Description
Course Description:
This course is designed to help you develop your all-important aural skills. 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. We will learn to identify the contours of melody lines, differentiate between higher & lower pitches, identify specific melodic and harmonic intervals, produce these intervals at will with our voice, and begin the process of identifying multiple successive intervals– the first steps to playing a melody by ear! 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!
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. Whatever material isn’t completed in this unit will continue into Ear Training 102.
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 Schedule:
| Week | Date | Concepts & Topics | Intervals | Triads |
| 1 | Oct. 24 | Associated Repertoire for Interval ID, Ascending and Descending intervals, Triad ID, solfege review, Play By Ear Level 1 | m2, M2, P4 | Major |
| 2 | Oct. 31 | Melodic & Harmonic intervals, Associated Rep. review, new intervals, triad work, solfege scales, Play By Ear Level 1 | m2, M2, P4, m3, M3, P5 | Major minor |
| 3 | Nov. 7 | Melodic & Harmonic intervals, Playing intervals, solfege practice, Associated Rep. review, new intervals: 6ths, triad work, Playing by Ear level | m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6 | Major minor |
| 4 | Nov. 14 | Melodic & Harmonic intervals, Solf. practice, Associated Rep. review, new intervals: 7ths, Triad work: add dim., successive melodic intervals, playing what you hear: diatonic intervals from Do and So. | m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7 | Major minor Dim. |
| 5 | Nov. 21 | Melodic & Harmonic intervals, Associated Rep. review/solfege review, review ALL intervals, triad work, 1 measure melodic dictation | m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7 | Major minor Dim. |
| 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.
Catherine Kostyn (verified owner) –
I really enjoyed this class as we worked on various ways to improve our ability to play by ear and to understand what we hear. While this isn’t easy, Mark makes it fun and approachable, and being able to apply this to both the hammered and mountain dulcimers really helps to put everything in context. It is very helpful to have access to the videos from each class afterwards. I took his 101 Ear Training class before this one and would take this again if the opportunity arises.
Hilary Davies (verified owner) –
I have just completed this course “by video” only, and can really recommend it. Together with ET101 it has opened my ears 😉 to how to recognise, sing and find intervals. It’s helpful with sight singing, sight reading and also learning tunes by ear. Plenty of practice and reinforcement during the classes, including really nice challenging ear training homework exercises (writing down music from ear). The video lessons were fun and engaging, with appealing green backlighting throughout (jk). Doing the classes by video enabled me to easily listen to each lesson in chunks, or to stop and review, and prevented me from typing any smart comments to Mark during the session. I am still working on my associated repertoire … ear training has been one of my phobias since piano/theory exams aged 6, and Mark has helped my completely overcome that. Thank you so much and looking forward to 201!