Getting overwhelmed with UA

[R T]

I am at module 3 and getting overwhelmed by the unprepared approaches. With the summary should I just follow a long with the video a few times or memorize all of these? Or do I just need and understanding of the concept?

[Richie]

Can you please elaborate why you’re getting overwhelmed? In other words, what is happening when you try to play the summary? I ask to determine if there is some info you might have missed or misunderstood. Also try to describe in detail how you practice them.

[R T]

Hi Richie,

I played along to them with you and the video. But there are so many including the chromatics and enclosures my brain cannot memorize them all and am overwhelmed.

Are the UA just using a chord tone and than instead of going to the next note in line such as 1 – 2 – 3 for a neighboring tone are they always going to a 4 or 6 tone so long as it is larger than a major 3rd?

Thanks for the help,

[R T]

:et me rephrase that:

Is the general formula this = The UA tone is always any non chord tone that would not naturally fall in natural order of the scale?

In other words :

1 – 2 – 3 (UA can only use 4 or 6 instead of 2)

3-4-5 (UA can only use 6 or 2)

5-6-b7 (Ua can only use 2 or 4)

Is this correct?

[Richie]

No, UAs like all approaches have to resolve by step-wise motion to their target.They must be preceded by a leap of a 3rd or more. In other words the leap should be larger than a major 2nd. This is what makes it “unprepared” versus “prepared” where step-wise motion is the norm.

For your ascending examples using 2 neighboring chord tones:

1 – 2 – 3 (UA can only use 4 or ch from below instead of 2),
3-4-5 (UA can only use 6)
5-6-b7 (Ua can only use 1)

However, UAs don’t only occur for 2 successive chord tones in the arpeggio. For example, you might have a b7 followed by a 3 above it. Here your UA choices are b7 followed by a 4 resolving to 3 or b7 followed by 2 or ch resolving up to 3. If we were descending or using the reversed situation (3 followed by a b7 below it), it would be 3 and a 6 resolving up to the b7.
Let me know if this clarifies the concept. Other than that, I suggest you practice the summary of calisthenics and analyze how the UAs conform to the definition given on p.46 of the Lesson Book. Also the related etudes contain several examples.

[Author]

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