Ear Training One Note Direct Application CD

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Q I was hoping you could recommend some exercises to do with the Direct Application Ear Training CD.
A I would use some of the vamps found in the Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two folder in the member's area. But you could also make simple chord progression vamps of your own if you have a looper. The main idea is to start out real simple with just a one chord vamp and expand from there.
 
Q1. I just received the Direct application CD. There are basically 2 tracks, one with a few notes, and another with, I guess, 98. Specifically, how do I use it in conjuction with the vamps in C? Since you don't give the answers after the note am I supposed to try to guess and play them on the guitar?

2. I'm working on the vamps and scales (straight scale, in ascending 3rds and some improvisation). I try to do a new one every week, even though 1 week is not enough to master each scale. I'm getting better at singing-saying the notes as I practice the ascending 3rds. It's helping me learn where the notes are on the fretboard in the "no man's land" of above the 5th fret of the inside strings.

3. I'm slowly making progress on the Key Note CD, but have made very little progress with the One Note Advanced CD. I was really hoping that by now I'd be recognizing all, or almost all the notes, but there are some weak ones that keep my average always around 90%.

4. I'm doing between 75-90 bpm of the Fanatic's Guide, 5 notes up and down, and 60 up to 80 bpm the Single String Studies starting a new key every week.
A 1. Yes you should play the CD while a vamp is being played either by a computer or another CD player. You can use the vamps in the member's area or make up your own. I usually recommend improvising with the vamp and as you hear each note try to identify what that note is using the one note ear training method. Once you make your decision on the note play this note on the guitar and see if it matches.

2. Remember that the first few times through the scales is really just a introduction so you should expect to master these scales right away that will come over time.

3. This is common you just have to keep at it. Many of the notes people have problems with are not commonly heard sounds in popular music so they will take much longer to go into your permanent memory.

4. That's great. I'm sure you can see how this ear training has helped you at this point. I think as the Direct Application CD gets better and the One Note Method becomes more secure in your mind the use of this ear training will become more and more apparent.
 
QI've been focusing on pre-hearing both diatonic and non-diatonic notes following my playing a the progression or playing a drone. I do this a few minutes in the morning and again at night before I go to sleep. I've made some headway - I am pretty accurate prehearing the diatonic notes, and am starting to hear the non-diatonic notes. Just need to work on speed and consistency. I've also been listening to the one note complete intermediate CD in my car twice daily to and from work. I would say my accuracy is around 30-40% depending on the day. It's the non-diatonic notes that really throw me off.

Currently my practice time is limited, and I am looking to change things up a bit to maximize my skill development as well as start applying my ear training to playing the guitar. My ultimate goal is to be able to play by ear - to think of a melody in my head and be able to play it on the guitar.

One idea I had was to use the Single String Studies volume I book and do the following:

Starting with the low E string in the key of C, I play the C major drone from the fanatics guide CD, and sight read the notes on the page by pre-hearing them in my mind and them playing them on the low E string without looking.

I would think this is great practice at pre-hearing what I am going to play. However, my speed is very slow and I find myself using mostly my first finger to jump from note to note. I know my speed will pick up with time, but do not want to develop any bad fingering habits. Any suggestions?

I also have the random note CD and was wondering if that was a better tool to utilize for helping my progress. If so, might you have any exercise suggestions on how to use it?

Lastly, Single String Studies volume one does not have any non-diatonic notes. I wanted to figure out a way to incorporate them so that I do not fall any more behind knowing them from the diatonic notes. Any suggestions?
AI commonly recommend people use single string studies as an ear training supplement you can do this by using a drone from Fanatic's Guide or from other vamps. If you want to use non-diatonic notes you have two choices. You can get Single String Studies for Guitar Volume Two or you can for example sing the F# examples in single string studies volume one over a C drone.

As far as fingering goes with single string studies. I'd use your first finger when you are on the lower pitches, your 2nd and 3rd fingers in the middle of the neck and your pinky for the high notes.

If by the random note CD you mean the Direct Application CD I would use the MP3 vamps found in the member's area under Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two as a backing track as you improvise with the Direct Application CD being played in a CD player. As you hear new notes on the CD try to find them and/or incorporate them into your improvisation.
 
QThings are progressing well with my one note singing. I have all pitches memorized except Si and Di. Currently working on Si, which so far has been the slowest to make into long term memory (over a month of daily work now).

I ran across this document http://www.ranblake.com/pdf_files/PrimacyoftheEar.pdf

Ran Blake is at New England Conservatory. His ear training methods seem to emphasize the memorization of melodies by ear as a way of opening up the ears and hearing. A tape of 44 melodies from different styles of music is memorized by repeated listening.

This type of work seems also to be an important part of transcribing solos, in various opinions I have read. I have adopted this in my transcribing activities, first training myself to sing along with a recording before actually picking up a pencil to write things out. I don't go as far as memorizing the whole solo, however. I do try to identify pitches by their relationship to the key center, rather than by interval or by identifying notes with a pitch pipe.

Anyway, what is your opinion about this type of ear training and how it can interface with your methods? Are they in any way exclusive of each other? Can memorizing melodies and solos as method of ear training develop any bad habits as you see things?
AThis type of ear training is excellent once you know what the sound of each note is against a key center. Also the melodies that you learn should be learned by recognizing the notes against a key center. I would start with melodies that have a key center behind them and as you improve you won't need the key center. My Direct Application CD does this with only one note which is very similiar to what you are doing with the CDs in the book but you do this with an instrument. Further volumes of the Direct Application CDs will do 2 and more note melodies.

Currently I wouldn't recommend the melodic ear training until you know what all 12 notes sound like against a key center.
 
QI think I have completed the one note exercises in Fanatic's Guide. I can prehear all pitches about 80%-100% of the time, depending on the pitch and key.

The last exercise you gave me, singing 3 note exercises always starting on "di" was very helpful for unblocking progress with that pitch.

At this point I feel I need to keep reviewing one note singing. I have created a practice routine that includes 4 different pitches each day of the week, with the more difficult pitches (di, fi, si, mainly) getting plenty of extra slots in the routine.

I am also singing these as 4 note singing exercises, rather than just individually.

I get 95% correct on one note recognition (very high pitches give me the most trouble, plus si and di). I get about 90% of major keys and 40% of minor keys correct in keynote recognition.

Questions:

1. Should I make up a CD of minor key resolutions to practice prehearing/singing all 12 pitches against a minor key? With the keynote recognition it seems I have the most trouble with keys where C is the Major 3rd and Major 6th, as well as others.

2. When doing sight singing exercises with a chord progression, why do we use a drone? Why wouldn't you record the chord progression itself and sing against that?

3. When prehearing multinote exercises, should I hear the first note then sing, 2nd note, sing, etc or is it also ok to prehear all the notes together (sequentially), then sing? Seems to me both ways of working would be valuable.

4. You say not to sing multinote exercises as a melody. What really does that mean? Don't use vocal tension?

5. Any creative suggestions for working, other than what is in the book?
A1. Yes you could do that or you could also work with the direct application CD (see www.muse-eek.com)

2. You could use progressions BUT you would want to make sure those progressions are heard in the right key and don't modulate

3. One note at a time for now as you get better you can hear them all then sing

4. You can memorize a melody and not have a clue about what you are singing. Best to stay away from that until you are very solid with the ear training skills

5. Use direct application CD. Apply to any music you listen to. Start with one chord vamp music.

There will be much more application once you get into the 2 note books.
 
QJust a little update, I've received KNR and had a bit of a listen to it. Couldn't identify any pitches. They all sound the same. Realise that it will take a while for my ears to adjust but I think it's just a little too advanced for me right now and I'm happy to keep working on the fundamentals. Remember you advising someone in the FAQs to practice more out of the Fanatic's Guide till his key retention improves.

I've been working diligently out of One Note Advanced and am definitely averaging more than 80% and possibly 90% on good days. Experiencing some major phases where I'll drop to low 80% for a few days then climb back up again with greater clarity and a marked improvement. I suppose this is part of the process of reprogramming your aural perception that you speak about in your books.

Have had good progress with Fanatic's Guide and worked through the pitches as recommended 1, 3, 5, 2, 4, 6, 7, b3, b7, #4, but I'm stuck with #1. Have been keeping at it for about 3 weeks now with almost no improvement. Can't pre-hear the right pitch at all and can never remember the right pitch when I come back to it a few hours later. Only possible improvement has been that I can now sing it in tune most of the time, and if there's any slight wavering I notice and correct it immediately (checking with a pitch pipe).

Re-read relevant bits of your books just to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong and came across the particularly inspirational bit on 10% talent and 90% fanatical hard work.

Decided that I've got to increase my practice time:-
Started at 3x10min One Note Advanced and 2x15min Fanatic's
Increased to 4x10min One Note Advanced and 3x15min Fanatic's
=> Noticed improvement on One Note and slight progress on Fanatic's (but only very slight)
=> Can't concentrate for 15min stretch on Fanatic's, 10min works better and is more effective

And this evening just decided that after another week at the previous mentioned level that the practice time somehow isn't enough and I'm not really getting anywhere.

So... I remember you saying possibly an ideal schedule is 10x10min (5min One Note + 5min Fanatic's each time) spread out through the day.

Might seem a little extreme, and is going to take up loads of time. But I'm still going to work at it and think little steps each day.

Am I on the right track here? Hope so ... music is an all-consuming passion. But is also such hard work ... If it helps I've been working at this diligently for about 6 months now.
AThat all sounds good. I would do some work out of the KNR everyday too. Think of the sound of each note as a sphere. The one note ear training and the singing show you one part of the sphere. KNR shows you another. At the end you will realize it's all the same sound but it takes time for your mind to hear sound in many contexts before it realizes it's all the same. I'd also recommend doing the Direct Application CD. That will give you another side of the Sphere.