Like cures like

Hello, my dear solfa singers!

It's a three-day-weekend! Hooray!!!

I have lately had occasion to have a bit of exposure to homeopathic medicine. You know, I've taken echinacea and goldenseal before, maybe even used a tincture or two, and my mom had this friend when I was growing up who grew her own kombucha (long before this video came out), so I'm not a total neophyte, but this time around (prompted by yet another round of extremely unpleasant abdominal pain...and can I just take this moment to say that when one's body wants attention, it frequently chooses not to fight fair), I encountered this principle:

Like cures like.

Ok, so in my case, I have these really nasty pains that come on without warning and feel like there are iron bands digging into the sides of my stomach while an army of angry chihuahuas also chew on it from the inside. I couldn't find anything specifically for the chihuahua problem, but thanks to a dear friend, I've been taking something that can actually cause a pain like iron bands if taken by a healthy person, but when taken (in extremely diluted and small quantities) by someone who already has those pains, it's supposed to cause the body to right itself. Essentially, it's the same principle as vaccines (or the hair of the dog) -- give yourself a little poison, your body rushes in to deal with the intruder, and in doing so, it fixes the problem you had to start with. And, while I retain a little healthy skepticism about the whole thing, it did work for me. Maybe it's placebo...but I feel better, so I'm ok with that.

And, just in case anyone is worried, I do promise to get myself fully checked out by a gastroenterologist soon.

So, naturally, I thought of this concept in terms of musicianship, and as it turns out, the principle appears to hold true. If you have trouble with rhythms, you have to give yourself rhythmic exercises to work on. If speedy solfa is your Achilles' heel, you have to sing more fast passages in order to improve. And so on. So, this week's battery of exercises will be organized a little differently with this principle in mind, and feel free to select from multiple categories as you feel the need.

Rhythm Intensive

Take a look at Ottman, chapter 15....and let's have some fun with syncopations!

Speak through while conducting: 15.3, 15,5, 15.6, 15.10, 15.11, 15.16, 15.19, 15.20 (plus more, if desired)

On p. 257, look at the text on the bottom of the page, and select 2 melodies from each category to prepare and sing. If you are a rising level 2 and the chromaticism has you worried, you may choose from only the first two categories.

Melodic Leap Intensive

If you get stymied by leaps, either because applying the solfa quickly is hard or because you're afraid you won't sing the correct interval, this section is for you!

First, there are several interval exercises you can do to help yourself -- I like this one because it's all pentatonic, but actually pretty challenging:

Sing (the solfa, and then the interval name on the same notes -- I'd start in A or B-flat):

d r major second; r m major second; s l major second;

m s minor third; l d' minor third;

d m major third;

r s perfect fourth; m l perfect fourth; s d' perfect fourth; l r' perfect fourth;

d s perfect fifth; r l perfect fifth; s r' perfect fifth; l m' perfect fifth;

m d' minor sixth;

d l major sixth; s m' major sixth;

r d' minor seventh; m r' minor seventh; l s' minor seventh

Sing that exercise until you can do so fluently -- if you have trouble decoding it from the text above, call me, and I'll sing it for you.

Additionally, sing through these Ottmans:

9.3, 9.6, 9.8 (note that it goes on to the following page), 9.26, 9.37, 11.25, 11.26

Quick-draw Solfa Intensive

If you feel like spitting the syllables out accurately in scalar passages is your particular cross to bear, look no further.

First, practice pentachords in sequence:

drmfsfmrd rmfslsfmr mfsltlsfm fsltd'tlsf sltd'r'd'tls ltd'r'm'r'd'tl td'r'm'f'm'r'd't d'

Start out at a moderate tempo, and gradually increase your speed. For added challenge, leave out the last note in each grouping and go immediately on to the next grouping.

And, sing through these Ottman examples:

12.4, 12.7, 12.24, 12.27, 12.52, 12.58 (pretend you're in F major in treble clef)

Enjoy!