Pattern Lab

1-3-2-5 · Major (Ionian) · 12 keys · eighth notes

Pattern generator

Generated exercise

written pitch for your instrument, degrees shown below each cell

D
BD♯C♯F♯
C♯ED♯G♯
D♯F♯EA♯
EG♯F♯B
F♯A♯G♯C♯
G♯BA♯D♯
A♯C♯BE
G
EG♯F♯B
F♯AG♯C♯
G♯BAD♯
AC♯BE
BD♯C♯F♯
C♯ED♯G♯
D♯F♯EA
C
AC♯BE
BDC♯F♯
C♯EDG♯
DF♯EA
EG♯F♯B
F♯AG♯C♯
G♯BAD
F
DF♯EA
EGF♯B
F♯AGC♯
GBAD
AC♯BE
BDC♯F♯
C♯EDG
B♭
GBAD
ACBE
BDCF♯
CEDG
DF♯EA
EGF♯B
F♯AGC
E♭
CEDG
DFEA
EGFB
FAGC
GBAD
ACBE
BDCF
A♭
FAGC
GB♭AD
ACB♭E
B♭DCF
CEDG
DFEA
EGFB♭
D♭
B♭DCF
CE♭DG
DFE♭A
E♭GFB♭
FAGC
GB♭AD
ACB♭E♭
G♭
E♭GFB♭
FA♭GC
GB♭A♭D
A♭CB♭E♭
B♭DCF
CE♭DG
DFE♭A♭
B
A♭CB♭E♭
B♭D♭CF
CE♭D♭G
D♭FE♭A♭
E♭GFB♭
FA♭GC
GB♭A♭D♭
E
D♭FE♭A♭
E♭G♭FB♭
FA♭G♭C
G♭B♭A♭D♭
A♭CB♭E♭
B♭D♭CF
CE♭D♭G♭
A
G♭B♭A♭D♭
A♭BB♭E♭
B♭D♭BF
BE♭D♭G♭
D♭FE♭A♭
E♭G♭FB♭
FA♭G♭B
Why am I practising this?expand
What it teaches
The cell 1-3-2-5 as a shape rather than a set of notes, sequenced up the scale and carried through circle of fourths.
Problem it solves
Players who only run scales straight up and down cannot break out of stepwise motion when improvising.
Physical skill
Non-adjacent finger combinations, cross-break leaps, and control of the same shape at different points in the range.
Theory reinforced
Scale degrees as functional identities: the 3 sounds like a 3 wherever it appears.
Improvisation
Digital patterns become melodic vocabulary once the shape is automatic, especially over fast-moving harmony.
Ear training
Sing the pattern in one key before playing it. If you can sing it, you can transpose it.
Common mistakes
Learning the notes instead of the shape; letting the tempo drop in unfamiliar keys; ignoring articulation.
Recommended tempo
Whatever tempo lets every cell sound identical. Most players start around 60-80 BPM in eighth notes.
Increasing difficulty
Change direction, add a rhythm with an odd grouping, then move the cycle to major thirds.
Mastered when
You can start the pattern on any of the twelve notes without a moment's calculation, at your target tempo, cleanly.
How to practise it
  1. 01Play the pattern in one comfortable key until the shape is automatic.
  2. 02Sing it, then play it in a key a fourth higher without looking at the screen.
  3. 03Run the full cycle with the metronome, keeping the tempo constant.
  4. 04Repeat descending, then alternating.
  5. 05Raise the tempo by 4 BPM only when the whole cycle was clean.