Bruce Arnold

Ear Training One Note Complete

Ear Training One Note Complete is Your First Step in This Ear Training Method

Ear Training One Note Complete contains without question the most important exercises you can do to improve your ear training skills. We could dazzle you with a stream of quotes about how great this method is but that is not our style.  This ear training works, go ask anyone on our Facebook Ear Training Page. You will get your answer right away! Most of you are here on this page because you have found that other ear training courses didn’t work.  This is not surprising; I had the same problem and wasted years of my life learning “interval based” ear training. I found out that it didn’t work for me either. Then I discovered and perfected the techniques in this course. You should start with Ear Training One Note™ Complete and Contextual Ear Training.  Those are the two courses that get you listening and singing.  Not much of a singer?  Don’t worry, the singing is just to get you to hear a note in your head and then prove that you hear it by singing it.  It’s that simple.  You don’t need a great voice, but you have to connect with your inner voice.

Ear Training Support

One of the most common mistakes students make is to go to some free ear training site with no guidance and start hacking away at the exercises.  I needed guidance as do all of us when working on ear training.  Don’t figure you can do this on your own, because the chances are you can’t.  I know that what I thought was the right approach to ear training was totally off base when it comes to many of the steps to develop great ear training skills. That’s why I’m here to answer your questions via email.  Don’t be shy and don’t think you can figure it out.  Practice time is too precious! Ask for help, it’s free, so the price is right and I do actually care about your development.  Again, ask anyone of the Ear Training Facebook page about interactions with me via email.   Save yourself the heartbreak of doing an exercise wrong for years and wasting time.  Ask me, I’ll put you on the right path.

The Digital Version of this Book Vs. the Physical

I recommend that you buy the digital version and put these exercises on your smart phone.  That way you can do these exercises anywhere, and multiple times throughout the day.  We make the physical version available for those of you who still like to listen to a CD.  But honestly you need to randomize these exercises and while the CDs can be randomly chosen, you will start to memorize the order over time.  With itunes and other software you can really shuffle your files and always have a random list.  Also everywhere you go you take your phone right?  Well now you want to revolutionize your life by adding in some ear training at any of those down moments throughout the day that you have a few minutes.  This works!  This ear training is all about memory, so doing it many times throughout the day is the ticket!

A Complete Transformation of Your Musical Perception with this Ear Training One Note Method.

Both my own and my students’ abilities have been transformed by this ear training method.  This develops the way you actually hear music.  So as you learn with this method you will see that your ability to play music will improve dramatically.  Will it happen over night?  Probably not.  Will you get frustrated?  Oh yes!  Am I here to help when you want to throw the exercises out the window?  Yes!

Hearing Within a Key Center

Relating sound to a key center is what this entire ear training method is about.  If you are just becoming aware of this idea of “hearing within a key center” let’s look at a little history of ear training for musicians. The “Interval” method of Ear Training has been taught in music schools for literally hundreds of years and rarely been questioned. This method is based on hearing the distance between each note with no regard to a key center. But if you are only using intervals for ear training you will develop a host of problems.

A Detailed discussion of Ear Training One Note

There is a detailed discussion of “interval” vs. “key center” ear training in the book that accompanies all our entry level ear training books. You can also read a blog post about the pitfalls of interval training here. Make sure to read the book FAQs and our FAQs to understand all different aspects of ear training.  It is also recommended that you read our sister website practice ear training which is totally dedicated to your understanding of our ear training method. It is also recommended you check Mr. Arnold’s Blog for more posts on ear training and other subjects.

The Essence of this “Key Center” Method.

By learning the sound of all 12 notes within a “key center” you develop a completely different way of approaching ear training. With the “key center” method if you hear an “E” played in the key of C, you are not thinking that the note is four half steps above the root. You aren’t thinking it is some interval relationship to another note. You are recognizing the sound of a 3rd because you have memorized that sound within a “key center.”

Ear Training One Note Series teaches you the “Key Center” process.

I know that working with the audio files in the Ear Training One Note Series over time, you will be able to recognize the sound of all 12 notes with a “key center.” For some students this will be a quick and painless rebooting of the way they hear sound; for others it can be a frustrating path with many possible pitfalls. Read more about interval training pitfalls here.

Ear Training One Note is a Three Pronged Process.

You need to work on identifying sound as you hear it from an external source, as well as how you hear it in your head when you are improvising or composing. The third component is “Direct Application.”  “Direct Application” is working with various course to apply your new ear training skills to real music.  You aren’t going to magically do any ear training an instantly be able to apply it to real music.  You need a graduated process where you reach a certain level then apply your skills to real music.  With this in mind we have created a whole series of books that develop these three aspects of ear training. They basically boil down to listening, singing and “Direct Application” exercises.

Listening and Singing exercises.

Listening exercises teach you to identify the sounds from external sources such as another band member or a song that you are hearing on your MP3 player. Singing exercises help you identify the sounds you hear inside yourself when you are singing, improvising or composing. You need both sides of ear training to become a great musician. The good news is they complement each other so the more you work on one, the more it will the help the other.

The Different Ear Training One Note Books that are Available.

Because musicians are coming to this ear training with so many diverse backgrounds and abilities, over the years we have created a lot of different books to help them get the method that is most beneficial given their history and current ability. If you would prefer to buy the Ear Training One Note Method divided by level: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced, please visit our Other Ear Training One Note Products. You will also find super advanced one note levels and One Note with “Degree” answers on the Other Ear Training One Note Products That said the last thing you want to do is buy a version of this ear training without a book to explain what to do.  Don’t figure you are going to save 5 bucks and figure it out yourself.  That is a very unwise move, especially when just starting this method.  Get the book and read it. Contact me with questions, Find out the best way to practice to improve at your quickest pace.  Get involved so that we can head off misunderstandings and misconceptions.

Our Most Common Recommendation for Ear Training One Note.

Because “key center” based ear training can be a completely new idea to even advanced musicians, we always feel that the best idea is to start from the beginning so that no crucial details or concepts are overlooked. The most common problem we have is from musicians who “think” they have more advanced ear training skills than they actually have. Another common issue is a student thinking that knowing about ear training one note™ is the same as having the ability to simply hear that way.  No, it does not.

Our Experience with Ear Training One Note.

It is also common for students to start at one level and realize they need to go to a higher or lower level. Based on these years of experience we have tried to create a path through our ear training method that takes all of this into consideration.  Unfortunately, even with all the resources available, it is still possible for students to make mistakes.  This is why it’s important to stay in touch with me throughout your ear training journey.  There are many websites and apps out there they may do some similar things.  But all you need to do is make one mistake in your perception, and you can be wasting years practicing the wrong way.

Before We Get Started…

Let’s first talk about how you will be doing this ear training. We have found that the best way to do this ear training is with an MP3 player. It allows for many more ways to organize the audio files and is very portable. We do offer physical books and CDs with with some of our ear training products.  But we HIGHLY recommend you not take this path with our ear training method. It is cumbersome and restricts the way you can set aside practice time.

Listening and Singing: the two crucial aspects of Ear Training one note.

We usually recommend a listening and a singing book to begin you Ear Training one note studies. These two books are Ear Training One Note Complete and Contextual Ear Training.

We recommend Ear Training One Note Complete because it contains three levels of exercises: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced. This ensures that you can find the appropriate level to start on without having to re-purchase another book if the one you bought is too easy or too hard. Please keep in mind that you may be an advanced musician but have severe ear training problems or a beginning student with excellent aural skills. This is why we recommend the Complete version. You move from one level to another as you get 80% correct answers. All three levels give you the same exercises. Each level doubles the speed of the exercise thereby making it twice as difficult. So this makes your response to music that much faster until it is a natural reflex.   Additional Information:

• Digital IBSN: 978-1-59489-875-4
• Physical IBSN: 978-1-890944-47-6
• 36 pages with 3 CDs of audio files with physical version and 3 CDs in MP3 format with digital version.

What people are saying:

• WOW.  This ear training actually works.  Easy?  Maybe for some, but not for me.  It took about one year to get to 60%.  Mr. Arnold was very encouraging throughout and I probably wouldn’t have made it without him.  Mistakes in judgement?  Yes, Yes , Yes… I read the book that comes with the course and then did so many things contrary to what it says, I should have my head –or my eyesight– examined.  Again, Mr. Arnold said this was typical because you are starting a new thing  and mistakes will happen.  Was I a pain in Mr. Arnold’s  rear?  Yes, he actually asked me to write this once I was doing OK with the ear training just so people could see the frustration that a student sometimes goes through and how important it is to have a mentor cheering you on!  Thanks Mr. Arnold, I wouldn’t have made it without you!. T. Chad
• I was working with the Advanced Level of the Ear Training One Note Complete within two weeks. Seems like I’m more of the unusual case after reading these other comments. A few observations that I found important. Get in touch with Mr. Arnold right away. The guy actually helps and I had some misconceptions that he cleared up right away. One thing that is important is think of the Ear Training One Note Complete as the “Clinical” exercise to get your going with the right ear training technique i.e. Hear pitches in relationship to a key center. Then there is the singing side, Contextual Ear Training. A much harder course that is kick’n my behind, but I see it’s importance. Then there are the Practice Perfect Applied Ear Training Courses. Ton’s of them to be exact. This is were the rubber meets the pavement. Think of these books as your direct application of the clincial stuff you learned in Ear Training One Note Complete to real music. Multiple styles are available and working with these real music examples has shown me many weaknesses in my ear training ability. Mr. Arnold has directed me to other courses that will help me solve these issues. So again, contact Bruce, he’s great. Answers right away and you can tell he cares about you improving your musicianship. He actually wants me to be better than I even thought I could be so that is inspiring. H. Duckworth
• I have been using this for about two years and am at the third level with about an 80% recognition rate. I would like to share a method to accelerate the pitch recognition process (the methodology has been outlined here in other reviews, so I will forgo a description, adding only that it is effective for anyone who is willing to put in time on a regular basis – in my case, about twenty minutes daily). In Itunes, create playlists for each level as follows: Level x naturals, Level x sharps and flats, level x all pitches. Now place the appropriate tracks in each folder. Place the playlists in shuffle mode. Now drill just the naturals (no sharps or flats). If you have trouble with the A’s and D’s (as I did), make a playlist with only the A’s and D’s – you get the idea. This gives you the ability to ‘drill down’ on trouble spots. I had trouble with F# and G#, getting them mixed up. By isolating them and shuffling them I sorted them out in about two weeks. Likewise you can create a playlist with just the notes in very high register, for example, or very low register – whatever gives you trouble. After you get facile at recognizing the naturals and accidentals separately, you can slowly start integrating the accidentals into the naturals – just add the flat seven (A# in this system) to the naturals, then add the flat three (D# in this system), you get the idea. Eventually you will be drilling all twelve tones, and hitting all of them almost all the time. Approached this way this is one of the best ear training programs I have ever used, and it is actually extremely time effective and concise. For the asking price, it’s a no-brainer. Seriously. Also check out Fanatic’s Guide to Sight Singing and Ear Training Volume One, which works very well with this product. And have fun! M. Callaghan
• My 7 year old son and I really enjoy these materials by Bruce Arnold. We have One Note Complete, Contextual Ear Training, and A Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training. We have been using One Note Intermediate and Contextual for just over one month. My son loves to do this ear training program, especially “name that note!” We home school, and we do Ear Training One Note and Contextual Ear Training as soon as we get out of bed, and then later in the school morning. I also do both programs later in the day, especially when I am working in the kitchen. My son almost always listens in, and sings along, or names the note, even when he is playing in the next room. After just one month, my son can accurately name all 7 diatonic notes, but none of the non-diatonic yet. I can accurately name C, D,G, and B. I can sometimes get A and F, and I hardly ever get E (yet!). For Contextual, both my son and I can sing Root (Do) for all the keys, although sometimes the minor keys do give us a bit of trouble. We can both sing 3 (Me) most of the time, but 3 still needs work. My son was able to sing 3 much sooner than me. I asked him how, and he said he “just knows what 3 sounds like.” As for me, I got every single 3 wrong for over two weeks, and I was doing them at least 5 to 7 times per day! Then one day, I started getting a few of them correct! Then within a few more days, I was getting most of them correct. This system really does work. After listening to the cadence, the sound of the 3 would just form in my mind. We have been singing 5 (So) for about a week. 5 is coming along much faster than 3. Both of us could sing some 5’s right away. We also continue to review Root and 3. This system is really fun to use and its working for us! F. Campbell
• Bruce Arnold’s series of books are designed to achieve one and only one purpose: to teach…and to teach each subject the right way and in the most rational manner. He makes mention in different books and interviews to the fact that most music books or methods are designed for students to get good grades in school (I can’t see how this method could be easily grade-able) or to offer the consumer a quick fix of success to feel that the book has worked and they haven’t wasted their money, while in fact they will not really retain much of the information at all in the long run and the whole experience will have been a waste of time and money. Personally in my quest for good books on the subject of music have found this to be true. I think that most of these books are made solely for the purpose of generating money.  As most things are these days. The books that seem to try to go past this I have found to be filled with half baked ideas and hazy methods. I am a professional jazz/classical saxophonist and a composer. I have a degree in music composition and performance and studied with some of the greatest teachers that I believe that are out there. For me, disappointment with music study books, whether they be for improvisation, ear training, composition, has been a normal experience and I have been mainly writing and inventing my own exercises,techniques, and practice routines for lack of finding anything that made any more sense from any “educational book”. This ended when I found Bruce Arnold’s series of books. I am in awe of the infallible logic behind every method in every book. I have been working out of many different books of his.  These include his ear training books, the sight singing books, the Rhythm series, Big Metronome and Time Transformation. All of these books WORK. I mean they really, REALLY work.  As long as you follow the instructions and have patience and make up your mind before you start that you are going to stick with it. When I first found the books I instantly knew that I finally stumbled across something finally that made sense…but have refrained from writing a review anywhere until I thoroughly tested the products out. I believe that many of the more negative or indifferent reviews you will find here or on other sites are from recent buyers who have not yet started to see the results or are from people who have not made the decision to follow the directions and truly have the patience to follow through. I have been working with the Ear Training Method for some time now and am in the Two Note Series now, and my ears are at a level that I never thought possible. The concept of relative pitch as opposed to interval training is dead-on and if you study the method diligently you will see why it makes so much more sense. I have been working from THE BIG METRONOME every day and going through the rhythm books…and I am feeling rhythm in a way that is so effortless. When I play or compose music now it becomes more of a joy every day rather than a strenuous effort. Do you want to learn music the right way, so that every aspect of music from theory to transcription to rhythm is like a second nature?  Then I recommend Bruce Arnold’s books. As an added plus, you can (and are encouraged) to email him about any problems you are having or just even on your progress and he is very prompt and thorough in his responses. This is clearly a person who truly cares about what he is teaching and who has limitless integrity in his methods. If you ask me, the series of Bruce Arnold’s Books and CD’s are a goldmine, priceless treasures that can be bought for an incredibly low price considering the immense benefit that can be reaped from them. J. Mescia
• I have been working with Mr Arnold’s ear training methods for just over two years now and would like to share with you some of my experiences over that time. There is no other system of ear training i know that constantly pushes the boundaries of your aural perception. Working with this is as Mr Arnold reminds us a “lifetime’s journey”. Over the years i have steadily gained the ability to recognize any pitch in relation to a key center and sight-sing any required pitch readily (including chromatics). That is what one note complete and the fanatic’s guide seeks to achieve. The above lays the foundation for further development. In December of 2007 I finally completed key note recognition, that helps you to learn to adapt to various modes(major and minor) and recognize the key by listening to how notes function in relation. Now I am beginning work on two note that builds recognition for multiple notes and following complex modulations. All this is impossible without dedication and an intense commitment to practice, practice,practice. As a gauge i have worked at this at least an hour a day broken up into short sessions over the last two over years. And without keeping to this and really working at it, you won’t be able to really understand what this method is all about. But IF you do, this will really change the way you are involved with music. Just to describe a few simple experiences… Early on I began to gain a deeper sense of the music i was listening to. Suddenly everything opened up what can only be described as a kaleidoscope of colours. As an active musician, people began commenting on how musical and expressive my performances were getting and always “spot on” with pitching. Am now coming to grips with progressively more harmonically complex melodic forms such as modern jazz and funk. I’m now embarking on the next phase in my ear training that is two note and beyond. I know it’s going to be nothing short of grueling.  But with the positive changes that I have experienced in aural perception, I really can’t wait to discover what else happens along the way. Many thanks to Mr Arnold for his fantastic work, a gift to aspiring musicians and continuing commitment to music education. N. Siang

Bruce Arnold is here to help you through the process.

Some students can fly through this ear training with no problem. But many musicians need some help. Knowing this, Mr. Arnold offers email support for students as they work through this process. So rest assured as you enter this ear training method that you are not alone. You can get expert help if you run into problems.  You can also join our ear training facebook group to interact with other students.

Helping musician for almost four decades!

This method has been helping musicians for almost 35 years now. It’s one of the best selling methods Ear Training systems on the market. Simply put: It is successful because it works! BUT the secret weapon is Bruce Arnold. He is only an email way to help you. Whether you are a beginning or an advanced student seeking to perfect your skills.  You can call on Bruce to help you through this process by contacting him via email.

The FAQs

Over the years we have developed a FAQs resource containing thousands of questions that students have asked over the years. These FAQs are searchable by key word and we recommend that you read these FAQs because they will give you:

• A more complete understanding of the method.
• An insight into the problems and solutions others have had with this ear training.
• Encouragement and determination that you can do this, and that it just takes daily dedication.
• The proof that EVERYONE that has really put their mind to it has mastered this ear training without exception.
• The reason why dedicating a short amount of time each day will be all you need to improve.  Literally 5 to 10 minutes 5 to 10 times a day will be all it takes to master this ear training one note™.

Muse Eek and Bruce Arnold’s Blog

Muse Eek has multiple blogs that deal with ear training and other subjects. Along with the FAQs you should find answers to your questions or useful information. Mr. Arnold also has a Blog on ear training and other musical topics on his artist site. This Blog can be very useful to learn about ear training and other topics related to music and guitar playing.

Some of the topics covers are linked below.

• Ear Training Fundamentals plus common student mistakes
• Kids Ear Training Courses The Best Early Music Education
• Tone Deaf and why you most likely don’t have this condition.
• Ear Training Blog by Bruce Arnold for Muse Eek Publishing

Helpful Links to other products:

Please find links to other ear training products associated with the “One Note Series” below:

• MetroDrone is single most important addition to the Ear Training One Note Complete course. This multi-practice tool can be used to develop your sense of key with most everything you practice. It also will develop many aspects of your time and feel. You can read more about this here. You can purchase the MetroDrone course as an iphone app or as downloadable MP3s.
• 25 Ear Training Tips. This course contains 25 videos that talk about ear training, how to practice it, clears up many misunderstandings and generally makes sure you are doing the right thing when you practice ear training
• Practice Perfect Applied Ear Training This series of 10 courses is recommended when you are getting 50% correct notes on any level of the Ear Training One Note Complete.
• Direct Application “One Note” method recommended when you are getting 50% correct answers on any “One Note” level. Similar courses to the Practice Perfect Applied Ear Training
• Melodic “Two Note” Method recommended when you are getting 50% correct answers on any “One Note” level.
• Instrumental Color Series recommended when you are getting 50% correct answers on any “One Note” level. It is recommended that you go to this page and test your one note ear training ability with the MP3s that are found on this page. Many times students have difficulty hearing “one note ear training” when other instruments are used. Usually you won’t need to work with all instruments found on this page but please check.

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