Lines: Volume 1

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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QI just purchased "A Fanatic's Guide to Ear Training & Sight Singing" and "Ear Training: One Note Complete Level." I am very new at this and take vocal technique lessons. Should I also purchase "Lines Volume One: Sight Reading and Sight Singing Exercises." If so, or if not, why, what is the difference? What book should I start with? Thank You!
AI don't think it would be a good idea to get LINES just yet. The first thing you need to do is understand how you are suppose to listen and comprehend the 12 chromatic pitches against a key center. Ear Training One Note Complete along with the Fanatic's Guide will teach this. I highly recommend you go to the muse-eek.com website and read the associated FAQs for each of these books because it will help you to understand the method better and give you practice ideas. I would say that when you get to about 90% correct answers with the Advanced CD from the Ear Training One Note Complete book you could then begin to work on the LINES book which will have you singing one voice of a 4 part harmony.
 
QI came across your books on amazon and then found this site. I have been playing for about 18 years and have a good ear but I don't know how to sight read and I don't really have the notes on the fretboard memorized. I feel left behind and would love to be able to pick up sheet music and read it. I'm so sick of not knowing how to read. Shame on me. So, which book would be best for me? I want to be a great sight reader and have the patience and resolve to do it.
A Thanks for contacting me. I would recommend you start with 3 books.

Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One
Rhythm Primer
LINES Sight Reading and Sight Singing Exercises.

Rhythm Primer is the beginning of the Rhythm Series of books. You would follow Rhythm Primer with:

Rhythms Volume One
Rhythms Volume Two
Odd Meters

There are further books but if you can get through these you will be in pretty good shape.

I recommend you spend 1 hour a day reading. I would spead 10 minutes on the 3 books I've recommended and then try to get some music from your local library and read that for the last 1/2 hour. In the next few months I will be starting a paid access section of Muse-eek.com where you will be able to download music to sight read. This could take the place of your local library. I suggest you take advantage of this when it happens.
 
QI have been studying your eartraining materials, both the single note and two note series. I am a bit more than half done with the 4 note groups and I finished disc 3 of the 2 note series. (Disc 3 was difficult.) I am starting to reliably hear/sing/read melodies with the drone.

I am having difficulty singing/imagining the following chord progression: 4 bars of each of the following chords: l: C-7, E-7, Ab-7, B-7, Eb-7, G-7, Bb-7, D-7, F#--7, A-7, C#--7, and F-7 :l The progression is a practice exercise for pentatonic scales. Each chord is treated as a II-7 in the exercise. I think the progression modulates key with each change. When I am trying to memorize the sound of a progression I usually sing the roots and the chord arpeggio (esp. 3,7) to help my mind create a chord image. In this case, the only thing I can figure out is to imagine C with some dorian arpeggio notes and as I approach the change sing(imagine) the melodic phrase "me", "te", "do", "me", "mi". The half step slide from "me" to "mi" is easy to imagine. The "mi" becomes my new "do" (just barely sometimes). In the case where the modulation is a b3, I might use the melodic phrase "me" "te" "do" "re" "me". At the repeat, the "so" becomes my new "do".

Can you make any suggestions that might help?
AI don't think your idea of singing pentatonic scales over the given chord progression is a good thing for you to be doing at this point. I would prefer you get a fake book like the "real book" and begin singing some tunes. I would like you to start with Donna Lee by Charlie Parker. I want you to start by singing the the chord tones of each chord 1,3,5,7 so the first two chords are Abð7 to F7 you would sing Do, Me, So Ti to La, Di, Me, So. Continue singing all arpeggios throughout the song. There is a possibility you might modulate at some point this varies with each individual. There is also a possibility that you will hear the song differently from day to day. This is also normal and should be expected. Let me know when you can sing this at mm=100 for each note of the arpeggio. I also want you to get Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One and sing the first example with a drone in every key. The first example is in C so by the time you get to Gb you will be singing mostly notes that are out of the key. You also what to get this up to mm=100 for each quarter note. Let me know when you get that happening.

One thing that you need to realize is you shouldn't force your ear to hear a certain way. Remember you ear is going to hear something the way it wants so you need to develop the ability to follow it. Before you can make meaningful progress with the progression you are describing in your email you will need to develop the ability to sing though songs in various ways that I will teach you. You also need to develop some techniques that I will show you through the Single String Studies books. I would also say that you need to sing thought the LINES book as another prerequisite.
 
QI worked through all the keys on the first exercise of Single String Studies and got up to mm=100. (Difficult stuff but very helpful.) Now, I've started working on your Lines book. Are there any metronome goals for that work? On the exercises with two or more notes, like exercise 5, should I sing each melody independently on the first time through the book?

I took a break from working on Donna Lee because I kept drifting in my key. Without a drone, I would end up 1/2 step off (or worse) in my notes by the end of the song when I checked my arpeggio with my guitar. I am starting again because I feel much more confident about non diatonic notes after all the practice on exercise one of Single String Studies.
AI would first sing through the one note pages in LINES with a drone. Do this as fast as you can. The notes are whole and half notes so try to move through it as quick as possible. Metronome setting will have to be determined by your level. When you go into the 2 note pages you can use a drone or better yet try it without a drone and see what happens. Usually the 2nd note helps to keep you from drifting in your key center so give it a try.

Because I'm not there some exercises may have to be put on the back burner like Donna Lee. It's good that you are policing yourself and deciding what is working and what is not.
 
QYou are either going to make me a great musician or drive me absolutely nuts. Seriously, you have become a very important person in my life thru all the hard, voluminous work you've done. I now have a library wall filled with your stuff... its amazing and quite frankly humbling to view its onerous dimension as I select my work for the day. There is a great hazard to all this work however... Your voice keeps popping up in my sleep... can you imagine the nightmare created by your voice saying a# major and me waking up in terror screaming What the hell key is that?!!!!!

So I have all this stuff and a million questions as a result. Consequently, I have a favor to ask. Can you give me an idea of how many FAQs you answer a day? It will really help me gauge the types and forms of questions I will present. I know you really don't have the time to wax philosophic but some of the questions I have are seeking to find the principles, testimony and thinking behind the exercises. I'm a teacher by profession and naturally gravitate to your expertise as a teacher as well as musician. For example, one of the assignments you gave me was to read Mind to Molecules. I have several questions to ask concerning the learning foundations you use in relation to this fabulous book. I am not sure how to proceed in the most expeditious way with these questions unless I have some idea how to limit their scope to your schedule.

Here are a couple of questions... I have b2 paralysis!!! I cannot for the life of me hear c in a b min cadence as a flat 2 in key note... it always sounds like b7 or 4(?) I've been trying for about 4 months and cannot get it!!! I have even made tapes with the minor progression and tried to sing b2 against a c minor 7 chord... can't get it. What is wrong with my old brain? I think I have sensitized rather than habituated to b2... although its a piece of cake in One note. The same problem occurs in 2 note when I need to hear a b2 modulation ie against B and f# or B and D#... C modulates but not to b2. Otherwise the exercises are going fine... do you have any suggestions or drugs that can help me with my old brain.

Also, I have been working on the e string in c maj. exercise u assigned me... have got thru c, f, Bb, and Eb up to 80mm... great exercise. I noticed something interesting while working in this exercise... I can automatically sing them at extremely slow tempos... ie I will set metronome at 100 and am able to sing any exercise in any key correctly... (with pre-hearing) at about 3 clicks per note (33.3mm). It really proves your point... I do not have to rely on intervals, or essentially another note, to hear and sing notes... I can hear automatically!! Even if it is at impractically slow tempos. I am proceeding thru this exercise starting at 33 and slowly building up to 80 and beyond... it takes about a week, but its working... the problem is that sometimes my vocal chords get a little strained... especially with wider intervals. My mom, who is a singer, says You must sing into your mask... and she proceeds to grab my face and makes me hum... I have no idea what she is talking about!! Can you suggest anything to help my poor vocal cords?

I also bought Lines... It is great!!!!!! I am working thru the beginning level exercises that correspond to the key I work on in my string exer. The substitutions to rhythm changes are fantastic and it is very interesting to hear a single line with these substitutions in mind. I am singing these exercises both against a drone and while playing the changes. I am not paying attention to modulation while doing this... should I cease and desist because of this? Also bought your blues bass line construction book and am singing one or 2 a week... This is great stuff... the only thing is... I have stopped my work on fanatics exercises... please don't cringe... I like them but this stuff is too good to pass on... please give your blessings in this pursuit... but I will be obedient if you should break my heart and order Back to the Book Son.

Ok enough... I know I have exceeded my yearly allotment of Tome questions... so I will shorten these sessions in the future... however... just to give you fair warning, i also bought the big metronome and doing time with the blues as well as Blue Eleven (unbelievable... u r my idol) and have billions of questions... just be glad i can't type or my importuning might just lead you to having nightmares about me. thanks for everything.
AGot a kick out of your email. Thanks for your kind words. Just remember this whole process takes years of work be patient but also drive yourself to understand and improve.

The amount of FAQs really varies quite a bit. There is usually one a day sometimes five. Some take very little time to answer while others require a lot of back and forth to figure out the best course of action to help the student.

b2 paralysis is very common. It took me 6 months of banging my head up against the wall before I got b6. The best thing you can do is keep the sound in your short term memory as much as possible sooner or later your permanent memory will let it in and then you have it.

You need to get support from your diaphragm when you sing and always have enough air in your lungs. If you can push the air with your diaphragm rather than your throat it should help.

It's OK to work on singing out of the LINES or the Bass Lines book. Both books will work fine if you sing them over a drone.

I don't mind the questions. The most important thing for me is you do everything correctly. The basic directions are all in the books but it's easy to misinterpret or just become lazy when it comes to some aspect. I'm also fine with answering questions about the principles behind the methods I use. The fact that you're waking up with nightmares is good in that it means you care about getting this stuff right. Enjoy the moments when you become clear or better at something and keep striving for the next level. I'm hear to tell you it's all worth the effort. Keep in touch.

PS Not that I want you to jump off a cliff somewhere but you should also check out the recommended reading list at:

http://www.arnoldjazz.com/workshop/further.html

I can recommend some places to start and ways to think about each book on a general and specific level.
 
QWell I just got off a Christmas gig and I did something I never did before. A couple of people started to sing some carols (during my break) a cappella and I got up, played the c on the piano, and without getting out my music I started to play with them by ear. And I have to say I did pretty well. Got all the keys right and by the second go round I was playing the melody and most of the changes with them. They were happy and I was thrilled (I didn't let on, though). For the first time I really felt like a musician, not just a pretty good piano player, and I owe it all to you. Thank you so much, this was a great Christmas present.

Been writing you a long letter about teaching... as you know I work with high school dropouts in home study programs and I would love your expert opinion on incorporating the use of repetition in forming and retrieving memory in other subjects outside of music. Kandel's book has opened a new 'gestalt' for me to explore in the hope of improving my teaching techniques and my understanding of the learning process. I'd like to share these revelations with you and also discuss some of the controversies apparent in this field (i.e. the ongoing battle between the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic schools and the influence of brain waves (Pergonine) and brain locale on ease of formation of memory) in light of your experience with students who have a hard time sticking to it.

I do have a couple questions about 2 note and modulation in general.

First, when working with sixths and sevenths in 2 note the need to hear each scale degree in the diad becomes vital as I tackle varying modulations with the same diad. This has been difficult and often I must sing the notes separately before humming the C (or playing the c on the piano if not sure) to find the right answer i.e. b to g# sometimes changes the c to b6... b2 (which I still don't always recognize) or 3. Once I've sung the notes separately it becomes easier to hear the scale degrees of the diad (i.e. 5 and 3, 1 and 6, or b3 and 1). It seems to be working as the need to sing the notes eventually disappears. The problem with doing this is that sometimes I use resolution tendencies or sing tonic to check if I'm right. It's almost a knee jerk reaction and I know this is wrong. Can you offer another technique to hear the diad in terms of its members? By the way, I hardly ever hear the interval any more, which is great!

Second, I've been working with Lines and singing and double line exercises. I learn each single line exercise until I can do it without drone at half note = 80 and then proceed to 2 note slowly without drone until I can get it at quarter = 80. I leave the 3 note alone at this point until hear modulations better. I'm also singing and learning one bass line a week from the blues bass book. I always start by transcribing them and then sing them the first day of the week. My question concerns the solfege used when I hear brief tonal shifts i.e. to the subdominant or other secondary dominant shifts. For example, in the first blues bass exercise in the key of c major, the move to f# e d# e in m. 4 causes my ear to hear the d# as b7 and the e as 7 and the f in m. 5 as 1. So from m. 3 I sing - do te do sol / fi mi te ti / do (f) te la sol / fa mi fa fi /which sounds like ti going to c. Is this the idea? Obviously, this is not a true modulation in the academic sense, but I assume that, especially at slower tempos, this is a perfectly viable way of hearing in your method. Am I right? Also do you have any comments on my approach with Lines and Blues Lines exercises? I am also patiently wading through page one of single line studies in every key... almost done... it's taken 3 months though. Should I speed this assignment up at the expense of lines or keep it up. By the way, I am not doing Fanatic's exercises at this time because there is no modulation and I want to focus on modulating at this point.

Third, when I play the appropriate chord to accompany my singing (to the horror of my mom the singer) the shifts in tonality become more apparent and easier to identify. Is this a good idea? I suspect not but am interested to hear why not.

OK... I'm pooped (as I'm sure you are also). This is a rough time of year for musicians and coupled with family and shopping and letter writing to you I think I am becoming Steve Scrooge.
AI'm glad you're getting something out of the Kandel book. I'm always interested in your perceptions and comments about memory and learning.

With the 2 note exercise I would first always do the exercise as laid out in the book. After you have done that then singing the two notes and/or repetitive listening to one example is fine to help you hear various aspects of the diad. I of course don't recommend using resolution tendencies. Overall most students find that there is a group of diads that cause them problems. Sometimes through repetitive work these diads become clear, other times you just need to move on to 3 note ear training. In a way 2 note ear training is harder than 3 note because 3 note outlines a key center in most cases better than 2 notes do. So when you hear B and G#, if you do 3 note exercises where the notes are B, E and G#, you most likely hear this in E major. So later when you go back and hear B and G# your ear will more easily hear the B and G# in E major. Overall I'd say when you are getting all but 5 to 10 Two note examples it's time to move on to the 3 note exercise.

Your work with the LINES book sounds fine. Basically you just follow any modulation you hear. It may seem weird at times but overall you are trying to learn to follow your ear. Of course when the tempo is slow you will have many more modulations than when the tempo is quicker.

I'd just keep plugging away at the Single String Studies singing exercise. I'd spend a few weeks on each page maybe a key a day and then move on. You will probably sing through this book a few times so just do your best and then move on. I'll want you to go through the book once with a drone and then once without a drone. Tough stuff but it will do wonders for your ears. Wasn't sure what you were asking with your last question so please clarify.
 
QI'd like a little advice on what books to purchase. Right now, I am a beginner. I am working through Hal Leonard's Play Guitar Today series which basically teaches the user to read in 1st position, a little in 5th position, delves into chords a bit, technique, and a bit on theory (scales, etc). After I complete those books, I want to keep up my studies. I've been looking at Leavitt's Modern method for guitar, David Oakes's music reading for guitar, Leavitt's Reading studies for guitar, and of course your books. What I want to do is to keep developing my ability to read music on the guitar but to further my knowledge in theory as well. I want to know how (and to recognize when) to read in different positions, recognize things like different keys, develop my knowledge of scales, things of that nature. Single String studies piqued my interest. Will this book teach me reading, position changing, how to transpose, things like that? What about proper rhythm, time signature and music notation? Does SSS cover these things? How far up the fretboard will SSS take me?
AThanks for contacting me. I've given you a pretty comprehensive look at studying guitar. I'm sure it will be overwhelming but take some time and study what I've said. Most importantly, if you do decide to get serious about this and start working from my recommendations, build up your practice time slowly over a few months. Don't just jump in and overwhelm yourself.

Throughout this email I'll make some recommendations for books that will help you:

1. Learn read music on the guitar

2. Learn to read in different positions,

3. Recognize things like different keys

4. Develop your knowledge of scales

5. Include additional suggestions and assignments

I'll first make some comments of the books you mentioned. I'm not familiar with David Oakes's book. Leavitt's Modern Method and his sight reading books I both learned out of when I was at Berklee and taught from when I taught at Berklee. I have to say I'm not totally in love with these books and that's one of the main reasons I wrote my own methods. I would say in general it is good to own and have worked through Leavitt's books because it does show you how to develop reading in one position and gives you little reading exercises, shows you the 5 position scales. On the other hand:

1. I don't believe reading in position is always the best thing to do. As a professional guitarist most music I play is not stay in one diatonic key so the position play is a hindrance rather than a help. Of course if all you every play is diatonic music position playing is fine.

2. I think learning scales in only 5 positions isn't the total picture. I teach scales starting in all 7 positions with 3 notes on every string. I find this method helps to open up the guitar fretboard in a more linear fashion. You can download my scales for free at

http://www.arnoldjazz.com/workshop/wslinks.html#SCALES

3. Leavitt's book does teach you about scales, chords and music theory. But honestly, just because you read something in a book doesn't mean you know it the way you will need to use it. It's kind of like if you read a book about speaking French and it explained all the words and how they are put together into sentences. You still wouldn't be able to speak French because you need to apply and use the information. This is were the Leavitt books fall short because once your at Berklee College they give you the exercises to help you apply the information. I guess they feel if they include this information in book form students wouldn't have any need to go to the school. This of course would be short sighted because Berklee can add so much more to your education but most students don't think that deeply.

So this brings me to what I would recommend. I'm going to give you a rather large list here so don't think I'm just trying to get you to buy a million books I just want to set out a course of study for you over the next few years so you can develop into a great guitarist. The amount of this that you can work through at any given time will depend of how much time you have to practice everyday. To develop yourself I think you need to explore the following things:

1. Make sure your guitar technique is correct so you don't go off learning a bunch of stuff only to find later that your technique was flawed and have to start over.

2. Develop you ability to play any chord and read through chord charts that either give you chord voicings or chord symbols

3. Develop your music theory in relation to understanding all commonly used chords and scales and have a working knowledge of this information on the guitar fretboard.

4. Develop your knowledge of the fretboard in conjunction with reading music in time.

5. Develop your overall sight reading skills.

6. Develop an ability to play and apply all the scales you need for improvising which will also help with your overall technique and sight reading skills.

Now here are the books I would recommend for each of the points above. I've also given you a more detailed explanation below. These books would be what I would begin with:

1. Guitar Technique ebook
2. Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One
3. Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume One and Two
4. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One
5. LINES Sight Reading and Sight Singing Exercises
6. Rhythm Primer

Here is a more detailed explanation with practice tips:

1. Get Guitar Technique ebook so you can see how to play correctly with both hands.

2. Get Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One. Start learning the chords cycle 5 as suggested in the book and as soon as possible start learning the chord progressions in the back of the book. You want to learn both the chord symbol and chord voicing examples for each exercise.

You can also find examples of me playing these progressions at:

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/chord1/mp3.html

3. I would recommend working through both Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volumes One and Two. I'd do a page out of each book a day if possible. This course of study will take you about a year but you will know all chord types everywhere on the guitar and all of the important scales used in music

4. Single String Studies will help you develop your knowledge of the fretboard in conjunction with reading music in time. Keep in mind that this book is hard and will take you some time before you can play any of the exercises completely correct. Most students find they have to work through this book at least two times before things start to click so be patient. Start with metronome on 60 and give yourself two clicks for each note.

The first exercises are all on one string. I would recommend going through the book as follows:

C major low E string exercise
C major A string
C major D string
C major G string
C major B string
C major high E string

Then start the process over in the key of F.

Do the all strings study after completing all single string studies.

Try to work towards not looking at the fretboard but feeling where each note is.

5. LINES would be a good book to get you reading in all keys. Read first four pages of each key as fast as possible. Half equals 132 would be a good place to start. Once you work through the book start reading the 2 note examples at a slower tempo like quarter equals 60. I would work on these two exercises through all keys in this book. Try to do one key a week.

6. Rhythm Books

First you need to understand how rhythms are written out. There is a file in the member's area which explains the basic of rhythm and how to write out various types of rhythm. You need to develop your recognition of rhythms written on a page and also learn and internalize what they sound like.

I would recommend you start working through the rhythm series of books in order to gain this ability. The rhythm books have midi files with them so you can play along with a file. This will help you know if you are playing the rhythms correctly. Start with Rhythm Primer and follow the directions given in the book. Overtime you want to work through the following rhythm books to fully develop your sight reading skills. The books are in order:

Rhythm Primer
Rhythms Volume One
Rhythms Volume Two
Odd Meters
Rhythms Volume Three
Contemporary Rhythms Volume One
Contemporary Rhythms Volume Two

Scales

Remember we are just doing an introduction to all these scales they don't have to be fast but they need to be consistent and Gb major should be as strong as C major. You need to go to www.arnoldjazz.com and the music workshop and download the 19 scales. You want to learn a new scale each week. You are going to first work your way through all the C modes so first C major all positions then C dorian positions etc. Remember we are learning note names and degrees here not just fingering positions. I would pay close attention to your technique and look in a mirror to check out your hand. Reference the Guitar Technique book and be anal about this because the more relaxed and close to the neck your hand is the better you are going to play.

You also want to spend time playing/improvising with thes scales. Use
the midifiles and progressions connected to the book or create your own. Download the applying music theory article from the member's area this will give you other ideas on sequencing scales. You can also use the midifile from the 2nd Music Theory book which are downloadable at:

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/mtwbforguit2/midi.html

You can also use flash cards to test yourself. Make the following flash cards:

1 set with list of all 19 scales.
1 set with degrees 1-7.
1 set with all keys.

SIDE NOTE: Augment reading out of these recommended books with books that you check out of your local library or other sources. Remember to read as many types of music and manuscripts as you can find.

SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If at some point you want to study reading like a freshman majoring in music here is the assignments and books given for any student entering NYU as a jazz guitar major:

1. Go to the member's area and download the file 'beat reading.' Find some music at home or from a local library and do the beat reading 10 minutes a day.

2. Rhythm Primer: start with first pages. You want to work these exercises up to a very fast tempo. I'm talking like 120 bpm for a measure (so a whole measure goes by in one beat of the metronome). Obviously your not going to start there but start where your comfortable and speed up the exercise each day. Read from this book for 5 minutes then move on. Just one page a week.

3. Rhythms Volume One: Three pages a week. First read through the 3 pages. Over time you want to start using the metronome on beats 2 and 4 rather than every beat or 1 and 3. Isolate the measures you have problem with after reading all the way through and work on them. Do this for 10 minutes.

4. Rhythms Volume Two is the same as Volume One except you will use the metronome on every beat.

5. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One can drive ya nuts so be patient with this book. One page a week, don't look at the fretboard, use the midifiles on the muse-eek.com website to let you know if you are correct or not. Start REAL slow. Don't worry if you make a lot of mistakes this will improve overtime. Make sure you're standing when you work with this book. This should be 5 to 10 minutes of practice. You want to move through the book by keys so first do low E string in C then A string in C, etc..

6. LINES will be one key a week (10 pages). Obviously you will be able to read through the first 4 pages much easier than the pages with double stops etc. If you have to play the multiple note chords really slow that's totally cool. You'll see over time you'll just start to remember the shapes. Should be about 10 minutes of practice.

7. As you get better with the reading you also want to add in reading just any kind of music you can find and vary it as much as you can. I'm working on a new section of the website with downloadable pdfs of music to sight read but this may be awhile.

EVEN MORE INFORMATION

This is the assignment sent out to NYU guitar students to prepare for entry into NYU

Assignments:

Suggested Work for entry into NYU performance program

You want to read one hour a day. 10 minutes or so from each of these books. If you have time left over read classical music, transcribed solos and any other music you can find. It is good to look at lots of different types of scores to train your eye to deal with multiple manuscript styles.

1. Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume: learn one chord progression starting on page 107 a week (use a swing/blues feel). Use metronome markings from book but make them half notes rather than quarters so the progression on page 107 would be a half note equals 80. Put the metronome on 2 and 4. You will be expected to play the progression
by yourself and also solo over these changes while someone else comps for you. Learn to read chord voicings for this chord progression which is located on page 131. We usually do the reading of the actually chord voicings slower so say half note equals 60. You should go to the address below to hear me playing these progressions so you know what I'm looking for:

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/chord1/mp3.html

2. Rhythms Volume #1 Read 3 pages a day, play rhythms on one note at half equals 80, metronome will be on 2 and 4. This will be with a swing feel. You can hear some examples at:

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/rhythm1/mp3.html

We are shooting for a half note equals 120 with this book. Start where you are comfortable but always have the metronome on 2 and 4. If you are going to tap your foot tap it on 1 and 3 or not at all.

3. Rhythms Volume #2: 3 pages a day, play rhythms on one note. We are shooting for quarter equals 120 with this book. Start where you are comfortable. Metronome should be quarter notes. You should tap your foot with the quarters or not at all.

4. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume #1: Read one page a week and be patient with yourself this is a hard book, play exercise on one string, start somewhere at around quarter equals 50 with the metronome on each beat. Try not to look at the neck to find notes. You can find audio files to help you make sure you are playing correctly at:

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/sst1/midi.html

5. Rhythm Primer Pages 3 Pages a day. These are easier rhythms so the idea is to get your eye moving through music quicker so shoot for a whole note equals 200 on the first 6 pages or so. Once you get into the eight note studies slow the metronome down to around a half equals 120.

6. LINES: Read first four pages of each key as fast as possible. Half equals 132 would be a good place to start. If that is fine then start reading the 2 note examples at a slower tempo like quarter equals 60. I would work on these two exercises through all keys in this book. Try to do one key a week.

*********************

Jury requirements:

I'd like you to get through the 19 most commonly used scales in improvising. You can find a list with fingerings at:

http://www.arnoldjazz.com/workshop/wslinks.html#SCALES

All keys all degrees. Learn it by the notes not the patterns. Technique is extremely important here so if you can send a video before starting that would be great. I would learn the scales all in one key and then move to another so. C major then C dorian then C phrygian. etc... The learn them all in F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G. Use flash cards to check yourself so:

7 cards for degrees of scale (there are 6 and 8 notes in some of the scales but just use 7 cards)
12 cards for the keys
19 cards for the modes

You turn over a degree card it says 5th
You turn over a key card and it says Gb
You turn over a mode card and it says Dorian b2

So you play a Gb Dorian b2 scale from the 5th.

These scales do not have to be fast but should be played consistently from beginning to end without stopping.

*************************

Ear Training:

Get:

Ear Training One Note Complete
Fanatic's Guide to Ear Training

Follow the concepts laid out in the book. Go to the muse-eek.com website and read the FAQs.

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/ET_1_note_complete/eartrngfaq.html

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/fanaticsguide/lower.html

Try to do work out of both of these books about 5 times a day for about 10 minutes. It would actually be a great idea to get these two books soon. The ear training process takes quite a while. Email me if you have questions.

If you can get a head start on this stuff it's going to make a major difference in your ability and your work-load at NYU. As I'm sure you know it's hard to find time to practice when you are in school so getting some of this basic stuff together before hand will help us concentrate on the hipper stuff.
 
QSo I ordered Fanatic's along with Lines and The Big Metronome (to save on shipping), and have Key Note on the way as well. I know that I should wait with Lines as well as Key Note until I am trough with One Note/Fanatic's. While I intend to focus on Fanatic's and One Note throughout the day, can I also sometimes be doing The Big Metronome if I feel like it, or do you recommend I wait and only focus on one thing at a time?

Do you also recommend that once I am done with Fanatic's and One Note, that I study Key Note in tandem with Lines?

I am pleased to say that on One Note, I am starting to occasionally get G wrong (before, I would get it right all the time, but by cheating). This is a good thing right?

And in terms of judging healthy progress as opposed to progress based on interval reasoning... I am getting about 30-40% right (after 3 weeks), and when I am wrong it is often only by a half/whole step. Is this a good indication? Does this mean that my brain is learning correctly, or is this trend an indication that I am still somehow answering based on interval and distance reasoning? It would be great to have some sort of mental queues indicating whether I am learning correctly.
AI wouldn't work on LINES until you are working on the 2 note books. You can certainly work on the Big Metronome anytime.

You will find that your ability will vary on specific notes. You might be good at the 5th for awhile then it will go away and then come back into focus later. I believe this is your mind readjusting as it learns new notes.

Overall it sounds like you are making excellent progress. But remember don't think so much about progress think about the notes. Immerse yourself in their sound. Everyone that gets this ear training puts their energy into it. For some people it is quick, for others it takes a long time. The important thing is to keep a positive attitude and keep working.
 
QHow should I work at hearing the tetrad permutations in the theory help file? I tell you I'm pretty good at recognizing chord qualities, but, like intervals, their pretty useless on the band stand!! Since I've worked with 2 note, I realize I need to hear these qualities as a function of scale degree tension. I've been working on half diminished permutations and began singing them as if they are ii function... 2, 4, b6, 1, the most common usage of half diminished quality. I do this as I sing along with my finger exercises based on permutations. Is this a good workout to help me learn chords until I can use 4 note technique. I also realized that because we construct chords on an interval basis, the tradition of ear training in most schools reflects this way of teaching theory... and unfortunately this tradition has missed the true 'gestalt' of melodic perception... scale degree tension... maybe the way theory is taught should also be changed... any way more about this in my big letter.

Which brings us to two note. Getting ready to make tapes for tritone, m2, m6, etc. Also would like them at an intermediate level. Maybe with a single playing of interval rather than two. Any suggestions as to tempo of cadence and interval articulation? Any other suggestions?

String pages are still proceeding slowly. Really want to work the tempo up and want to finish Lines, One Note, Two Note, before I do a key a day of string exercises. I really think Lines is great and a good stepping stone to the string transpositions.

Using Key Note technique on 'Bass Lines.' It was a little tricky at first, especially when I play the c in the middle of the line, but I'm starting to get it with maj. and min. blues lines. I can't tell you how helpful this has been in my work. And the look of admiration I get when I get a key right away and start playing the right stuff is a joy!!! I still have a tough time with a couple keys though, hoping this bass exercise will help.

Finally, I think its possible to hear root movement quickly. I've begun to sing root movements to help me hear progressions. Because harmonic rhythm moves relatively slowly, I really think I can hear root movement automatically if I can isolate the down beat of each measure. My automatic hearing range is about 40-50 mm. Anything that slow, I hear it like someone is talking to me... its great.... So I'm hoping this skill, coupled with pretty good sense of dom., sub dom., supertonic, and supermediant functions and a beginning sense of common modulation formula will make it possible to sit down with someone find the key and play along with the progressions with a high degree of accuracy. So, do think it is possible to isolate down beats from the bass line?
AI fixed the Music Theory File so it should be correct now. Sorry for the problem, just so many things going on at once.

You are correct that the way Music Theory is taught should definitely be changed to reflect how we hear sound.

For the 4 note permutations I would sing through the 24 possibilities in all keys using the Blues Progression assignment in the Fanatic's Guide. A very large assignment, but this is what I did and it made all the difference in the world. Not only do you build up a very fast theory recognition but your ears benefit immensely. I would do this with the 13 basic chord types:

Major 7th
Minor 7th
Dominant 7th
Minor 7th b5
Dominant 7th sus 4 (1,4,5,b7)
Minor Major Seventh
Diminished 7th
Major 7th #5
Major 7th #11 (1,3,#4,7)
Dominant 7th #5 (1,3#5,b7)
Dominant 7th b5 (1,3,b5,b7)
Major 6th
Minor 6th

This is at least a years worth of singing but it will do wonders.

To work on these chords in musical context I would sing through standards arpeggiating the chords for each measure. I would start this with a key drone note and choose non-modulating tunes first. Over time you want to work into modulating tunes and not having a drone. I did multiple tunes this way working through the progression and singing each of the 24 permutations or each chord. (i.e. take ABDC and singing it through an entire piece of music arpeggiating the chords). The book LINES will help you as a stepping stone to this assignment. Your minor 7th b5 exercises are very similar to the above stated technique and you certainly can isolate certain chords over a drone to start to hear, for instance, a ii-7b5 within the key.

Making additional 2 note tapes can be done in multiple ways:

1. You could substitute the I IV V with a I V I.
2. You should definitely work up to just playing the two note combination once.
3. You can work up to just playing the cadence very quickly.
4. You should also make very large and small distances between the two notes

Overall use the pitch class sets from Joseph N. Strauss's Introduction of Post Tonal Theory to make sure you are doing all possible multiple note possibilities. As you can guess this gets to be a lot of permutations. Sounds like your on track with everything else you mentioned. Keep up the good work.
 
QCould you please help me choose an effective practice schedule? My musical history: guitar playing for 12 years, graduate from a two-year jazz studies degree in guitar performance. I have been working diligently on the Beginner's One Note and Fanatic's Guide for about 2 months now. I have worked on the major scale with success incorrectly using resolutions such as re to do and la to so etc. I figured it out after starting the non-diatonic notes and I saw that I was blatantly doing this. So I will have to start again trying to make sure this habit does not persist.

Also I would like to learn to play the piano and I only have class piano lessons that I don't remember much of (I know you are a guitarist but I would like any suggestions you may have).

I have a lot of music theory knowledge from school such as what scales go with each chord, chord substitutions etc. but I don't know any voicing on the piano accept what I build using my theory knowledge. One problem with my theory knowledge was based on scale degree recognition (by position) on the guitar and I have never memorized the names of the notes within the scale. I would also like to learn to read (I used to get by in rehearsals by my chord chart reading skills base on known chard shapes).

All of this in a consistent two-hour a day. I am an electrical engineering student and this is what I have to offer my musical life. I would like the focus to be ear training (could you please tell me what exercises to focus on?). I feel that my ear should lead me to technique advancement because my technique (fingers and guitaristic patterns) have been leading me for years.
AFirst for the ear training I would listen to the One Note CD 5 times a day for 10 minutes. You should space this out throughout the day. You can even do other short 3-5 minute listens. Every little bit will help you remember the sounds. In the Fanatic's Guide I'd start with the One Note exercise. If you could do that for 10 minutes at the beginning, middle and end of your practice session that would be great.

For piano I'd highly recommend Roberta Piket's Jazz Piano Vocabulary

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/piket_v1_major/lower.html

She has one of the few books that gives you hip chord voicings along with lots of other information to get you playing the piano quickly.

To help you learn what the notes are of every scale and where they are on the fretboard I'd recommend Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two. This will have you write out every scale on the music staff and on a guitar fretboard to help you learn it in a way that will be useful. I would also follow the links provided with this book to start learning the scales on the guitar. You will find PDF's and Videos to help you learn the scales properly.

I would also get the ebook Guitar Technique so you can use the proper technique when learning the guitar. This is important stuff. If you use bad technique you will not improve past a certain amount.

For sight reading I have a pretty big resource for this. To start out with I'd spend approximately 30 minutes sight reading. I'd work out of these books for 5-10 minutes a piece.

Rhythm Primer
LINES
Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One
Single String Studies

1. Rhythm Primer: 3 Pages a day. Follow the direction in the book.

2. LINES: Read first four pages of each key as fast as possible. You want to strive to put the metronome on 2 and 4 when you read these pages. You may have to start with the metronome on every beat or on 1 and 3 if that's where your current ability is. In any case you always want to tap your foot either on 1 and 3 or on every beat if it is slow. I'd go through the book just reading the single note pages first, then start the book over reading the 2 note pages. Try to do one key a week.

3. Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume: Learn one chord progression starting on page 107 a week (use a swing/blues feel i.e. 1 and the and of 2). Use metronome markings from book but make them half notes rather than quarters so the progression on page 107 would be a half note equals 80. Of course play these pages slower if you have to and if you can put the metronome on 2 and 4. Learn to read chord voicings for this chord progression which is located on page 131. We usually do the reading of the actually chord voicings slower so you may have to read them out of time. You should go to the address below to hear me playing these progressions so you know what I'm looking for:

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/chord1/mp3.html

4. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume #1: Read one page a week and be patient with yourself this is a hard book, play exercise on one string, start somewhere at around quarter = 50 with the metronome on each beat or slower if you need it. Try not to look at the neck to find notes. You can find audio files to help you make sure you are playing correctly at:

http://www.muse-eek.com/books/sst1/midi.html

I'd like you to get through the 22 most commonly used scales in improvising which are contained in the Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two. You can find a list with fingerings in the member's area under Help files for Scales

All keys all degrees. Learn it by the notes not the patterns. Technique is extremely important here so if you can send a video before starting that would be great. I would learn the scales all in one key and then move to another so. C major then C dorian then C phrygian. etc... Then learn them all in F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G. Use flash cards to check yourself so:

7 cards for degrees of scale (there are 6 and 8 notes in some of the scales but just use 7 cards)
12 cards for the keys
19 cards for the modes

You turn over a degree card it says 5th
You turn over a key card and it says Gb
You turn over a mode card and it says Dorian b2

So you play a Gb Dorian b2 scale from the 5th.

These scales do not have to be fast but should be played consistently from beginning to end without stopping.
 
QI'm interested in getting back into choral music singing, and I was never anything beyond a beginner. You recommended the following to another singer:

Ear Training One Note Complete
Fanatic's Guide to Sight Singing and Ear Training
Music Theory Workbook for All Instruments

I'm guessing that those are the books you would recommend. Is there any rhythm work in the sight singing book or would I have to buy the rhythm primer to get rhythm practice?

I also wondered whether you had any plans to come out with software versions of your books. As a language student, I've found software drills to be really helpful - especially for generating random drills of Greek verb forms. If you aren't planning to make one, is there a software program that you would feel comfortable recommending for a Mac User - that wouldn't interfere with your system? Are you familiar with Ars Nova's Practica? http://www.ars-nova.com/practica.html
ACurrently we are not developing a computer version of our ear training program. We do have plans to do this in the future though. The books you mentioned would be a good place to start with the ear training. It will get you started with the ear training on two fronts and the Music Theory will help you process music and ear training much faster.

For rhythm studies I would start with Rhythm Primer and then proceed at least through Rhythms Volume One and Two. I do have more advanced books after that like Odd Meters but unless your going to be doing some advanced choral music you probably won't need a book like that.

I also have a choral ear training book called LINES but I wouldn't work on this book until you have worked through Ear Training One Note Complete and Key Note Recognition. You first need to understand how you hear before attempting to part sing. I also many times recommend one of my guitar books for ear training. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One and Two are excellent books to use for developing your ability to sight sing. You have to do some octave adjustments but other than that it's a real good book to help develop key retention. I wouldn't use these books until you have finished Ear Training One Note Complete.

I know the program Ars Nova's Practica and I wouldn't recommend it as a replacement or as an additional program to my method until you have completed Ear Training One Note Complete, Key Note Recognition and the Two Note Ear Training Books. By the time you have gone through these books you will realize how you can use any program in the right way to improve your ear training ability. I will say that one thing nice and useful about the CDs that go with my books is you can do them anywhere as opposed to a computer program which can only be used when you have a computer with you. A little hard to do when you are taking a walk.
 
QHere's the history: When I started working with your material I was more than 90% accurate on the single note drills due to previous ear training. I got Key Note Recognition and I am now getting just one or two wrong in a random pass through the 48 tracks. I also got the Lines book and have sung through the single note exercises twice, singing against either a drone or a full major chord. Sometimes it takes a while for a tone to come into my head, so I can't really sing these in time yet.

And here's the question: I have begun the advanced single line exercises in the Lines book (singing without accompaniment). I am not quite sure what do about modulation. For example, when I get to the 8th bar of Exercise 2, I am singing Fa for the F note, but I can't seem to imagine Mi. I realized finally that I hear the F as So. So obviously I COULD begin singing in Bb. The trouble is that when I have followed the tonic around like this, I get into a situation where the following notes are very difficult as well and I realize that the tonic I have inferred is a much worse choice than the key of the piece.

Do you have a suggestion for getting past this confusion?
AWell thanks for contacting me because it sounds like your about ready to drive the car off a cliff. I will explain the modulation in a minute but honestly you probably shouldn't be working on modulating yet. It's OK to sing the LINES book examples with a drone, but, once you remove the drone, if your sense of key isn't strong you will find yourself all over the place with modulations. So first it's really better if you work on the 2 note method and get a good grasp on that before attempting modulation examples. I would also recommend getting a book called Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One and doing some singing exercises out of that. When you get the book write back and I'll give you an assignment.

So let me explain modulation to you. When you are singing an exercise and reach a note that doesn't sound the way it should you have modulated. So in your case the F started sounding like So, so you have modulated to Bb. In that case you would continue singing in Bb. Unfortunately the next note is E, which is not in the key of Bb, and your singing and key retention abilities are not strong enough to then hear #4 in the key of Bb. This of course is what you would expect because you would have to be more advanced to be able to do this.

So get the Single String Studies book and start on the two note method. We will actually have to work through both Volumes of the Single String books to get you up to speed before modulating. But with some work in both these books you will hopefully be modulating correctly.
 
QHow do you go about teaching a beginning student how to read? As I'm sure you know most method books teach using positions. This style of reading is taught very logically. I am greatly interested in the way you recommend reading. Your recommendations seem to facilitate an impressive sense of freedom on the instrument. Would you explain to me how you would take a student that never played before and progress him to a professional level of reading?
AI usually start a beginning student with the following books.

Rhythm Primer
Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One
Lines
Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One or 1st steps for a Beginning Guitarist

I also have them read simple melodies, usually classical pieces. As they progress I work my way through the Rhythm Series of Books and the Chord Series of books. I should mention that with my new New York Guitar Method series all these books will be combined into one method book. Well I should say into 9 method books and counting. My method does not use a position based approach to sight reading. The main concept is to learn the notes on the guitar through the use of the above mentioned books in combination with the 3 notes per string scale approach I use in Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two. One problem I have found with position based reading is that most music I read isn't within one key center so you are commonly pulled out of position in order to play the melodies. If a piece of music is mostly in one key center then the position based method works well. Because a professional level of reading requires you to play all types of music I find that students really run into problems as they read more complicated styles of music therefore I developed my method for sight reading.

I usually recommend a student work one hour a day on sight reading. This would mean reading out of each of the above books for 5 to 10 minutes then reading music that you check out of libraries. The library music should be a diverse as you can possibly make it. You should take a look at the beat reading file found in the member's area for some pointers on how to dramatically improve your sight reading.
 
QI just picked up Single String Studies Volume II. The book recommends working with volume I first; however One Note Complete and Fanatic's Guide recommend learning to recognize and pre-hear both diatonic notes and non-diatonic notes before moving to more advanced exercises. This seems like a contradiction of sorts. By that I mean focusing on just Volume I would reinforce the diatonic notes and ignore the non-diatonic notes. Since the goal is to learn all the notes, I figure I should just dive into Volume II. My goal with using Volume II is to help me master the non-diatonic notes while applying the ear training skills to the guitar. Just wanted to make sure I'm not hindering myself in the long run by jumping into Volume II without having mastered Volume I. Let me know your thoughts and thanks for all your help!
AYou can use either volume of Single String Studies to aid your ear training. If you use Volume One you would want to read each page in all keys. Start page one in the key of C with a C drone. Next you would sing the same exercise in the key of F with an F drone. This will make every B a Sharp 4 and help you work on that note. As you go through all keys it will get progressive harder with fewer and fewer notes being diatonic with the drone.
 
QI've been working on ear training on an ongoing basis. I've made a lot of progress with the diatonic notes, however the non-diatonic notes have been coming a lot slower. Unfortunately my current work schedule limits my ear training time. I do 10 minutes or so in the morning before I leave, 30-45 minutes on the bus ride home, and 10-15 minutes before I go to sleep.

I have been working exclusively with the one note complete CD. In order to practice pre-hearing notes (in addition to listening), I have been trying to pre-hear and guess the note immediately following the I-IV-V progression before your voice on the CD gives the answer. On the weekends when I have time I try to practice more. One thing I just started doing is using the Fanatic's Guide CD to play the C drone and singing and screaming the non-diatonic notes out over the drone to get them in my head (as I recall reading this could be helpful). My questions are how to best fine tune my regimen to get these non-diatonic notes in my head.

1) I read in the book an exercise that talked about using intervals or intervallic movement to help with this. However I am unclear how this works.

2) Is my pre-hearing practice method of trying to pre-hear and guess the note after the I-IV-V progression an effective way to practice pre-hearing the notes? Unfortunately, my time schedule doesn't allow me to use the Fanatic's Guide exercises and methods of prehearing over the drone, and having an instrument handy to double check myself. So in essence I use the CD player to double check myself, but am limited to doing one note at a time.

3) Another thing I did is burn a one-note complete CD of just the non-diatonic notes to emphasize them more. I am wondering if this is helpful or hindering me.

This summer I am changing jobs and hope to have a lot more time to practice. I hope to dive into the single sing strudies book and really start working on applying all this to the instrument. But I really want to get a better grasp on the non-diatonic notes before then.
AYou can use the interval based methods on page 10 and 11 to help learn the notes. Just remember you always have a drone chord going on underneath the exercises and you are only hearing the notes by how they sound in the key not by their intervallic distance. If you want to do this type of ear training when traveling I would recommend getting a Chromatic Pitched Instrument so you can check the notes you sing.

I'd get the C to C model

http://www.encoremusic.com/piano/6630002.html

Sometimes making a tape or CD of the non-diatonic notes helps students and sometimes it doesn't. I do think it's a good idea to go back and listen to any note that you miss on the regular CD so you reinforce the sound.

Overall I think your real problem is not having enough time to practice. Sounds like the summer which will be here soon will be the time that you can really apply yourself. Remember each person is different and sometimes it takes some intense practice periods to get over humps in your musical training. I once spent 12 hours a day for two weeks working on b6 because I just couldn't get it. After the 2 weeks I had it. Pretty drastic stuff but I just got sick and tired of not getting the note right.
 
QI've been working on the non-diatonic notes slow but sure with an eye on really listening to the CD through out the day starting this summer. Meanwhile our band has our first gig on June 1st and I've been struggling with my singing, keeping pitch and maintaining correct pitch during a harmony. The biggest improvement I've noticed with my ear training is the ability to recognize when I am singing off pitch. Usually singing by myself I can do pretty well. It's when I have the noise of an entire band going that it becomes more difficult. Or if I am multitasking (playing guitar and singing at the same time). Or, in the case of a harmony, the harmony throws me off and I start singing the harmony and/or off pitch because my notes fade out of my mind. It's as if the signal transmitting in my head is not strong enough.

I am wondering if there are any exercises that can help me with singing harmonies. I have been recording the harmonies and practicing singing my part against the harmonized notes for starters.

In terms of singing, I am afraid that my singing may be memory based (memorizing melodies), not genuine from the ear. How can I practice my songs similar to the Fanatic's Guide exercises? Would transcribing the notes to sheet music notation be of any help? And if so, would I sing the notes as solfeggio syllables, or just sing the words?

Another question I had related to singing is how the notes apply to chords in the given context of a key. For example, take a song in the key of D with a chord progression of Bm, A, D. Now when I sing a D note, the D has a different quality of sound when sung against a D chord than it does sung against an A chord. But we're still in the same key here. How would you explain this?

I am concerned that the Fanatic's Guide exercises emphasize singing against a drone of the same chord in a key, not challenging the ear to sing over chord changes. Any insights or suggestions on how to remedy that?

I recently picked up the Key Note Recognition Book to get into this summer. I have a decent grasp of one note complete (around 60% accurate and improving). Can I start getting into the key note book, or should I wait a little longer.

Lastly, do the two note ear training books help with developing the ability to sing harmonies?
AThere are some exercises to help you sing harmony. For example the LINES book is all about helping you sing harmony. The problem that this book and any other exercises I might give has is your inability to sing and/or identify all 12 pitches accurately with the one note method. You can practice sections of tunes that are all over one chord by recording a drone, recording one part and singing the other part thinking of the pitches in relation to the key with or without syllables. But given your current ability this could be hit or miss too.

Your current ear training ability also relates to the reason you are hearing a note sound different when you play a D chord and then an A chord in the key of D. You haven't worked through all the exercises you will need in order to strengthen your sense of key which will help you hear multiple chords with a melody all in one key. Basically everything you are trying to do isn't really possible yet until you work through:

Ear Training One Note
Key Note Recognition

Plus we will probably have to do some singing out of Single String Studies for Guitar and sing through some jazz standards to get your sense of key even stronger. You have a long way to go before you will get the ability that you seek. The good news is you are doing it and you are already seeing the benefits just hang in there and you will get it.
 
QI just recently purchased Lines. I bought it for one and only reason to be able to read notes and understand music as I read books. The thing however that confuses me is supplied midi files on your site. There are about 12 audio files on your site, but there are 120 exercises in a book. How come? One more thing should I just sing notes in a book with audio accords of midi files, and that is it? Will I be ready to read notes as I do books? By the way I also purchased Single String Studies for Guitar and Ear training One Note Beginning books. Is there any way of combining study all of these books, so I can read notes as a book?
AThe LINES book is used for sight reading on a guitar or other instruments or singing for ear training. If you have just started the ear training program I would not sing out of the LINES book I would work with the Ear Training One Note Books and Fanatic's Guide to Ear Training.

You can use the LINES book for reading I would recommend you read the 1st four pages of every key (the single note melodies). You can use the midifiles to play along with if you want. Remember all four pages of single lines when combined make a chord. These chords are reharmonizations of the song "Rhythm Changes." You should play these melodies with the metronome on 2 and 4 and tap your foot on 1 and 3. This may take time to master. If you get a midifile player that allows you to turn off tracks you should be able to turn off one or more of the midi audio tracks if you want to (this is why there are only 12 audio files). This option is used more when you are singing from the book.

So for sight reading I would do the 4 pages from LINES a week (for now just the single notes pages). I would read one page of Single String Studies per week and go to a new string same key each week, i.e. the second week you would play the A string key of C major and the next week the D string key of C. When completed with that go back to the low E string and to the key of F.