the neck on that string where you think the F# is. If it didn't sound like the first two notes of N.B.C. try again.Instruments with frets have an easier time because they can play kind of a game that goes like this: Pick a number 1-12, play any string open,don't look at the fingerboard and put your finger where you think that number is, play the open and closed note a few times then look at the fret you played and see if it is the same number of the song you were shooting for. Oh, by the way, I did type the first couple notes of each song in the example key of A I tried to space the notes in approximate rhythm (has anybody ever uploaded an actual piece of music manuscript?) . Sorry for some of the obscure songs, they're the only ones I know of. If an one knows any better ones please post them. This technique works from any open string and eventually you would start your "known note" at anywhere on your instrument. Good luck, MMUUSSIICCAALL

[This message has been edited by MMUUSSIICCAALL (edited 10-06-2000).]

[HuangKaiVun]

Use open strings and harmonics to "center" yourself when drilling chromatic scales.

[Stephen]

quote:

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Originally posted by MMUUSSIICCAALL:

EARTRAINING

9 N.B.C . A F# D

b]

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Or to the pedantic, "GEC" (for General Electric Corp.)

[This message has been edited by Stephen (edited 10-06-2000).]

[MMUUSSIICCAALL]

Thanks Stephen, you reminded me of my deceased father, he worked at G.E.(a"prince" of a man). MMUUSSIICCAALL