Contest Give Away!

Are you a music learner? Are you an iPhone or iPod Touch user?  Well, here's a chance to add a FREE, cool app. to your menu from DLP and our friends at EasyEarTraining. Its perfect for honing your listening skills on the go and a great compliment to the DLP Kore Series.

The RelativePitch App includes:

Training Mode: 14 lessons guide you from beginner to expert, teaching you all the intervals in the octave.

Testing Mode:Check your progress by trying to get the highest score in testing mode. If you distinguish intervals correctly, you’ll unlock new levels and new challenges in training

Custom Mode: If you’re having trouble with one specific piece of training, set up a custom training and testing session to target your problem spots.

So what is relative pitch? Unlike "perfect pitch", relative pitch is common among musicians, especially those who are used to "playing by ear", and a precise relative pitch is a constant characteristic among good musicians. Unlike perfect pitch however, relative pitch can be improved with practice! Thanks to EasyEarTraining this app can help do the trick!


3 ways to win. Enter as often as you like between October 6th and November 1st!


1. Comment on this blog
or
2. Like us on facebook
or
3. Re-post this link on twitter


Good luck - we look forward to announcing the winner on Thursday, November 3rd!

Theta Music Trainer - Get Your Game On!

Theta Music Trainer is a subscription based site that features several specially designed games for musicians to improve their 'musical sense'.  We recently ran it by the staff and  students of varying ages on campus at MusickEd. One of the first nice things about TMT is the ease of getting each game started. There's no need to hunt around - everything is laid out clearly on the home page and the 'START TRAINING' button invites you to try the games immediately. 

One of our favorites was Channel Match which works on identifying the sounds of instruments on a simulated mixing board. This game is particularly effective because you get to hear the instruments blended together before (and after) they are isolated. This can be especially helpful for youngsters or novice musicians who do not often have the opportunity to play in a group setting.

Jose Carlos Rivera 'owning' Paddle Pitch

Students also enjoyed Rhythm Puzzles, a rhythm identification game with a little bit of a twist. You must identify a small part of a large rhythmic phrase by matching the sounds with the written music....and you're being timed! Good stuff.

There are 10 games in all.   They fall into the categories of Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, and Sound.  All the games load quickly and include a FAQ page to help you get the idea.  Of course, most of the students who tried the games simply chose 'PLAY' and somehow innately knew how to operate everything....our wired kids!

There are many levels of play and some can get quite challenging, but the beginning stages work well enough with just about any age group that can operate a computer. Some are more tricky to navigate than they are musically difficult (note: my lousy score on Chord Locks was because I couldn't figure out how to change the combinations - I swear!).  Other games like "Parrot Phrases" and "Tone Trees" may seem a little too 'cutesy' for older students though the concepts are solid. And still others are slightly nostalgic and addicting, (try the Atari flavored "Paddle Pitch" for instance).

*Note to the designers: The staff thought the guitar fretboard was a really nice option.  Now, if we can get those darned guitarists to actually read music...

A full subscription allows you to play the games at all levels and they can get quite demanding.  Note to players: be sure to choose/click accurately as the system is keeping track of your answers! The "Training" and "Progress" reports are a nice touch and this program can be a fun supplement to a solid curriculum (like the Kore Series!), especially for students who enjoy the challenge of playing games on the PC.

Visit Theta Music Trainer for more information and to create your free account.

Easy Ear Training...is that possible??

By now you all know how much we love technology and anyone who uses it well (especially in our profession). Easy Ear Training is a place for people who are 'interested or involved in ear training' to get hints and tips, and learn ways to improve more rapidly. One of the coolest features of the site is an iPhone app called RelativePitch. It is devoted to interval training – from the basics right up to advanced skills.

We downloaded the free trial version for the iPhone (called RelativePitchLite) and loved it's ease of use, the tone choices, and the ability to both 'train' and 'test' intervals from a unison to an octave. You can select as many intervals as you like for the training and the tests. The full version has lots of extra features including a Custom Mode that allows you to train and test in specific areas.

I 'trained' using 4 different intervals. The pitches sound randomly and your are promptly coached the answers. I chose 7 intervals to test; unison, major third, minor third, perfect fifth, tritone, minor sixth and major sixth. Once I got past some of the nomenclature issues (tone=whole step for example) and a case of iThumb fumble, I scored 14 of 16 (one was a misread... I swear!).

The site also includes a drum kit quiz. Being a saxophonist, I basically choked on this one getting just 5 of 10, but it sure was fun! It really allows ear training to be practiced anywhere and in a short amount of time. So the answer is ...yes, easy ear training IS possible.

Thanks to Kelley Rodill for finding us and kudos to founder Chris Sutton and his team for this super use of technology. We commend their group for thinking outside the box and using technology to find their niche in music education. We are happy to let our users know about this site and look forward to future collaborations with Easy Ear Training in the coming months!