Talk To Yourself – Practice

We’ll now play the Talk-to-yourself game in different keys.

Now let’s use the D drone to play the Talk-to-yourself game.

  • Respond with transposition (answering in a higher or lower voice).
  • Respond with a different voice
    • Singing, humming, different textures (plucking, tremolo, etc.)

Here are some rules and starter phrases to get you going. Practice them a bit on your own with D drone.

Table of Contents

D Drone

Rule: D, E, F#, A

{ sheet music snippet}

Note pool: G1, D0, D1, D2, A0, A3, E0, E1, E3

Starter phrases with transpositions:

D2-1-0-1-2-2-2  âžœ E1-0-A3-E0-1-1-1

D0-1-2-2-1-0-1 ➜ A3-E0-1-1-0-A3-E0

D0-0-0-1-2 1-1-1-2-A0 ➜ A3-3-3-E0-1 E0-0-0-1-3

Rule: D, F, A

Note pool: G1, D0, D2, A0, A3, EL1, E3

Starter phrases with transpositions:

D0-L2-A0-D3-A0 ➜ A3-EL1-3-L2-3

DL2-0-A0-DL2-A3-0-EL1-A3-3

Now let’s practice alternating in fifths with a play-along track. Use the starter phrases to get going. Then, try to call and respond with different ideas in octaves. Keep it simple. 

You may need to stop the track to work out an idea. That’s fine. Once you work it out, then return to the play-along track and see if it works.

{improv_D to A.mp3}

A drone

{A drone mp3}

G1, G3, D0, D1, D3

Here are some start phrases for you

D1-3-1-0-G3-1 ➜ E0-L2-0-A3-L2-0

G3-1-1-D1-G1-1 G3-1-1-D1-0-G3 ➜ AL2-0-0-E0-A0-0

Sound familiar?

Now we’ll practice in fifths, alternating between Am and Em.

{Am to Em play-along track mp3}

The purpose of the game is not to play the phrase back exactly (though you will get a LOT better at this in the improv course without even trying). We play the game just to keep playing!