Lesson 47: Minor Keys, Part 2 — Melodic Minor and Modal Colour

Play melodic-minor scale practice with distinct ascent and descent.
Hear changing minor-key colour in Telemann’s Grave.

Build on Lesson 46: melodic-minor practice raises the sixth and seventh going up, then lowers them going down; real pieces can change these notes in either direction.

Scale practice

D minor: B natural/C-sharp going up; B-flat/C natural going down.

G minor: E natural/F-sharp going up; E-flat/F natural going down.

Key: D minor

Key: G minor

Modal colour

A major melody can borrow a note from minor; compare the lowered sixth with its usual note before playing the whole drill.

Key: C major

Key: F major

C major: hear A-flat.

F major: hear D-flat.

Play: Telemann, TWV 41:d4 — Grave

First learn one bar at a time; notice C/C-sharp and G-sharp leading to A, even in falling lines.

First learn one bar at a time; notice F/F-sharp and C-sharp leading to D, even in falling lines.

Key: A minor

Key: D minor

Source: Gavioli (2020), p. 31, CC BY-SA 3.0. Uniformly down P4; alto restores D minor. Continuo and phrase slurs omitted.

Now play these

Telemann: TWV 41:d4 — complete recorder part: Advanced continuation beyond this excerpt’s range.
Telemann: TWV 41:c2 — complete recorder part: Advanced continuation with further chromatic writing.

When the scale directions sound distinct and Telemann’s written alterations and final rest remain clear, move on to Lesson 48.