Pitch and ear · Advanced · Jazz
Guide tones over ii–V–I
The 3rd and 7th of each chord are its guide tones. Sung as a line they move by half steps or not at all, and they spell the harmony with just two notes.
How to do it
- First line: 3rd of ii, 7th of V, 3rd of I.
- Second line: 7th of ii, 3rd of V, 7th of I.
- Hear how little the line moves while the chords change.
Remember Two notes tell you the chord.
| Numbers | 4 4 3 1′ 7 7 |
|---|---|
| Sargam | M M G Ṡ N N |
| Solfa | fa fa mi do ti ti |
| Notes | C C B G F♯ F♯ |
| Sung on | doo – – – – – |
Where it comes from
- Guide tones (3rds and 7ths) are standard jazz theory; exercise: NSM original
More pitch and ear
Every interval from 1
Every interval of the major scale, measured from the tonic: a second, a third, all the way to the octave.
Echo: hear it, sing it back
The guide sings a short phrase, then stops, and you sing it back from memory.
Echo: leaps
The same echo game with jumps instead of steps.
Chord tones over ii–V–I
Singing the notes of each chord as the harmony moves (ii, then V, then I) is how jazz singers learn to improvise: the line follows the chords..