Thomas Stevens

Contemporary Interval Studies

The Contemporary Interval Studies are intended as intermediate exercises designed to fill the void which exists between traditional study materials and the many advanced contemporary etude books presently available. Traditional studies use, as their intervallic basis, major, minor, chromatic, and whole tone scales, including, in certain instances, ecclesiastical modes, and major, minor, augmented, and diminished chords. A great deal of serious contemporary music is the result of compositional techniques which avoid such intervallic relationships. The latter establishes the need for a practical method which addresses the resultant performance problems. The concept of just intonation specifically not withstanding, the basic technique suggested herein uses, as its basis, the equal tempered scale. Simply stated, there are only twelve pitches per octave in the chromatic scale, and if the performer is able to negotiate any intervals within one particular octave, then ail other intervals, regardless of their spelling, whether over the octave, or involving enharmonic differences, should be similarly negotiable.