Bass Guitarists
Ear Training One Note
Ear Training One Note Series...is our most popular Ear Training Series
The idea of hearing sound based on a "key center" as opposed to an "interval" really began a revolution in the way musicians perceive sound. Most seasoned musicians hear this way naturally after years of playing but with Ear Training One Note a student can fast forward their learning so that they can experience 30 years of ear training in a fraction of the time.A complete transformation of musical perception with this ear training concept.
You will see from reading the reviews that this system of ear training has changed many musicians' careers. Even students that are just beginning with music have found that it completely transforms the way they hear music.Hearing within a key center
If you are just becoming aware of the 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. The problem with this approach is pretty simple. If you are just strictly just using intervals for ear training you will develop a host of problems.A detailed discussion
There is a detailed discussion of "interval" vs. "key center" ear training in the book that accompanies all our entry level ear training books. Make sure to read this and our FAQs to understand all different aspects of ear training.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 or in some interval relationship to any other note --your 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.
By working with the audio files in the Ear Training One Note Series over time, you gain the ability 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.Ear Training is a two pronged process.
You need to work on identifying sound as you hear it from an external source as well as the sounds you hear in your head when you are improvising or composing. With this in mind we have created a whole series of books that develop these two aspects of ear training. They basically boil down to listening exercises and singing 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 you 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 current ability. Of course this can't be a perfect system because frequently a student isn't even aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. But we have done our best to give all students books and audio files that will help them target their problems without wasting time and money.Our most common recommendation.
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, or think that knowing about ear training is the same as having the ability to simply hear. It has also been 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.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. Digital downloads are a much better way to study this ear training because MP3s are much less expensive, easier to organize and cost half as much as physical books with CDs. Because they are more portable you can take them just about anywhere, giving you that much more access to practice time. We also have many ear training products that are ONLY available as digital downloads so it just makes more sense to go the digital route. So unless you REALLY only can use a CD player we sincerely recommend that you buy digital downloads of our ear training products.Listening and Singing: the two crucial aspects of Ear Training.
We usually recommend a listening and a singing book to begin you Ear Training studies. These two books are:Ear Training One Note Complete and Contextual Ear Training
We recommend Ear Training One Note Complete because it contain 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.
- Additional Information:
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- 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.
Status: In stock, Physical book ships in 24 hours. Digital book is available for immediate access.
FREE SHIPPING WHEN ORDER TOTAL IS OVER 200.00 USD.
Contextual Ear Training for the singing part of the ear training method.
- Additional Information:
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- Digital IBSN: 978-1-59489-790-0
- Physical IBSN: 978-1-59489-883-9
- 32 pages with 4 CDs of audio files with physical version and 4 CDs in MP3 format with digital version.
Status: In stock, Physical book ships in 24 hours. Digital book is available for immediate access.
FREE SHIPPING WHEN ORDER TOTAL IS OVER 200.00 USD.
Buy these books and then contact Mr. Arnold with a detailed explanation of your level and goals.
Ear Training is very specialized to a students goals and abilities. It makes a lot more sense to use the contact information at the bottom of this page to contact Bruce after you have purchased these books to see what other products you might consider and how to organize your practice.Some customers may prefer to take an incremental approach to this ear training method.
We have also found over the years that for many reasons customers may prefer an incremental approach to getting involved with this ear training method. To satisfy this we have broken the Ear Training One Note Complete book up into 3 different books. While not the most cost effective way to approach this ear training it can be advantageous to the advanced student that just wants to dive into the most advanced part of the One Note Method.Alternate purchase plan for: Ear Training One Note Complete
Ear Training One Note is available as three separate books which can be digitally downloaded or bought as physical books. Again we recommend the Ear Training One Note Complete but if you prefer you can purchase the each level of the Complete method separately below:Ear Training One Note Beginning
Ear Training One Note Beginning is recommended for any customer that has no previous musical training.
- Additional Information:
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- Digital IBSN: 978-1-59489-787-0
- Physical IBSN: 978-1-890944-12-4
- 34 pages with 1 CD of audio files with physical version and 1 CD in MP3 format with digital version.
Status: In stock, Physical book ships in 24 hours. Digital book is available for immediate access.
FREE SHIPPING WHEN ORDER TOTAL IS OVER 200.00 USD.
Ear Training One Note Intermediate
Ear Training One Note Intermediate is recommended for anyone who has some previous musical training, understands the basic building blocks of music, how scales are built, the 12 notes that are used in western music and knows the names of all 12 pitches.
- Additional Information:
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- Digital IBSN: 978-1-59489-788-7
- Physical IBSN: 978-1-890944-13-1
- 34 pages with 1 CD of audio files with physical version and 1 CD in MP3 format with digital version.
Status: In stock, Physical book ships in 24 hours. Digital book is available for immediate access.
FREE SHIPPING WHEN ORDER TOTAL IS OVER 200.00 USD.
Ear Training One Note Advanced
Ear Training One Note Advanced is for a musician that has a strong background in music and is an intermediate to advanced player, who has a good background in music theory and can easily process the relationships of all 12 notes within a key center.
- Additional Information:
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- Digital IBSN: 978-1-59489-880-8
- Physical IBSN: 978-1-890944-14-8
- 34 pages with 1 CD of audio files with physical version and 1 CD in MP3 format with digital version.
Status: In stock, Physical book ships in 24 hours. Digital book is available for immediate access.
FREE SHIPPING WHEN ORDER TOTAL IS OVER 200.00 USD.
Super Advanced Levels of One Note Ear Training are also available.
We have also created two super advanced level of One Note Ear Training which we recommend to use after you are getting 80% correct answers on the Ear Training One Note Advanced exercises. These advanced files have a few unique features that are not available in the Ear Training One Note Book(s) previously mentioned.- They test you in both a major and a minor key center.
- The "Degrees" advanced level asks you to name degree names rather than note names.
- The "Extreme" advanced level plays the exercises twice as fast as the Ear Training One Note Advanced level.
- These two additional exercises are only available as digital downloads.
Ear Training One Note with Degrees.
The digital download below will give you 99 MP3s that quiz you with One Note Ear Training in a major key center but ask you to respond with the degree of the key center rather than the note name. There is another set of 99 MP3s that quiz you in the same way but with a minor key center. Usually beginning students have a hard time with minor key centers so again wait till you are getting 80% correct answers on the Ear Training One Note Advanced files before attempting these exercises.
- Additional Information:
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- Digital MSK 163
- No Book: 99 MP3s exercises in a Major Key. 99 MP3s exercises in a Minor Key.
Status: In stock, Digital book is available for immediate access.
Ear Training One Note Extreme.
This digital download gives you exercises in both a major and a minor key center but at twice the speed of Ear Training One Note Advanced. Recommended after you complete Ear Training One Note Advanced.
- Additional Information:
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- Digital MSK 164
- No Book: 99 MP3s exercises in a Major Key. 99 MP3s exercises in a Minor Key.
Status: In stock, Digital book is available for immediate access.
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, and you can get expert help if you run into problems.Helping musician for almost two decades!
This method has been helping musicians for almost 20 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. If you are a beginning or an advanced student seeking to perfect your skills, you can call on Bruce to help you through this process.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: 5 to 10 minutes 5 to 10 times a day will be all it takes to master this ear training.
Bruce Arnold's Blog
Mr. Arnold's Blog on ear training and other musical topics can be very useful to learn about our ear training products. Some of the topics covers are linked below.Helpful Links to other products:
Our ear training books are available worldwide at different on-line stores. It is important to realize that there are physical versions of our books available that don't include the CDs. The book will plainly state in the description that it doesn't include a CD(s). In those cases you can either purchase a CD from Muse-eek.com or digitally download it from our website or itunes. If you have lost a CD or it's become damaged you can also order or download replacements. Please find links to other ear training products associated with the "One Note Series" below:- CDs and Downloads only (contains no book).
- Direct Application "One Note" method recommended when you are getting 50% correct answers on any "One Note" level
- 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.
- What people are saying:
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- Let me say first off that this ear training method that Bruce Arnold uses is for SERIOUS MUSICIANS ONLY. To use his method effectively, you have to do this every day for at least an hour, in 15-20 minute intervals. Bruce Arnold's method is totally different than any other method that is out there for ear training. It is NOT easier. In fact at first it seemed next to impossible to accomplish. After I read how he wanted me to establish relative pitch, my instant thought was "This is Crazy!" But after doing the lessons with his other book, "Fanatic's guide to ear training and sight reading", I saw how his methods totally dominate the ear training market. Most ear training books and universites teach you how to recognize intervals. For instant, they will play a c, then a G, and you are supposed hear that it is a perfect fifth. Bruce Arnold does not teach this method at all. He will play a cadence (a set of chords in a key) and teach you how to recognize what interval it is from the key. This produces SPONTANEOUS ear training. For instance, if someone is playing a song in the key of C, and you hear a G, F, and D in the melody, you will be able to pick up on that instantly because you were taught how to hear the notes within the key and not by learning intervals. This method can take months or even years for a person to establish kind of note identity. but for me, if it even takes years, it will be worth it in the long run, cause I live to be a musician, period. I would also mention that you cannot really do this without his other book, "Fanatics guide to ear training and sight reading". You have to learn how to sing the notes within a certain key so you know what you are listening for with the ear training book. This doesn't mean you have to have a good voice, you just have to be able to sing the note in tune. T. Chad
- 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!
- 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. I personally in my quest for good books on the subject of music have found this to be true, and I think that most of these books are made solely for the purpose of generating money (as most things are these days) and not really achieving their true purpose...the ones 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: the ear training books, the sight singing books, the Rhythm series, Big Metronome and Time Transformation, and they all 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. If 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,ag gift to aspiring musicians and continuing commitment to music education. N. Siang