Basic Interval Drill. The program randomly generates chromatic intervals. The user can decide whether those intervals are arpeggiated from the bottom tone to the top, from top to bottom, or whether both tones are played simultaneously. The default setting restricts intervals to one octave; the user can choose compounds to allow intervals greater than an octave. Hit Play to begin or to hear an interval again (as many times as needed). Click the labeled buttons ( m2, M2, m3, etc.) to input an answer. A new interval will automatically play after a correct answer.
Tones and Semitones. The program generates randomly transposed species of Fourths or Fifths (based on user selection), and plays those species stepwise, either ascending or descending (direction is chosen randomly). Listen for the patterns of whole and semitones. Fourths appear in three patterns: T-T-s, T-s-T and s-T-T. Fifths appear in four patterns: T-T-T-s, T-T-s-T, T-s-T-T, and s-T-T-T. Hit Play to begin or to hear a species pattern again (as many times as needed). Click on an answer. A new species pattern will automatically play after a correct answer.
Triad Quality. The program randomly generates triads of four kinds (qualities): major, minor, diminished and augmented. The default setting plays the triads as chords; the user may choose to arpeggiate the triads if the former is too difficult (but work toward recognizing quality from simultaneous performance). Hit Play to begin or to hear a triad again (as many times as needed). Click on the proper quality. A new triad will automatically play after a correct answer. It is recommended that the student who has difficulty with this exercise practice singing (arpeggiating) triads of each quality from a given root.
Register Drill. The program randomly plays tones from four different octaves. The name of the tone is given. The user must select the specific octave in which that tone is played by clicking on that octave in the display. Hit Play to begin or to hear a tone again (as many times as needed). A new tone will be played automatically after a correct answer.
Random Scale Degrees. Like Melodic Fragments, this program emphasises scale degree hearing and orientation to a tonic. However, the scale degrees here do not project melodies, but are chosen randomly. The user may select the length of a pitch string, from 1 (the default) to 7 notes in length. The user may select the tempo at which the examples will play. The user may select the number octaves from which the notes are chosen (1 to 4 octaves) and the user can choose the set of pitches from notes are chosen. These range from pure diatonic major and minor collections, to major collections with various combinations of added chromatic tones, to the full chromatic set. All pitch-strings are in a single key (C is the default). The user can hear the tonic any time before or during an exercise by pressing the Tonic button. It is highly recommended that the user sing the scale and fragments (2-1, 3-2-1, 4-3-2-1, 5-6-7-1, 6-7-1, 7-1) in order to orient themselves within the key. Be sure also to sing back the strings of scale degrees before answering. Use scale degree buttons to input your answers in the order that those degrees were sounded. If you get even a single note wrong, you need to re-enter the entire string. Hit Play to begin or to hear a fragment again. If you become very comfortable in the default key, you can press Change Tonic to select a new key. Press Tonic to hear the new tonic note. Upon changing tonics, the previous exercise is retained and can be replayed in the new key. Be sure to sing the new scale and fragments to become re-oriented in the new key.
Scale Degree Dyads and Trichords. These programs test scale-degree hearing in chordal contexts. Either two or three randomly selected scale degrees will be played simultaneously. The user must identify these tones by reference to a tonic. The user can hear the tonic any time before or during an exercise by pressing the Tonic button. It is highly recommended that the user sing the scale and fragments (2-1, 3-2-1, 4-3-2-1, 5-6-7-1, 6-7-1, 7-1) in order to orient themselves within the key. Be sure also to sing back upper, lower (and middle in the case or trichords) tones before answering. Use scale degree buttons to input your answers for each voice; the order of entry does not matter. If you get even a single note wrong, you need to re-enter all notes. Hit Play to begin or to hear a fragment again. If you become very comfortable in the default key, you can press Change Tonic to select a new key. The new tonic note will be sounded. Sing the new scale to become re-oriented and press Play to begin in the new key.
Modus Novissimus. The program is designed to accompany
the study of Lars Edlund's Modus Novus. The program creates atonal melodies,
three to seven notes in length, comprising intervals based cumulatively on the
chapters of Modus Novus (Chapter 1 includes
only semitones, whole tones and fourths, Chapter 2 adds fifths, etc.). The starting note is given. Hit Play to begin or to
hear a melody again. Use pitch class buttons to input your answers in the order
that those pitches were sounded.
If you get even a single note wrong, you need to re-enter the entire melody.
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