I was taught the tetrachords years ago when confronting the basic scales.

All Western Music Scales are actually derived from stacking two of the tetrachords in one way or another.

For example, the Major Scale consists of a Tetrachord, in steps, of 1-1-1/2

Followed by - 1 - 1-1-1/2

Notice that it begins and ends with the same tetrachord and that there is only a Whole Step in between the two.

The rest of the scales, minor in its three guises of Natural, Melodic and Harmonic, simply follow suit, but of course with different note spacings in most of the two spots.

Now here's the deal about using the tetrachords in improvisation, etc. -- We have to become familiar with them by rote practicing them until they are internalized. At that point, I'm not really thinking consciously about the thing much of the time, for there may not be time enough for that. Internalizing them means that we can select them rapidly, kind of like calling a MACRO in our brain, where we are not thinking about those steps and half steps in realtime, we just call it and go.

Then, we must practice all of those scales as well, always striving to make music out of them at the same time rather than rote up and down, up and down, try adding dynamics, try changing meter, etc. try playing the scales in Even and then in Swing, all sorts of rhythms and patterns, always striving to make them sound musical.

And at some point the entire scale then becomes a MACRO event as well. You don't have time to be thinking about which Tetrachord is matched with which in the heat of improvisation.

Tetrachords are but one aspect, though, it is very important not to try to use it as a crutch or shortcut in and of itself, that typically results in, well, bad results.

Ear Training, practicing playing well known to you melodies in all 12 keys without making mistakes, the actual transcribing of solos from recordings (do your own transcription if you really want to get there, purchasing printed transcriptions of solos only helps the person that originally did the transcribing...), developing an efficient practice regimen and endeavoring to keep at it on at least some sort of permanent basis, and, of course a heaping helping of Deep Desire are the only ways I know to "get there".


--Mac

Last edited by Mac; 07/08/13 02:46 PM.
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