Customer Reviews

Key Note Recognition

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an amateur musician with limited time to practice and few opportunities to jam (which is probably how most music students improve their ear), Bruce Arnold's ear training CD's are especially welcome. I've used other ear training tapes that emphasize the sol-feg method (i.e. identifying the note in the context of a key center), but this series has major advantages. The biggest is the possibility of shuffle play, which prevents me from identifying pitches by (inadvertently) memorizing their order --- a problem that eventually made my ear training cassette tapes useless.

I've been working with this book and vol 1 of the two-note series, and am delighted with the results. When I started, I wondered if the key note exercises were redundant, since I could already identify all of the notes in the one-note advanced level CD. However, I could only get about half of the key-note exercises correct at first. Perhaps it is more difficult than the one-note series, because the key center changes with every track. I also like the author's emphasis on speed of recall. In real music, some notes are sounded or can be distinguished from other chord tones only for an instant. As a result of practicing with these CD's, I find that I'm able to identify notes in my favorite music that I wasn't previously aware of. (The presumed existence of other tones motivates me to continue practicing.) My only complaint is that my CD player (a 1996 IBM laptop) typically takes about 5 minutes before it can finally `latch on' and read the CD (although this is not a problem with the two-note vol 1 disk).

Finally, I'm grateful that the author emphasizes how difficult and time consuming ear training can be. I'm progressing with the two-note exercises more slowly, and his acknowledgment keeps me from getting discouraged. Again, I'm grateful for shuffle play on my CD player, which keeps rearranging the order of the exercises: I would have memorized the cassette tapes by now, effectively halting my progress. Because of my improved ear, I'm listening to music with greater awareness and appreciation. Thank you, Mr. Arnold!

Buy the Key Note CD, but skip this book. I have only praise for Bruce Arnold's method, but I have never seen an instruction book with less instructional content. If this were a review of his method, I would give 6 stars, but a 1 star rating is being generous for this book. Why?

Page 1: How to use the CD that is not included with this book.
Pages 2-5: Summary on Ear Training method, which you have probably already read in the One Note and Fanatics book if you made it this far.
Page 6: One additional paragraph about using the CD that is not included with this book.
Page 7: Track listing for the CD that is not included with this book.
Page 8: One paragraph stating that Pages 9-13 contain frequently asked questions about Key Note, Fanatic's, and Two Note
Pages 9-13: FAQ section. This information is available online at the muse-eek site.
This is followed by 13 pages of listings of Bruce Arnold's other books, and then 15 pages of Key / Answer blanks for you to record your scores.

That's right, this book contains a little over one page of new instructional content, and that content is about a CD package that is not included with the book. I have been happily (and I think successfully) using Arnold's method for 3 months, and will continue to use it, but this book is going back to Amazon.

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 an 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 thing 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.

I found this book to be very useful for helping me learn the sound of all pitchs in relationship to a key center. Mr. Arnold has refined this process into easy exercises that overtime helped me to improve my ear. I highly recommend this approach

Another of Bruce Arnold's ear training books continuing beyond the One Note Advanced Method designed for the seriously minded person intent on maximizing their aural perception of the musical language. The overall concept proposes the benefits of pitch recognition within the 'sense of key' of the music as opposed to interval perception traditionally taught.
Mr. Arnold's books are not for the faint of heart but rather for those willing to make a long term commitment to improving their aural skills.

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 his is as Mr Arnold reminds us a "lifetime's journey". Over the years i have steadily gained the ability to recognise 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 recognise 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 guage 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 gruelling, 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, gift to aspiring musicians and continuing commitment to music education.

I am not a musician and I know practically nothing about music. I bought the book for my two teenage children who (I think)are musically talented. The fact that the book was written by Bruce Arnold and is required text for students at New York University and Princeton University is impressive enough

What I appreciate the most is Mr. Arnold's willingness to answer my questions. Some of my questions are answered in about the next day. I am amazed at the speed of his reply

I feel that his answers to my questions are not self serving in his part rather his answers were honestly geared to what is best for my child.

Thank you Mr. Arnold