The first part.

Phi. Why then was your Scale devised of 20 notes and no more?

What is to be sung under Gam ut the lowest note of the Guidonian scale.

Ma. Because that compass was the reach of most voices: so that under Gam ut the voice seemed as a kind of humming, and above E la the highest note of the scale a kind of constrained screeching. But we go from the purpose, and therefore proceed to the singing of your example.

Phi. Then I perceive the first note standeth in F fa ut under Gam ut, and being the lowest note of the verse I may there sing ut.

Ma. Right, or fa if you will, as you did in the eighth above in the other verse before. But go forward.

Phi. Then though there be no re in Gam ut, nor mi in A re, nor fa in ♮ mi etc., yet because they be in their eighths I may sing them there also. But I pray you why do you set a b in E la mi? Seeing there is neither in it, nor in E la mi in alt, nor in E la any fa, and the b clef is only set to those keys wherein there is fa.

Every note both sharp and flat.

Ma. Because there is no note of itself either flat or sharp, but compared with another, is sometime flat and sometime sharp: so that there is no note in the whole Scale which is not both sharp and flat. And seeing you might sing la in D sol re, you might also (altering the tune a little) sing fa in E la mi. There be many other flats in music, as the b in A la mi re, whereof I will not speak at this time, because I will not cloy your memory with unprofitable precepts: and it will be time enough for you to learn them when you come to practice pricksong written polyphonic music.

Phi. This I will then think sufficient till that time, and therefore go forward to some other matter.

Ma. Then seeing you understand continual deduction, I will show you it disjunct or abrupt.

Phi. In good time.

The notes in disjunct deduction.

Ma. Here, sing this verse.
A musical staff with a C-clef showing a sequence of lozenge-shaped notes illustrating a disjunct musical exercise, involving skips between the notes.

Phi. Here I know where all the notes stand: but I know not how to tune them by reason of their skipping.

Ma. When you sing A small fragment of a musical staff showing two notes skipping over an interval. Imagine a note betwixt them thus: A musical staff showing three notes, the middle one being a hollow guide note, indicating the interval to be filled. and so leaving out the middle note, keeping the tune of the last note in your mind, you shall have the true tune, thus: sing first ut re mi, then sing ut mi, and so the residue, thus:

How to keep right tune in disjunct deduction

A musical staff showing an ascending series of disjunct notes with corresponding intervals for practice.

And so downward again, thus:

A musical staff showing a descending series of disjunct notes.

Phi. Here is no difficulty but in the tuning: so that now I think I can keep tune, and sing anything you can set down.

Ma. Then sing this verse.
A musical staff with multiple clefs and a longer sequence of complex musical notes representing a more advanced singing exercise.