Have you (or maybe one of your friends) ever wanted to learn to transcribe or play music by ear?
It is so important for a musician to know what you are hearing. A good musical ear helps when you are composing, improvising, transcribing melodies, or playing with others.
Most likely you have already tried different programs to learn to recognize intervals or even to acquire perfect pitch. However, although such programs develop your ear, but can you actually play any melody you hear as soon as you listen to it?
Imagine you could understand music... It is like when somebody is talking to you, you not only hear pleasant sounds, but you recognize words and their meaning.
One day I came across Alain Benbassat's program called "Functional Ear Trainer" and have been using it ever since. It is based on Alain's method to learn to recognize tones.
The main difference between the Functional Ear Trainer and other methods is that it teaches you to distinguish between tones in the context of a particular musical key. You begin to recognize the role (or function) of each tone in this key, which is incredibly similar to its role in other keys of the same scale.
And it is *guaranteed* anyone can gradually develop this skill. It does not matter:
- who you are - an absolute beginner in music or a virtuoso professional musician;
- how old you are - a 3 yo kid or a 90+ adult;
- what musical instrument you play (you don't even have to play one).
The only requirement is to practice for 10 minutes a day.
I was so excited about this ear trainer that I have developed a mobile app based on the Alain Benbassat method. I hope you will find it useful.
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User Rating
4.93 out of 5
29 ratings
in Ireland
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Reviews
Works well and easy to use
I had put off ear training because I wasn’t sure what way to approach it. This app has really helped overcome that barrier. In previous attempts I got frustrated by what I couldn’t do and wasn’t sure that I was approaching it right. Now I can just do it and focus on the training without over thinking. Simply play the game and see what happens. An activity I struggled getting into is now an enjoyable challenge.
I also like the score keeping so you can see and feel your progress. The measured challenge makes it enjoyable and even addictive.
When I started I found the first few basic exercises (3-4 notes in a single octave) a challenges but after just over a week of regular playing I score well on multi octave and different keys. The levels are broken into small achievable goals and build on one another. Still some way to go for me but definitely making progress quicker than expected and enjoying something I previously thought of as a chore.
The app does all the work and thinking for you but also has options to build your own different challenges as you advance.
Finally a method that works
I don’t write reviews but this app truly deserves it. Hearing the chord progression before the note is so helpful, I tried different apps and they all seemed to be catered to someone who already has the basics and wants to better themselves further. The introduction in here is great. Highly recommend
Helpful
Very helpful for my students to practise with
Excellent
Highly recommended
Functional?- yes, certainly
This app helps me make up for the rigorous ear training I would have received had I gone to music college or had a music teacher when I began learning the guitar - it can be addictive trying to get a perfect score but I can hear the difference in my note interval recognition- well done 👍
