Hearing Notes Relative to the Context Key

QI have been working through you Ear Training One Note Complete training book for about 6 months now and seem to be making progress. I am working on Key Note Recognition and continue to hack at one note advanced (for which I am probably at the 80% correct mark). From the outset I wondered about the relationship between key and mode in the method. For the entirety of one note the goal is to memorize the sound of each note relative to a key: that key being a major mode in the exercises. Starting with Key Note Recognition, you introduce minor modes. This leads me to a few related questions. In one note am I really supposed to memorize the sound of a note in the context of a major mode or should I be thinking of the mode as setting up the tonic and then thinking of memorizing the sound of a note relative to the tonic? I assume the former is what you intend since the latter sounds too much like interval based ear training (which we all know is evil :-). Assuming the former, how should I be thinking of proceeding with key note? Should I be trying to identify the mode first (major vs. minor) and then thinking of the sound of a note relative to that mode to get to the key, or should I be thinking of repeating the entire exercise of the one note method relative to minor keys? In certain cases it seems necessary to proceed one way and others not. For example, when I hear C against a C major cadence vs. a C minor cadence the extent to which it sounds different is the extent to which C major and C minor sound different. On the other hand, when I hear A against a C major cadence vs. a C minor cadence it sounds quite different due to its relative affinity with the mode that is established. At some advanced level do you start doing exercises in goofy modes like phrygian? Of course, if this is all about identifying the tonic and hearing relative to that, then the question is moot.For now, I am just listening and waiting for some kind of gestalt to develop. Also, I am in Boston and was wondering if there are any teachers you can recommend for ear training here? I am not prepared to enroll at Berklee or anything like that but might be interested in spending a few hours a month with someone who can whack my nose with a rolled up newspaper when I am doing something wrong.

A:You are trying to memorize the sound of each note against a key center it doesn’t matter if it is a major, minor, dominant, Locrian natural 2 etc… All notes will still sound the same. I also wouldn’t think of it that you are memorizing the sound against the tonic because this tends to focus the mind on the tonic of the key rather than on the overall sense of key. Try to be hearing notes relative to the key. The relationships you are hearing that an A sounds different against a Cmajor tonality and a Cminor tonality will go away with time and you will see that you hear the same sound in both modes. Really the Key Note Recognition is slowly introducing these other modes to help you develop this overall sense of each note. Remember each note’s sound will become more refined over time so 6 months is a drop in the bucket. Over a few years you will see these things that I talk about slowly take shape. You will also find that over time it won’t matter what the mode is. You will still hear these relationships it just takes time. I’m currently working on a method to help people with these other modes but even without another method you would develop this over time. I don’t think you really need a teacher you just need to follow my directions and be consistent. Remember, hearing notes relative to the key.

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.

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