Ear Training: Major Pentatonic

The following exercises are meant to solidify what you have learned so far. You will practice the major pentatonic scale in a more systematic way.

A good tempo to start with is 60 bpm. If you want to, you can gradually build up the tempo. Each exercise is to be sung in three tempos: one time in half notes, two times in quarter notes and four times in eighth notes. You could even add a fourth tempo and finish the exercise with sixteenth notes. It does not matter if you cannot sing the exercises in the third and fourth tempo right away. Just continue practicing and keep trying.

Exercise 1

Solfège
do re mi so la do
do la so mi re do

FIRST SPEED: 1x
SECOND SPEED: 2x
THIRD SPEED: 4x
Sargam
sa ri ga pa dha sa
sa dha pa ga ri sa

FIRST SPEED: 1x
SECOND SPEED: 2x
THIRD SPEED: 4x

Exercise 2

Solfège
do re mi
re mi so
mi so la
so la do

do la so
la so mi
so mi re
mi re do

FIRST SPEED: 1x
SECOND SPEED: 2x
THIRD SPEED: 4x
Sargam
sa ri ga
ri ga pa
ga pa dha
pa dha sa

sa dha pa
dha pa ga
pa ga ri
ga ri sa

FIRST SPEED: 1x
SECOND SPEED: 2x
THIRD SPEED: 4x

Exercise 3

Solfège
do mi re so
mi la so do

do so la mi
so re mi do

FIRST SPEED: 1x
SECOND SPEED: 2x
THIRD SPEED: 4x
Sargam
sa ga ri pa
ga dha pa sa

sa pa dha ga
pa ri ga sa

FIRST SPEED: 1x
SECOND SPEED: 2x
THIRD SPEED: 4x

Continue to improvise using the major pentatonic scale. Improvisation is essential to master the material.