Beyond the basic scale degrees: simple modulations, embellishments and melodic contour / In this collection we build further on the basics of scale degrees and tonality. The use of the 7 scale degrees is extended to include changes of numbers on the same note. We explore embellishments and melodic contour.

1 - Up and Down: modulating with scale degrees. Modulation often takes effect by changing a note's scale degree. We explore a few ways to do that and feel comfortable with the modulations.

5 - Melodic Contour: exploring a theme by Mozart In this video we take a closer look at the theme from the slow movement of Mozart's clarinet concerto. We discuss the shapes of the phrases and explore playing those shapes in alternative ways: arpeggiated lines can be filled in, lines can become arpeggios, embellishments can be added or removed. Yet, the contour can stay similar.

Practice: learn this beautiful theme of Mozart. Play around with the types of movement within the phrases, and for each phrase find at least 5 alternative ways of shaping the same phrase. 

2 - Further exploration of possibilities with changing numbers. First we make a sequence of modulations a half step down here by repeating a pattern that includes the change of number of a scale tone.

Practice: play along with the video and learn with the students! (the key is D major)

3 - Exploring embellishments: neighbor notes. In the so called common practice, notes were embellished in a consistent way: each note of the scale has a lower and an upper neighbor note. The lower neighbor note is a half step below the main note, the upper neigbor note is the next note from the scale. In case there is no half scale step below the main note, we have to chromatically raise the note. 

Practice: experiment with different embellishments: choose a key and an embellishing type, then play the scale up and down with this specific embellishment for each note.

4 - Melodic Contour. In this video we discuss the various ways of shaping a melody, using examples from Bach and Mozart. We distinguish three elements that shape the melodic contour: arpeggiated movement, stepwise or linear movement and  embellishing movement.

Practice: learn the theme of a famous piece and analyse while playing which types of movement you find. Play around with these elements, try to find alternative ways of shaping the same melody.

3A - From neighbor note to appoggiatura. The Appoggiatura or suspension note is in fact the same note as the neighbor note, but treated in a different way. It comes on the accented moment of the beat instead of the unaccented neghbor note.

Practice: Play scales up and down with this specific embellishment for each note, this time using both neighbor notes and appoggiaturas.