Re: Ear Training and Sight Singing

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 08:12:27 -0500, "Astrid Bierworth"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>>From "Essays on Violin Pedagogy" by Lyman Bodman, under "Ear Training and
>Sight Singing":
>
>"No one, but no one, who cannot hear melodic intervals can play a violin in
>tune."
>
>First of all, what does this mean?  That you have to be able to say "that's
>a perfect fifth or perfect third" or whatever?   The rest of this short
>essay goes into singing the notes before playing them.

Well, I for one, have never had a formal course in ear training such
as is taught in college level music theory 101. For that matter I have
never had a formal course in music theory. I am sure that such a
course would be beneficial. What I have had though was some informal
solfeggio (not by that name) in 3rd and 4th grade general music class
(before I took violin)...a reputation as being a pretty good singer as
a kid...e.g. I could sing camp tunes and Christmas carols in
reasonable tune and roughly similtaneous with starting the violin, a
fair amount of experience singing parts (I was a boy alto) in a rather
large church choir.  If someone were to cold turkey ask me to sing an
augmented sixth (something an ear training class could reasonably be
expected to do) I probably couldn't do it.  If someone showed me a
sheet of music previously unknown to me and asked me to sing it at
sight, I would be embarassed the first time out.  I certainly could
PLAY it at sight on either piano or violin absent any major technical
problems which might have to be resolved (fingering for example). Does
this hinder me in playing violin...at this point I seriously doubt it.
I certainly know if I am in or out of tune.  Ear Training at a more
tender age might have speeded up some difficulties I had earier in my
musical experience.  When I learned violin in fifth grade, the first
thing we did after open string bowing (to learn how to hit the correct
string) was to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or some such by plucking
it with the violin held in a guitar-like position. We were instructed
on the whole step/half step placement of fingers. (Back then, using a
finger pattern template with perpendicular lines was strictly
verboten. I will add that because of parallax problems between the eye
of the players and the fingers in first position, I still frown on the
use of these templates.)  By this exercise, two things happened...the
instructor learned whether we were able to discern any pitch, and we
learned something about the importance of the ear in finger placement.
As instruction progresses, the student will learn how to listen for a
whole lot of intervals in both linear and chordal progressions.  I
find that trying to sing violin literature, especially advanced
literature to be a non starter  because the 4 and a half octave range
of the violin is far greater than I could ever sing (even allowing for
transposition of the male voice) and of course I can't sing chords.

Upon my retirement, I enquired about taking a course in music theory
and sight singing at a local junior college.  The instructor was aware
of my violin ability (I once played in their orchestra) and I told him
I had very modest proficiency in piano.  His comment was in effect
that whether I knew it or not, I had covered just about everything he
would have taught in the class until about the third or fourth
semester when formal counterpoint was introduced. He doubted that
given the level of my other musical accomplishments, that I really
needed counterpoint.  He thought I would be bored to tears in the
class; or at best would spend a lot of time tutoring other students in
the class.

He suggested that I buy the "Idiots Guide to Music Theory",  generally
available at Border's, because that was pretty much the scope of the
class.   I did run into some on-line programs on ear training...one
was called "Theoria" and another whose name I forget was geared to
kids and included animations.  Both were inexpensive shareware.

I find that at this stage of my life it is difficult to tell if I am
actually such a good sight reader with respect to violin and piano (I
am sort of a duffer on piano) or with 40+ years of collecting
recordings and orchestra playing, I know the pieces so well aurally
that I can play them right off the bat.  This seems to be true for the
standard orchestral and chamber repetory.
>
>Second, do you agree or disagree?  I am too much of a beginner to be able to
>comment myself, but a lot of you are quite advanced.
>
>Third, any suggestions for good solfege self-study courses out there?  How
>about the David Lucas Burge Relative Pitch course (available over the net)?

Not familiar with that specific product.
>
>Since I am off the fiddle for a bit (injury), this might be a good time to
>get into this sort of activity.

Looking into some of this stuff is how I maintained my sanity when I
was unable to play due to illness or injury.

Jon Teske
>
>Astrid.
>