Unit 5:

Completing the Diatonic System

Music, Drills, Keyboard Assignments & Exercises
Section I: Preliminary Music for Study

Example 5-1. Bach, Chorale No. 141, mm. 1-6.

Example 5-2. Bach, Chorale No. 244, mm. 1-4.

Example 5-3. Bach, Chorale No. 93, mm. 1-4.

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Example 5-4. Bach, Chorale No. 14, mm. 1-2.

Example 5-5. Mozart, Sonata in D Major, K. 284, III, mm. 1-4.

Example 5-6. Mozart, Sonata in D Major, K. 311, II, mm. 1-12.

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Example 5-7. Mozart, Sonata in F Major, K. 280, I, mm. 7-17.

Example 5-8. Schubert, String Quintet, Op. 163, I, mm. 100-104.

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Section II: Keyboard Assignments

Section IIa: Keyboard Harmony
Keyboard Harmony Assignment #13Review
Be able to play in keyboard texture the harmonic progression ,c,9#c,cYLLc,cLLc9#ac,
[icLY#cLcYLLcLcLLc9#acL] in any major or minor key. For each specified key, you should
begin with the third scale degree in the soprano voice of the first tonic triad and end with the root of the
tonic chord in the soprano voice of the last tonic triad.

The examples below illustrate this assignment in the keys of B-flat major and G minor:

Keyboard Harmony Assignment #14.

Be able to play in keyboard texture the following harmonic progressions in any major or minor key:

,cYLc,9cLLc9#ac, [ic9,cLYcLL c9#acL]



,c,9c,cLLc9#ac,[icLYcLcLLc9#acL]

For each specified key, you should begin with the third scale degree in the soprano voice of the first tonic
triad and end with the root of the tonic chord in the soprano voice of the last tonic triad.

The examples below illustrate the first set of progressions in this assignment in the keys of A major and b
minor and the second set of progressions in this assignment in the keys of A-flat major and c minor:
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Notice the smooth voice leading in these progressions. In the right hand voices, common tones between
chords are maintained in the same voices and all other melodic motion consists of step-wise connections.

Extra Credit:
You can earn extra credit by playing the second set of progressions above and substituting YLfor,9(9,
1
IRULY) andLLforLLLLforLL).

1
This substitution will require changing the melody pitch in the second chord and the a leap connecting the melody
pitches of the second and third chords.
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Keyboard Harmony Assignment #15.

Be able to play in keyboard texture in any major or minor keyDcircle of fifths sequence using root
position diatonic triads. The following chords will be used:

,c,9cYLLcLLLcYLcLLc9c, [icLYc9,,c,,,c9,cLLc9cL].

For each specified key, you should begin with the third scale degree in the soprano voice of the first tonic
triad and end with the root of the tonic chord in the soprano voice of the last tonic triad.

The examples below illustrate this assignment in the key of G major and d minor:

Notice the voice-leading patterns in the examples above. Each successive measure is a second lower than
the preceding measure. The bass alternates ascending fourths and descending fifths.2 Two of the upper
voices move in parallel sixths in the pattern of alternating ascending seconds and descending thirds.3 The
third of the upper voices maintains the common tones from the first chord to the second chord in each
measure. That voice then descends by step across the bar line. The second chord of each measure has a
common tone with the first chord in the following measure; these common tones are not maintained in the
same voices in order to preserve the pattern established in the first measure.

2
If the bass voice in the examples above had begun an octave higher, the pattern in that voice would be reversed
from the way it is writtendescending fifths alternating with ascending fourths.
3
If the lowest voice of the right hand chords had been the highest (and the first tonic triad containing the fifth of the
chord in the melody), the pattern of alternating ascending seconds and descending thirds would be the same. The
two voices, however, would move in parallel thirds rather than parallel sixths.
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Extra Credit:
You can earn extra credit by playing the same progression substituting diatonic seventh chords (in place
of the diatonic triads) for all of the chords except the first and last tonic triads. The examples below
illustrate the extra credit version of this assignment in the same keys as above.

Notice that the bass voice and one upper voice in the above examples are the same as the triad version of
this progression. The seventh is always prepared by the third of the chord in the chord preceding the
seventh chord and resolves down by step to the third of the chord following the seventh chord.
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Section IIb: Score Reading

The Tenor Clef

Several of the musical examples that you will study in this unit are from compositions written for

orchestra. Oftentimes in orchestral writing, bass instruments such as the bassoon, the cello, and the

trombone, when they play in the higher part of their register, are written in the tenor clef, a clef indicating

that the fourth line of the staff is middle C. The example below illustrates a short melody in the treble

clef, the bass clef, the alto clef (introduced in Unit 2), and the tenor clef. In each case the melody sounds

exactly the same. Notice that the register of this particular melody requires ledger lines in both the treble-

and bass-clef notation, but the same melody written in the alto and tenor clefs requires no ledger lines.

The Same Melody Notated in Four Different Clefs.

You should work to become as comfortable reading the tenor clef as you are reading the treble,

bass, and alto clefs. To aid you in becoming more proficient with the tenor clef, several of our next

Keyboard Score Reading Assignments will involve reading the tenor clef at the piano, and all melodic

exercises will include melodies written in the tenor clef. When you sing these melodies, you should

always be aware of the specific pitches that you are singing.

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Score Reading Assignment #13.

Be able to play together at the keyboard in a steady tempo from the following orchestral excerpt the pairs
of instruments listed below:

1. the Oboe and Bassoon parts

2. the Bass and Violin parts (both Violin I and Violin II parts with the Bass)
3. the Viola and Cello parts

In addition to these pairs of instruments, you should be able to play the Horn part alone. You may be
asked to perform this excerpt at the keyboard in small groups.

Brahms, Symphony No. 4, I, mm. 339-342.

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Score Reading Assignment #14.

Be able to play together at the keyboard in a steady tempo from the following orchestral excerpt the pairs
of instruments listed below:

1. the Cello and Bass parts

2. the Flute and Bassoon parts
3. the Flute and Viola parts

In addition to these pairs of instruments, you should be able to play the Violin I or Violin II parts alone.
You may be asked to perform this excerpt at the keyboard in small groups.

Brahms, Symphony No. 3. III, mm. 1-8.

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Score Reading Assignment #15.

Be able to play together at the keyboard in a steady tempo any given string part from the following
orchestral excerpt alone and all four string parts together.

Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36, II, mm. 1-8.

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Section III: Melodic Material

New Material
1. Leaps within the dominant seventh chord that are different from those within the dominant triad.4







m7 d5 m3 M2 A4 M6

2. Consecutive leaps within any diatonic triad in a major key.5


 
 
 

new new new new

3. Consecutive leaps within any diatonic triad in a minor key.6






new new new new new

Notice that there are two forms of the triad built on the seventh scale degreethe leading tone
triad (YLL) built on the raised seventh scale degree and the subtonic triad (9,,) built on the natural
seventh scale degree.

4
Leaps larger than a fourth within the dominant triad were practiced in the previous units. See page 113, categories
3 and 4.
5
All diatonic triads are listed. We have already been singing leaps (both consecutive and nonconsecutive) within
the tonic (,), subdominant (,9), and dominant (9) triads.
6
Again, all diatonic triads are listed. We have already been singing leaps (both consecutive and nonconsecutive)
within the tonic (L), subdominant (LY ), and dominant (9) triads.
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Melody Drills
MD5-1.

MD5-2.

MD5-3.

MD5-4.

MD5-5.

MD5-6.

Minor mode exercises.

Sing the previous six melodic drills in the minor mode. Use the harmonic minor scale to make
the necessary adjustments to scale degrees seven so that the dominant seventh chord is the same
in both the major mode and the minor mode
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MD5-7.

MD5-8.

MD5-9.

MD5-10.

Minor mode exercises.

MD5-9 and MD5-10 are the minor mode versions of MD5-7 and MD5-8. Slight alterations were
necessary in the minor mode versions. Can you identify these alterations and explain why they
were added?

MD5-11.

MD5-12.
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MD5-13.

MD5-14.

Minor mode exercises.

Sing the previous four melodic drills in the minor mode. Use the natural minor scale at the
beginning of the exercises and the harmonic minor scale at the end. Below is the minor version
of MD5-11.

The Tenor Clef

Some of the melodies in this unit are written in the tenor clef; you should work to become as

comfortable reading the tenor clef as you are reading the treble, bass, and alto clefs. When you sing these

melodies, you should be aware of the pitches that you are singing. See page 138 above for a more

detailed explanation of the alto clef.

Melodies
5-1.

5-2.
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5-3.

5-4.

5-5.

5-6.

5-7.

5-8.
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5-9.

5-10.

5-11.

5-12.

5-13.
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5-14.

5-15.

5-16.

5-17.

5-18.
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5-19.

5-20.

5-21.
Bach, Chorale No. 334, mm. 1-4.
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5-22.
Bach, Chorale No. 209, mm. 1-4.

5-22.
Bach, Chorale No. 234, mm. 31-38.
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Section IV: Rhythmic Material

New Material
All of the new rhythmic material in this unit consists of different ways of notating the rhythms that we
have studied in the previous units. The simple meters that we have studied all have had the quarter note
as the unit of beat. We will now perform the same rhythms with the eighth note and the half note as the
unit of beat. The compound meters that we have studied all have had the dotted quarter note as the unit of
beat. We will now perform the same rhythms with the dotted eighth note and the dotted half note as the
unit of beat. The charts below compare the simple and compound meter rhythms that we have studied
with the new notation that we will now begin.
Unit of beat = quarter note
Categories MetersA; D; & H

1. Notes and rests at the beat level and above:

2: Notes at the division and

subdivision of the beat:

3. Combining divisions and

subdivisions of the beat:

4. Dotted beats with divisions and

subdivisions of the beat:

5. Syncopation and borrowed

divisions:

Unit of beat = eighth note Unit of beat = half note

MetersB; F; & I Category Meters@; C; & G

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Chart 5.1. A Comparison of Rhythmic Notation in Simple Meters With the Beat Units of
Quarter Notes, Eighth Notes, and Half Notes
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Unit of beat = dotted quarter note

1
MetersN; O; & B
Categories

1. Notes and rests at the beat level

and above:

2: Notes at the division and

subdivision of the beat:

3. Combining divisions and

subdivisions of the beat:

4. Dotted beats with divisions and

subdivisions of the beat:

5. Syncopation and borrowed

divisions:

Unit of beat = dotted eighth note Unit of beat = dotted half note
Meters;; & Category Meters;; & 
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Chart 5.2. A Comparison of Rhythmic Notation in Compound Meters With the Beat Units of
Dotted Quarter Notes, Dotted Eighth Notes, and Dotted Half Notes

In addition to practicing the rhythm drills and exercises on the following pages,
you should rewrite some of the drills and exercises from the previous units in the meters
introduced above.
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Rhythm Drills
Simple metereighth note as unit of beat
RD5-1.

RD5-2.

RD5-3.

RD5-4.

RD5-5.

RD5-6.

RD5-7. .
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Simple meterhalf note as unit of beat

RD5-8.

RD5-9.

RD5-10.

RD5-11.

RD5-12.

RD5-13.

RD5-14.
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Compound meterdotted eighth note as unit of beat

RD5-15.

RD5-16.

RD5-17.

RD5-18.

RD5-19.
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Compound meterdotted half note as unit of beat

RD5-20.

RD5-21.

RD5-22.

RD5-23.

RD5-24.
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Rhythms
5-1.

5-2.

5-3.

5-4.

5-5.
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5-6.

5-7.

5-8.

5-9.

5-10.
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5-11.

5-12.

5-13.

5-14.

5-15.
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5-16.

5-17.

5-18.

5-19.

5-20.