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The Straight Line study activity is to perform a continuous ascending and descending stepwise line through a harmonic progression. To do this, you must think and perform in an appropriate mode for each chord while at the same time think and sing the notes with solfege syllables in relation to the key of the progression.
For example; the first progression below is an F blues. The continuous line is sung in the key of F major with a rhythm entirely composed of half notes.
Beginning on the fundamental of the key the first two notes are sung, do, re ...
Notice that on the first beat of the second bar the next note has to be 'Ab' the seventh of Bb7. The syllable used is 'me', indicating the flatted third of the key. Other alterations include: te, in bar four, functioning both as the flatted seventh in the key scale and the chord, but the seventh of the key scale is sung as ti at bar five where it is functioning as a sharp 11th of the Bb7 ! This same note is functioning as the third of the C7 in the last bar.
In this activity, you are thinking and hearing melodically and harmonically at the same time. Always practice both vocally and instrumentally.
The Straight Line activity can also be performed with more complex harmonic situations. In the the example below which is also in the key of F Major, there are several secondary dominants and alterations indicated in the chord symbols.
Notice that the example below is performed in quarter notes and doesn't begin on the fundamental of the key. You can also begin your straight exercise with decending lines.
What To Do
Perform vocally and instrumentally the Straight Line Exercise with very easy progressions with whose sound you are very familiar. Sing from the first degree of the key ; do to do while looking only at the chord symbols.
Eventually perform a Straight Line Exercise with tunes that have slow harmonic rhythm and use mostly diatonic chords.
Repeat the above with the same progressions and tunes but begin from the second note ofthe scale "re". Perform within an octave: re to re. Begin from the other degrees of the scale, sometimes with a decending line.
Progress to more complex and faster harmonizations as you gain skill.
