Ear Training 103 CHORDS!

Description

Class is IN SESSION! Recordings available of previous classes

Course Description: 

This course is designed to help you develop your all-important aural skills in the area of hearing chord progressions. After all, research shows that our musicianship will never exceed our mind’s ability to interpret and think music, no matter how well you read music. Our aural skills DO improve with practice and instruction. In this course, we will learn to identify chord changes by ear and continue to work on identifying intervals! It takes a little bit of basic music theory knowledge and a lot of guided practice. This is NOT a “have or have not” skill. Think of our ears as muscles that need flexing! Most of all, this course will demystify playing by ear for you and Mark will make learning it fun! Non-refundable tuition for the 5 hour-and-15-minute sessions: $125.

Need to miss one? Not a problem– Mark will record them for you!

Prerequisites and FAQs:

There is no prereq. for this 100 level class because of its focus on chords.

That said, it does build off of what we worked on in Ear Training 101 and 102.

Here’s a checklist of skills to have to be successful in this class.

• Able to distinguish pitch direction, e.g., one note is higher or lower than the other
• Able to look at a 3 note chord and determine if it is major or minor (in dulcimer keys)
• Able to discern if a melody moves by steps or skips
• Able to aurally identify simple intervals in an octave with 75% accuracy +/-. (For example: Major 3rd)
• Able to identify major and minor chords by ear with 75% accuracy +/-
• Beginning to have consistency identifying an interval when it is only played harmonically- both notes at the same time
• Able to find and play the I, IV, and V chord in the keys of D, G, and A

If you can do 4 or more of those skills, this class is for you! If you can do 3 or more of these skills, you will also get a lot out of this class, but may need to ask Mark about ways to boost some of your deficiencies outside of class. If you can only do 2 or more of these skills, you would be better off waiting for the next 100 class. Not sure? Email me.

FAQs:

• Do I need to have taken Ear Training 101 or 102?
  • Nope! But this course will be taught at a level that assumes the prerequisites skills while reinforcing and practicing them.
• What instrument is this intended for?
  • Specifically designed for Hammered and Mountain Dulcimer for their common keys and repertoire, this course is also great for all instruments, especially guitar, uke, and autoharp.
• I am interested but I can’t make the classes. Will this be worth it if I’m not there when it is live and am only able to watch the videos?
  • Absolutely! This course has students in 6 times zones! You will get access to the entire class videos and handouts and you have ME to email at any time for questions.

Goals: Results through Application

As we meet weekly, we will review past concepts and skills, and build on them into the next area. There will be time for interactive questions and answers, as well as discussions and hands-on learning– all from the comfort of your home. Mark will provide handouts and other supplemental materials as needed. Assignments are optional but are a valuable tool to learn the material and practice new concepts. Our goal is learning for mastery.

Attendance: 

This is a 5-week class that meets weekly for 75 minutes. Your tuition holds your space for all 5 sessions. Mark will record each class and share them with registered students if you need to miss one. Tuition is non-refundable.

Course Materials:

• Mark will provide numerous handouts and additional materials included in your tuition.
• We will be using Zoom. You will need to download the latest version of the Zoom software or app if you are using a tablet or iPad. If you are on a laptop or desktop, you can use Zoom without the app on your browser. Mark can help you if you are unfamiliar with this.
  • You will then need to be able to see and hear Mark on your device with a good internet connection.
  • A webcam, or using your tablet, laptop, smartphone, etc. is all that is needed.
  • Headphones recommended, but not required.

Course Topics Schedule: 

Week	Date	Concepts & Topics	Intervals	Triads
1	Jan. 30	Typical chord progressions, Review Ascending & Descending Harmonic intervals, Triad ID, solfege review, Play By Ear Level 1	m2, M2, P4, m3, M3, P5	Major/ minor
2	Feb. 6	Chord inversions: Major and Minor. Using Circle of 5ths to predict.	m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6	Major/ minor/dim.
3	Feb. 13	Melodic & Harmonic intervals, ID and play I, ii, IV, V, solfege practice, Playing chord inversions. NEW: V/V	m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7	Major/ minor/ dim./ aug.
4	Feb. 20	Play/sing I,i,iº, and I+, Chord inversions, Song survey for chords	m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7	All triads, m7 chords, V7 chords
5	Feb. 27	Examples of modal borrowing, differences in minor modes.	m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7	All + Maj. 7, dim7
Don’t worry if you don’t know what these terms mean. You will soon!

Optional Materials

• www.musictheory.net
• Have your handouts and a notebook for note taking and organizing handouts.
• You may want to have your instrument nearby to help you visualize at times.