The process will be the same for the remaining examples: First we introduce the rhythmic manipulation, in this case by chopping the phrase up in entities of 5/4, jumping down one step of the scale after 3/4.

And for the final four mutations of this phrase, the rhythmic subdivision of 5/4 is reintroduced.

The next work process adds the element of moving downwards and upwards along scales rather than the chord-note movement we borrowed from Montgomery. Though this may not be the most folk music-related way of playing, it provides a few good possibilities for creating phrases for improvisation. It also emerges that these exercises work well as warm-up exercises, and the calm, open mindset at the beginning of a practice session is probably as good a place as any to create an internalized, Norwegian-sounding vocabulary.

Then we go back to the rhythmic outline from the original phrase and start moving it around in mediant relationships. This time, it will be played in its root position, moved up a minor third (in its entirety), then played in a major third down from the root tonality - and from the root in its new location. The very last note is there to re-establish root tonality.

 

It's also worth mentioning that in the remaining examples of this chapter, the terms "ascending" and "descending" should be taken with a pinch of salt, since this is a movement so wide that you may not really get a sense of going up or down. What it means is that we interchange the two "phantom chords" in the middle with each other, so that the phrase ends on a high note ("ascending") or a lower one ("descending").

PROCESS 3