Ear Training Book Practice Order

Q: I’m interested in starting your ear training courses, but have problem deciding which book(s) to buy. Could you please help me sort out the following questions?

(1) What’s the difference in the Ear Training One Note Complete, Ear Training Two Note series and the Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing?
(2) Is the material in Lines Volume One: Sight Reading and Sight Singing Exercises included in the Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing?
(3) If I get the Ear Training One Note Complete + Key Note Recognition Level 2 Recognition + Ear Training Two Note, do I still need the Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing (or vice versa)?
(4) What is the Ear Training Book Practice Order in which I should work with these course?

A: For the Ear Training Book Practice Order I should say that overall certain students will have specific problems and I might change this order slightly based on that. You should also be thinking about Rhythm Ear Training and devoting a few minutes to that each day. That said, a here is an outline of my total Ear Training course, which is is quite comprehensive, and will take several years to complete.

Start with:

Ear Training One Note Complete
Contextual Ear Training and Fanatic’s Guide to Sight Singing and Ear Training
MetroDrone
25 Ear Training Tips Video Course
Scale Analysis by filling in information for each chord scale

Contextual Ear Training is the “one note” exercise in Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing. This is the most important first step in understanding this ear training. Contextual Ear Training audio files allow you to do the ear training anywhere. You need your instrument to check correct answers with the Fanatic’s Guide. If you want to work on your sight singing with notes on a staff if for instance, you were in a choir, then you definitely want the Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing. Though in that case you might want to get both books.

MetroDrone is a multi-purpose tool for playing and singing. It works on ear training and your time simultaneously. It should be used whenever possible. You should also try to slow the tempo down so that you are feeling larger and larger beats of time.

25 Ear Training Tips Video Course gives you some extremely important tips on how to think about this ear training, how to improve the fastest way, and make the most of your practice time.

Once you get 50% correct answers in the One Note Ear Training (any level) you want to start into the Direct Application Ear Training: These books include:

Direct Application Ear Training Volume One
Secondary Dominants
Direct Application CD Volume One Major
Direct Application CD Volume One Dorian
Scale Analysis start singing through the scales in one key center.

I would also check in with the Instrumental Color Bundle to make sure you can identify notes when they are played by different instruments.

After you complete Contextual Ear Training go to:

Contextual Ear Training Volume Two
I would also add in Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing so that you are using the 17 different “key centers” either with the exercises in this book or Fanatic’s Guide Volume One.<

After you have finished Ear Training One Note Complete you will move on to:

Ear Training One Note Extreme
Key Note Recognition: There are four levels to this course
Two Note Melodic Ear Training: There are quite a few possible levels of this.
I would also start sight singing the examples from Two Note Modal Sequencing
Lines Volume One: Sight Reading and Sight Singing Exercises. There is no duplicate information in this book.

After you have completed one level of Key Note Recognition add in:

Ear Training Two Note Oboe. This is two notes play simultaneously.
Key Note Recognition Level 2
Key Retention Builder

then

Three Note Melodic Ear Training which has 3 Levels of Difficulty
Key Note Recognition Level 4
I would also start listening to the examples from Two Note Modal Sequencing and see if you can identify the scale. This is pattern recognition very important for large groups of notes.

then

Ear Training Three Note which has 5 volumes
Trichord Ear Training
Three Note Modal Sequencing and see if you can identify the scale. This is pattern recognition very important for large groups of notes.

then

Ear Training Four Note which has 5 volumes
On the singing side of ear training: After you have completed Fanatic’s Guide to Sight Singing and Ear Training and Contextual Ear Training you will move on to:
Start the Scale Analysis Guide Tone and Popular tune exercises

I mentioned Rhythm Ear Training Earlier which has 12 levels so that should be done but you should also work on reading rhythms through the Rhythm Series. For this I recommend in the following order and groups:

then

Again, it will take years to get through all these books, but “keep your eyes on the prize” as they say, and you will become a world class musician.

It is also recommended that you read Bruce Arnold’s Blog at his artist site. It contains more discussion of the musical topics found in these FAQs as well as other subjects of interest. You will also find the “Music Education Genealogy Chart” located here which shows you the historic significance of the music education products found on the Muse Eek Publishing Company Website.

Ear Training Book Practice Order

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