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Playing by Ear - Melodies
We already know a lot of melodies. Just need to train our fingers and hands to get them out.

Category: Ear Instrument: Music Subjects(s): Beginner • Intermediate • Scales • Advanced • Intervals • Arpeggios • Melody • Sequences • Ear

LESSONSeries : Playing by Ear
Series

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Playing by Ear - Melodies

Playing Melodies, Licks, Riffs, Motifs, and Single Note Lines by ear is all about getting your ear to recognize intervals and train the fingers to follow your inner ear and play these melodies on demand.

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Ear training involves the Mind, Hands, and Ear connection. Of the three, the hands need the most work as they cannot heard, see, or make decisions on their own.

Melodies are a great place to start with for getting the fingers to follow your inner ear— what we have heard from before we could eve walk or talk.

Melodies come from four sources:

  • Scales
  • Intervals
  • Arpeggios
  • Sequences

All four of these can be addressed by training the ear and hands to work together.

Scales

Melodies come from scales. The most common being the Major scales.

There are Six (6) Essentials Scales for contemporary music to master and 17 for someone exploring the jazz repertoire. All melodies will be from one of these scales. The Major(Ionian) being the overwhelming scale use for melodies.

Intervals

An interval is simply the distance between two notes. Scales, intervals, and sequences are all made up of intervals. If you play two notes, melodically or harmonically there is an interval involved. The most common intervals that are used for creating melodies are the close intervals, seconds and thirds. However, ALL common intervals of every scale need to be explored and are used. This typically means seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths, and octaves. These intervals all show up in melodies and improvisation.

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Playing by Ear - Melodies…

Here are the six essential scales, in open position, the key of C. Check out this video The Seven Scale Modes, Open Position Examples to see the Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, and Aeolian scales played on ukulele in open position.

Get these open-position scales under yous fingers and your ear (sing them as you play them), as these are used to determine what collection of notes, i.e. scale/key a melody or sequence of notes come from.

UL04_six_scales

C Blues (Minor Pentatonic) C Eb F G Bb C`

Use the audio to compare the sounds of the individual scales.

C Pentatonic (Major) C D E F G A B C`

Use the audio to compare the sounds of the individual scales.

C Dorian (Minor) C D Eb F G A Bb C`

Use the audio to compare the sounds of the individual scales.

C Mixolydian C D E F G A Bb C`

Use the audio to compare the sounds of the individual scales.

C Aeolian (Natural Minor) C D Eb F G Ab Bb C`

Use the audio to compare the sounds of the individual scales.

C Ionian (Major) C D E F G A B C`

Use the audio to compare the sounds of the individual scales.

What IS a Scale?

A scale is simply a collection of pitches or notes, not really a "this is a Jazz scale", "this is a Blues" or "this is a Rock scale". It's how a scale is used that really matters, not its name.

Most music starts with a scale. The melody, chords, licks, and riffs all can be related back to a particular scale or scales.

The Six Essential Scales ( in no particulate order ):

Essential Reference Scales

There are two scales that can be the memorized and other essential scales referenced from these two. These two scales are the Ionian/Major and Aeolian/Natural Minor scales. The Major and Natural Minor scales are traditional scales and common scales in all forms of contemporary music.

This lesson explores the Major and Natural Minor scales and their derivations.

QuickStart Scale and Arpeggio Fingerings for Ukulele

This lesson uses the same page format as the QuickStart Scale & Arpeggio Fingering series of books.

QuickStart Scale Fingerings for Ukulele 3 volumes.
C, G, and D tuning. (QuickStart Scale Fingerings for Ukulele )

The QuickStart Scale Fingerings Vol 1 covers the Blues, Pentatonic, Dorian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Ionian scales.

Each scale is also available as an individual book.

Download the PDF file for the latest, complete, and most up-to-date version. As well as additional information not presented on-line.
End of Lesson - Thanks, Hope You Enjoyed It!

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These are books & reference charts that apply to a majority of all lessons on LearningUkulele.com / Learning Ukulele with Curt.
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Reference Charts

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G - G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G – G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

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A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A), A4

Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

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On the web since 1992 and a Mac since 1987 (Mac II) • Serving up Ukulele content since 2003 ( 22 years ago ) • Lets Kanikapila!!! v12.13.0 (8.2.23) • And, since Sept 2020, happily on Pop!_OS Linux and a System76 Thelio. Half the cost of the iMac and a real treat to use. I use it for ALL development work. Only wish the Affinity Suite of apps by serif where available on Linux (and I do know you can run them in Wine with a few hacks).
This sit has ben profesionaly red. awl tpyos aree free and no aditonal chrge • I'm blaming it on “jazz” fingers. “Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
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