LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE MUSIC WE SING Lesson 3, for March 30 Just Intonation completed: Finally, we come to the point in the discussion of just intonation where choirs make their most common mistake, especially choirs that are otherwise rather accomplished. If we look again at the make-up of major thirds, we recall that in just intonation a major third consists of a large whole-step and a small whole-step. This is fairly easy to remember when one is singing up the scale the notes C D E or F G A. It’s a little trickier when singing G A B, because here the small whole-step comes first. But the biggest pitfall is in singing a major third down the scale. The notes A G F in the key of C, for example look like two whole steps, A-G and G-F. They are two whole-steps, but not equal ones. A-G is a small whole-step. If one sings it as a large whole-step, the G will be flat, and that will cause the F to be flat. Suddenly, everything is flat, which is exactly what happens in many choirs—but for reasons they can’t understand. The same thing happens when descending E D C. If E-D is sung as a large whole-step, everything following will be flat. There are two final rules of thumb to remember when singing in just intonation: 1) If two low notes are adjacent to one another, they form a large whole-step; and if two high notes are adjacent to one another, they too form a large whole-step. In the key of C, for example, imagine that the harmony changes at a certain point with the introduction of an F#. As one ascends up the scale D E F#, we see that E, which is normally a low note relative to the C below it and the G above it, is adjacent to F#, which is a low note because it has a # in front of it. Thus, E F# are two low notes adjacent to one another. They therefore form a large whole-step. In the same key of C, imagine instead that the harmony changes with the introduction of an Eb. As one ascends up the scale D Eb F, we see that F, which is a high note (as the bottom of the major third F-A), is adjacent to Eb (a high note by virtue of the flat in front of it). Thus, Eb F are two high notes adjacent to one another. They, too, therefore form a large whole-step. 2) When encountering added accidentals that are not part of the key signature of a piece, it is the added accidentals that must adjust to the notes of the home key, which are to be regarded as anchors. The only note of the home key that may vary at times is the supertonic (D in the key of C, or G in the key of F, A in the key of G, etc.). Because the supertonic is unstable, it may occasionally not function correctly as an anchor note, although most of the time it will. [At some point I will add actual musical examples to demonstrate all the rules of thumb.] End of Lesson 3. Click here to continue to Lesson 4, for April 1. Click here to return to the Lesson List.