hi!

just want to know that when we play a scale, do we have to repeat the last top note?

eg C major

C D E F G A B C | C B A G F E D C

and do we have to play in crescendo for ascending and diminuendo for decending?

Thanks!

QUOTE (missfabflute @ Jul 26 2004, 07:26 PM)

hi! just want to know that when we play a scale, do we have to repeat the last top note? eg C major C D E F G A B C | C B A G F E D C and do we have to play in crescendo for ascending and diminuendo for decending? Thanks!

No you never repeat the top note.

Also I wouldn't play the scales with a crescendo/diminuendo.

ahh + one more thing!


would our choice of melodic and harmonic affect our marks for minor scales?

im assuming that melodic gives higher marks?

+ how do we find Dominant and diminished 7ths?

i need F, Bb and C (dominant 7th)


and E for diminished 7th


Thank yoU!

I've never thought the choice of harmonic or melodic affects you in exams, in my grades 1 and 2 piano I did harmonics, and in grade 3 i did melodics so I'll let you know if its affected my results for scales when I find out. Don't they have a flute scale book like they do for piano, violin, viola etc.?

The only time I've had to repeat the top note is in a scale that is a twelfth.

I didn't ever find melodic/harmonic affects marks.
The cresc./dim. thing might work but only if you do it ever so slightly- not really really big changes in dynamic level, just "musically shaped" as the marking criteria says. You can find this somewhere on the site.

yes they have a flute scale book

but i am self teaching at the moment.

i am going to get a flute teacher after my summer holidays (long story)

am in london now for a holiday

You don't need to repeat the last top note. Playing harmonic or melodic scales will actually score the same mark.

Having some subtle cres./dim. is good because it gives the scales/arpeggios sense of a direction. But never over do it, and make sure that all notes are sounding evenly and firmly.


missfabflute,
I don't have a piano in front of me, so I can only show you the way to find the Dominant/Diminished 7th.

As for Dominant 7th in C. You should begin from the dominant (obviously) which is G. Then you should have "G B D F G B D F G F D B G F D B G" for two octave. I believe you could work out the Bb and F similarly.

Similarly, for Diminished 7th in E (but shouldn't it be "Begining from E"??). What you need is always look for the note a minor third above the previous note, which means you will have "B D F G# B D F G# B G# F D B G# F D B", where B is the dominant of E.

Anyone can spot a mistake please kindly let me (us) know, because now I have already confused myself!

QUOTE (missfabflute @ Jul 26 2004, 07:51 PM)

+ how do we find Dominant and diminished 7ths?   i need  F, Bb  and C (dominant 7th) and E for diminished 7th Thank yoU!

Grade 5 flute, eh?


Dominant Sevenths, in the keys of F, Bb and C (two octaves)

Dominant Seventh in F: C E G Bb C E G Bb C
Dominant Seventh in Bb: F A C Eb F A C Eb F
Dominant Seventh in C: G B D F G B D F G


Diminished Seventh, starting on E (two octaves): E G A# C# E G A# C# E


Hope that helps!

QUOTE (Lucia @ Jul 26 2004, 07:32 PM)

No you never repeat the top note. .

You do if you're playing arpeggios on an octave and a half though, so don't get caught out on that.

Have you thought of buying a scales book?

QUOTE

Diminished Seventh, starting on E (two octaves): E G A# C# E G A# C# E

Ermm..... shouldn't that read as E G Bb Db? Picky I know but if you are thinking in minor thirds it is more correct to spell it that way.

QUOTE

would our choice of melodic and harmonic affect our marks for minor scales? im assuming that melodic gives higher marks?

But some people find melodic easier

QUOTE (sbhoa @ Jul 27 2004, 10:29 AM)

QUOTE Diminished Seventh, starting on E (two octaves): E G A# C# E G A# C# E Ermm..... shouldn't that read as E G Bb Db? Picky I know but if you are thinking in minor thirds it is more correct to spell it that way.

I'm Swedish, and I'm just trying to help even if my english is lacking, and/or my understanding of the english terms/notations of music.

So sorry if I made a mistake, were're not even using the same notation system here in Sweden! (german notation system).

And yes, you ARE damn picky

QUOTE (sbhoa @ Jul 27 2004, 10:29 AM)

But some people find melodic easier

not me, i can't do melodics,i just dont understand them!

i cant do it either loL!

but thanks for the help!!

now i have to practise those scales *dies*

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Jul 27 2004, 12:39 PM)

QUOTE (sbhoa @ Jul 27 2004, 10:29 AM) But some people find melodic easier not me, i can't do melodics,i just dont understand them!

With melodic minors, its easier to work from the major e.g if playing F minor you work from F major. You just lower the third from the tonic and leave everything else the same as if playing a major acending and decending you lower the seventh and the sixth and the third is lowered acending and decending, I hope I made sense there!

Now I have learnt the melodic minors, I find them okay. As "nice" as if not even nicer than the harmonic minors in terms of playing them. I find the melodics easier on the violin simply because there isn't the big stretch between the 6th and 7th notes for it.

Anyway, for the piano, the way I find melodics is know the harmonic first, then sharpen the 6th note for the ascending and then flatten both 6th and 7th for the descending. You just have to know the key signature of your scale. If it is in flats, then you play a natural. If it is in sharps, then you play a sharp (hope you know what I mean!). Incidentally, the keys for the descending melodic minor is always the same as those for its relative major. You just start and end on a different note.

For dominant 7ths, I find them by first going to the dominant of course (perfect 5th up) and then thinking of the regular major arpeggio for that, then adding the 4th note a full tone below the top note. i.e. key of C. Dominant is G. The major arpeggio for G is

G B D G

adding a note a full tone below the top G give you:

G B D F G

For diminished 7ths, it depends on what works easiest for you. Some people work in minor thirds. I tend to think again of the major arpegios for the key, then lower the 2nd and 3rd notes a semi tone, and adding the extra 4th note a minor third below the last note. So again key of C. C major is:

C E G C

lowering a semi tone for the 2nd and 3rd notes:

C Eb Gb C

Adding in the 4th:

C Eb Gb A C

It sounds complicated that but I work better thinking of major arpeggios hence how I find them myself.

The above is with a piano, which is why I find all the raising/lowering etc easy since I can see it all laid out before me. All you others with other instruments probably have other methods of finding things for yourself.

For doms and dims, I work with the appegios to figure them out.

For doms I know I start on the third note of the appegio and once I have the start note I have no probs playing them.

For dims I know that the first two notes are those of the minor appegio, and have memorised the pairs of 'accidentals' (I use the term loosely) that go together, eg Eb and F#, Bb and C#, Ab/G# always alone. And with that information and my fingering memory, I have no trouble.

QUOTE (DavidMusic @ Jul 27 2004, 08:00 AM)

Have you thought of buying a scales book?

That's definitely what I would recommend. Get the best and most comprehensive scale manual you can find, that uses the whole range of your instrument, not just one that's geared to an exam syllabus, and work on your scales etc. in all keys from the music until they are really fluent. It will help your sight-reading by making you familiar with the very high or very low notes that you don't meet in many pieces, and the less common accidentals.

There's a very good one for flute by my wonderful flute professor, the late Geoffrey Gilbert, called "Technical Flexibility for Flutists A book of organized daily practice routines" published in America in 1986 by Southern Music Company (he taught in America at the end of his life). He devised these routines based on scales and arpeggios which are the building blocks of much Western classical music as part of his very thorough teaching which was designed to turn out professional players. He was teaching people who would play in the major orchestras, or as session musicians. Not everyone he taught got to those dizzy heights (I didn't, but I discovered a love of teaching while I was studying with him). Session musicians need to be able to play things right first time every time and are the cream of the profession!

Good luck with your studies.