The settings: Ascending (or descending) 2nds
The game: Legato chord shifts. Play along with the app,
trying to make the transitions between
chords as smooth and legato as possible.
You will find that with some good choices in
fingering, you can mostly leave one finger
lying on the note of the old chord while three
fingers get ready to play the new chord.
Choose your speed according to your skill.
This game works on all three settings,
'silent', 'click' and 'chord', with slight
difference in emphasis.
******
The settings: Ascending 3rds
The game: Inversions. Start with high voicing,
using any inversions and aiming for minimal
finger changes, "topple down" the chords
until you get to the bottom of the instrument
range.
*****
The Settings: Random, silent, hide
A mental practice game. When the number
first appears at the bottom, try and think
of the name of the bass note. When the
number moves up, you can check
whether you were right. This is possible
to play even with someone sleeping next
to you :-)
*****
The Settings: Random, 50bpm, 4 beats
Inversions game: play two inversions of
each chord with a beat rest between. It's quite relaxing and addictive...
*****
The Settings: Random, choose your speed
A mental practice game: Look away from the
app and listen to the chord. What step of the
scale is it? if you're not sure, take a peek at
the screen
*****
The settings: Random, chord, 2 beats, chose
your speed
Ear training: Looking away from the screen,
listen to the chord when it plays the first
time, then play along the second time.
*****
The settings: Any setting, 'Roman'
The 'Roman' setting: It shows in roman
numerals the degree of the scale and
whether it's a minor or major chord (small or
capital) without explicitly naming the chord.
This is a good half way step in between
seeing the chord symbols and only the the
numbers. It helps you hear and internalise
what quality each chord degree has, for
major keys and minor keys.
*****
The settings: Random, chose your speed
Neighbouring chords 1. Try and move from one
chord to the next with minimal movement,
i.e. keep any shared notes and move to the
nearest pitched note if you have to move.
Use any inversions of chords to do so.
*****
The settings: Random, chose your speed
Neighbouring chords 2. As above, but with
the added task of jumping up an octave if
there is a repeat chord showing on the app.
Once you get to the top range of the
instrument, start moving down on repeated
chords.
*****
The settings: Random, chose your speed
Top line. As with Neighoring chords, but
aiming to create a flowing Melody with the
top notes
*****
The settings: Random, chose your speed
Bottom line. As with Neighbouring chords
but aiming to create nice bass line with the
botom notes of each chord
*****
The settings: Random, chose your speed
Middle line. As with Neigbouring chords, but
aiming to create a nice melody with the
middle notes of each chord
*****
The settings: Random, chose your speed
Bass line. Play the root note of each chord in
the left hand, adding an inversion in the right
hand.
*****
The settings: Random, 4 beats, choose your
speed
Inversions practice 1. 4 beats per chord,
play different inversions on each beat. Could be in the left hand or the right hand
*****
The settings: Any setting, 1 beat, chose your speed
Inversions practice 2. Only play first
inversions (not root chords). Could be in the right hand or the left hand
*****
The settings: Any setting, chose your speed
Inversions practice 3. Only play second
inversions (not root chords)
*****
The settings: Any setting, chose your speed
Inversions practice 4. As you play the
chords, cycle through playing root chord, 1st
inversion and 2nd inversion.
*****
The settings: Any setting, slow speed
Bridges. Play a connecting element between
the chords, for example a bass note in the
left hand, or a passing note in the right hand,
to prepare towards the upcoming chord. The
aim is to make the random sequence of
chords sound less random
*****
The settings: Any setting
Tritones. Play only the 3rd and the 7th of any
given chord, in the right hand
*****
The settings: Any setting
5ths. Play only the root note and its 5th of
any given chord, in the left hand
*****
The settings: Any setting
Split chords. Combine right and left hand of
the two above exercises
*****
The settings: Any setting, 2 beats, slow speed
Open/Close: Play each chord in opening and
in closing.
*****
The settings: Random
Preparing to play inversions: Play root notes
with each chord. Olay an inversion when a
chord repeats.
*****
Tango Prepping. Choose a Tango you want
to play. Check what key it is in, and do a set
of exercises on the app in that key to
familiarise yourself with the key. Then play
the Tango.
*****
Transposition. Take a Tango you know in a
certain key. While you play it, try thinking in
functions (degrees of the scale), rather than
in chord names. Prep a different key with the
app, spending some time practising with the
functions rather than the chord names. The
'roman' setting is useful for this. Now play
the Tango in the new key.
*****
The settings: Ascending 3rds
Common Notes. Keep two notes constant in
each pair of adjacent chords...