The App That Is Changing The Way I Improvise
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Download MelodEar here: melodear-app.c...
and start a new way of hearing harmony, a new way of approaching melody, a new way of practicing and a new method of ear training.
Video recorded using:
Earthworks SV33
Panasonic Lumix G85
Pick up the Aimee Nolte Music notebook here: www.themusicia...
If you'd like to donate to my channel, please do so here: paypal.me/aimn
Follow me here:
Twitter: / aimn
Instagram: / aimeenoltemusic
Facebook: / aimeenoltefanpage
For all videos, worksheets, merchandise and info, my website: aimeenolte.com
If you click to buy the full version of the app, it is $29.49 but you can try the full version for free for 6 days if you click the purchase button.
You can purchase the app for $25.50directly from MelodEar's website here :
melodear-app.com/melodear
Hi Aimee I hope you are doing well and your family too. Been following you for a while now I really like your presentation about the app and the potential it has and the rabbit whole...lol I am unfortunately not a iOS user but an Android one. Do you know when this app will be available on Android.
Also very well done for taking taking the time out to comment about my favorite singer and musician Mc McDonald I absolutely loved your presentation about him very well done.
Thanks take care God bless.
Chris from
London, UK
I don’t know if it’s changed, but the app is 29.49 a year right now. It’s not much to a gigging musician, but these subscription based apps are really anti-user and anti-consumer. It’s not like the changes to the standards or the music theory is going to change over time. Just a money grab.
You pulled really hard for this app, but it’s disappointing to me.
I think it’s still free for six days.
@@AimeeNolte Your channel is amazing and I really think you're an amazing educator and player.
I'm not sure where the disconnect is but I find your language for this video problematic. A six day trial doesn't change the exploitative pricing, it's a free six day trial.
When you state full version of the app is 29.49, most people will think that means the full app, not an expiring year subscription.
Many people out there don't mind rewarding a developers hard work, but for us on a budget, completely ending all functionality after paying $30 is not OK.
Good luck with the continued and deserved growth and please advocate for those of us where $30 is still a chunk of money they have to be concerned about.
@@womplestilskin You're right! "it's free for 6 days" is NOT an answer to the described problem and reduces trust.
Aimee shouldn't do advertising this way. She is too exceptionally capable for that kind of nonsense.
Finally after a year they released the Android version as a lifetime purchase, I'm so happy ❤
It just makes so much more sense to me, as a vocalist, to relate my pitches to the perceived tonic, rather that the base interval of the chord tone. That would drive me crazy.
"Finding pathways WITHIN the mode BETWEEN chords" - never heard the concept verbalized so concisely, thanks!!!
'
Scrolled down while the video was loading and saw this quote ...WOW.
Ok, I'm sold.
That is a really cool idea. As a guitar instructor, I am always looking for ways my students can learn how to improvise. Unfortunately, there isn't an Android version yet.
I would recommend 'Solo' released by Tom Quayle, this is very specific to guitar and is without a doubt the best way of learning and teaching intervals!
Woah….rabbit hole unleashed! Thanks for this gem
Fascinating, I hope they release an android version.
very soon ! out in june 2024 !
"...and that's probably not really far." 😆 thanks for letting us know about this!
Thanks for the suggestion! This app reminds me of an app called 'Functional Ear Training' . Functional Ear Training is a very basic ear trainer but with an added twist of identifying notes in context of a key using solfeggio which makes it stand out from hundreds of other ear training apps out there. Melodear takes this 1000x further by having you reproduce the tone instead of identifying it and adding this 2-D grid.
But I wonder if the melodear was inspired by Functional Ear Training in that you are always practicing in context of a key. Also both apps remind you of the key by playing chords at the beginning and (in functional ear training app) at the end, this seems like a simple thing to add, but it makes learning via an app much much faster.
As a piano enthusiast, I will check this out.
Reminds me of the Kodaly hand signals associating a pitch with a physical position or in this case a number. In schools that teach that method the musicians (singers) have the same level of articulation.
Very cool...ear training can be a tough nut to crack both as a player and a teacher. I like all your videos, but it was really nice of you to share this info and what you learned in your private lesson. Thank you.
Thanks ! this is David , inventor of MelodEar :). Thanks for your kind message. The app is also coming with a bunch of lessons ( the MelodEar Training) that give loads of exercises to work the app through ! check it out
The Rubik’s cube of the music app !!!! Amazing !!!! The most unique and scientific approach I have ever seen !!!! Gorgeous !!!! Thank you !!!!!!!!! 👍🏻😍
Very interesting. As a saxophone player, this really relates to how I conceptualize the music. You could say this app is like a visual saxophone in way - it provides some of the structure for vocalists that instrumentalist have available. I hope that makes sense!
Oh this is DOPE!!!
Thanks for the recommendation, looking at the app now
Going to check this out... Thanks!
Thank you very much for sharing this! Very interesting.
When singing jazz you need to hear and feel these color notes. 🎶
This should help by first practicing singing the mode against the chord. Second moving around in the mode. Third by shifting to another mode as the chord changes.
This is epic. You’re actually such a legend haha. Thank you for your content!
🙏🏼
Love your videos for so many reason. Thank you, Aimee!
Improvise For Real may be a slightly more pedestrian version of this and the woman singing the demo is also French. This course has shown up in my FB feed.
Wow this is heavy !!
Aimee you have so much charisma. I bet you know that. It's hard not to notice it.
Thank you😊
Exciting.
Thanks so much for sharing! That is a very slick app and that opinion is coming from someone who has been a professional nerd for 27 years! No offense, but professional musicians often have fantastic ideas but they aren't always the best developers or project managers for said development.
The app is only on iOS now but folks who don't use Apple can get on a newsletter to find out when it is available for Android.
Thanks for your kind words Aeron, this is David , the developer of MelodEar. I'm happy that you think we made good work with Mathieu Lescure, who was the coding brain of the whole thing :)
@@Deskenazy More than deserved and I am already sharing this with some of the vocalists I know.
@@aarondoering4613 Thank you so much :)
@@Deskenazy awesome, hope there's an Android version soon
What newsletter? Scoured site for link. Have I missed something? Thanks for the help.
So imteresting! It looks as a fun music game also, singing with other people
Yes, thanks for this..
I truly enjoy listening to you. Always delightful thank you
Thanks so much for sharing, absolutely brilliant and your example routines were inspiring!
Fantastic!!! Thanks Aimee
Thank you!
David should pay you for this amazing overview! Thank you!
magnificent.
this is how I've always learned melodies - I relate each pitch as its diatonic number over the chord of the moment. Kinda thought everyone did that! :D
Facts....
Thank you Aimee. Your description of the App is magnificent in that it goes to the heart of what is essential in *music*. I do not yet have the app, but I will soon. I am a theory person and love music theory (I play a lot, and essentially I do nothing but compose). This presentation (yours) in combination with the app graphics is one of the best visual presentations (I am *very* visual when it comes to music) that I have ever seen *combined* with the audio. Impressive, very impressive. Thank you for that. Now, off to start investigating the App.
What I like about *your* presentations (all/most :-) your videos) is that you give the theory, but with an emphasis on the *music*. And by that I mean the entire music scene. I play almost exclusively by myself, so when I "Jam" with others it is fun, but very loose, wandering all over the place; I learn and expand my horizons. Then, I listened to one of your videos where you described what a "Jam" really is to the serious musicians and what is expected of the members. Shortly after that I went to a "open mike" Jazz jam at a Jazz association (AJMI) in Avignon, France (I live here). It is open mike but the level of play is top level, impressive. I do this often, but to listen and watch (I know my place).
After watching your video, my experience changed. I could see much better the interactions of the players, and the skills required to play a bit more "free-form". I always enjoy the music, but after this one I felt a contentment from understanding better the interactions that you described. I felt "happy", and it was you that opened the door for me. Thank you. Many of your videos are like this I learn more about music theory from you but I understand much of that already (not as well as you). The door you often open for me is the "music of the music scene". Masterful, and you do it is such a loving way.
This app might be great to practice modulation, which strengtens your vertical understanding of relative pitch. I personally however would stay away from using this for functional harmony progressions, because you will make your life very difficult by trying to change the root with every chord. Instead I would suggest to try to recognize the basenote of the dominant as the „5“ as opposed to the „1“ of mixolydian. This strenghtens your horizontal axis in relative pitch.
If you allow to me give one more example. Try practicing „giant steps“ with this app😅 or just about any bebop tune.
I love this. For a long time, I've wanted to expand my harmonic palette and get better at improvising, but could never get past the hurdles of learning the polyphonic instruments (piano, guitar). I'm definitely on the visual learning part of the learning spectrum. This seems like a smooth and intuitive solution. Thanks for sharing, Aimee!
Good video
Super cool!
Excellent app! Thx !
I have been playing with this app. Thanks for your clear explanation that has unlocked it’s operation and potential. I also signed up for his video lessons . He has a great method for rhythm as well and is super helpful and approachable
Hi Ray this is David, thanks for your comment . Did you have a chance to check out the MelodEar Training ? I think it's absolutely important to go through that, and it's developing all the clues I gave to Aimee in Short. Best, David.
@@Deskenazy thanks for responding. No I have been concentrating on your remarkable vocal training videos rather than the app, but I spent this afternoon exploring the app and it really is ground breaking. Like Aimee I could feel perceptions that were new to me (and I have done a huge amount of ear training courses). The immediate visual feedback of what you are pitching against the harmonies and the fact that these are real jazz harmonies rather than basic chords is game changing. Highly recommended.
Wow looks intense! Also, will check it out. This would be a wonderful practice when away from piano. Also, ⛱️ 👦 beach boys!
This is really interesting! I wish it had a moveable Do option as well. Definitely going to download it.
This is awesome! Thanks!
I’d be curious to hear people’s opinions about how common this way of conceptualizing pitch content is for accomplished jazz improvisers. Specifically the idea of having a new “1” for each chord. That seems practical for slower changes, but when chords are moving fast it seems clunky, no?
Looks like Moveable Do. I know jazz musicians who 'think in moveable do' and they are awesome improvisers.
@@jamesnotsmith1465 except it’s moving to a new “do” for each chord which is definitely different than a movable do that remains static as long as you’re in a single key.
@@kendallburks Thanks for the clarification. Is there a name for this 'chord-based tonic do'?
@@jamesnotsmith1465 I doubt it, but I don’t know. It’s just clearly what the creators of this app are doing. Awareness of the members of the chord is clearly central to understanding Jazz harmony, but how conscious that awareness is in accomplished players is less clear.
This is exactly how I conceptualize music-mode by mode, moment by moment
Super super cool! Amazing app, Im diving in tonight! Been trying out so many different ear training apps but this seems like its perfect for my brain! Haha. Love your channel Aimee learning so much from it :)
Hey hi there. How did things evolve after you dove in? What are your thoughts about the app after using it for a couple months? Just wondering... don't feel pressed to respond if you're busy or would rather not!
Can you give an update in a few months with yourself and students in using the app? Possibly if they learn faster, how you think differently, etc.
Que bueno voy a probarla ! Gracias por la informacion !!!
Very interesting app/method, and thanks for sharing !
I'm no near the skill level to what you showed here, but maybe I'll try hehehe
Thanks again
Hi Enrique thanks for your comment , It's David from MelodEar :). For you to know you don't need to be advanced like Aimee to get started. For starters you can just work one mode at at time ( there are plenty of them) and just get the colors, improve your basic pitch/intervals skills gradually. The lessons of the MelodEar Training will help you with that. Then when you're at ease with one or 2 modes you can start combining them. Hope you have a try ! good luck, best, David.
For any others that may have the same issue: searching for David's full name (David Eskenazy) will bring it up.
Great tool!
Thanks for this... looks amazing !!!
cool stuff - never heard of it ... I'm giving it a try ;-)
These sounds remind me the style of Bossa Nova's songs.
:)
I thought they would start singing Castaways🤣
Great overview thanks Aimee. I’ve signed up to try it based on your review.
David, that song snippet at 0:42 is nuts, in a good way! I don't have an iAnything, so I'll have to wait for Android, or until I get an iSomething.
Thank you Adam :) , yes get an Isomething if you wish, or else you can suscribe to the newsletter to be notified when the android version is out , here :
melodear-app.com/melodear-for-android
It is important also for us that people suscribe, not to get an email and use it, but only to evaluate when we can start investing in the androïd version. We're a small company and we want to get it done nicely and safely.
Even when you sing the common tones, they sound royal to me , Aimee. :-)
I agree ! :)
Yeah this is pretty amazing. Aimee sounded great. This is kinda how my mind works anyway, so I need to check it out. I usually visualize the fretboard and the notes of the chords as numbers as I do something similar. Thank you!
U r great teacher and musician Love u God bless you more 💕💖🌼❤️🙏🤗💖🌼💞💖🙏🙏🙏
Amazing app! I'll give it a look. As a person with perfect pitch I got confused at the beginning, since I'm used to sing pitch names instead scale degrees. It reminded me a class when a teacher challenged me to sing notes using the movable Do method which I hate a lot 😂😂
:)))
Wow. This looks incredible. How has this impacted your improvisation on the piano?
WOW! 😳
Can you recommend (or make) a video about how you know what these scales are to put over the chords? (Like dominant Lydian etc.) That seems like the hard part here!
Hi Bethany, I'm David, the conceptor of MelodEar, I'm happy to answer this for you. This ' hard part ' is all taken care of by MelodEar itself : when you select a chord in the edit window, a list of compatible melodic modes are suggested, so you can't mistake. You can even hear them on top of the chords to make your choice. You can check this out on the quickstart guide at 1'37. :) . Have fun !
The practicing modes in "zick-zack" or "motivs" are a good Idea. But I think: it is all possible *without* an app...
BUT: I will test it and tell you my results. You asked for it at the end of the video.
Ouch, another interesting app only for IOS and maybe Androïd in the future :‑( . I'll continue doing as I used to: with a chromatic tuner.
I'm still getting my tail kicked by Pitch Bop (but I've improved greatly) so I'll hold off before I check out this new app
Where have you been? Love your video!
i feel like i'd become over reliant on looking at the screen, want to give it a try tho
Somewhat similar to the method at "Improvise For Real". Except the numbering system isn't relative to the root of the chord but tonic of the song (basically a numbered solfège). In my opinion, it doesn't make sense to have the numbers relative to the root of each chord. I'd get lost. I'd rather have it relative to the tonic.
Totally agree. The IFR method just make everything more simple and logical. I wish this app could support numbers relative to the tonal center and not the root of each chord.
Chris thanks for this message. Love to discuss this subject :). ( David from MelodEar) First I want to say that it is in project to implement in a future version of MelodEar a tonal system like you describe using the Solfa ( do re mi fa so la ti do), keeping the do always on the tonal center. However, if I totally understand that it makes more sense for educated instrumentalists like you that already are aware of the notes place in the harmony ( for instance on a A7 you know immediately that Bb is the b9 of the chord), this system would be more confusing for singers or people with no notions of harmony. With the current system they can know in a glance which note of the mode they are singing, and so know how it should sound. ( I dont sing a 6th the way I will sing a #9). I think it's something singers will understand more easily, but if you sing a little bit it may ring a bell to you. I think instrumentalists have a lot to gain here too, because for some reason I'm almost certain that experiencing the physical print of the each note gives density, musicality and strengh to each note you play on your instrument, because you feel it in your bones and Ear.
- it also stabilises the color prints of the notes & modes, as well as the musical intercourses for the memory to process them. Each time you sing a 6th on the dorian mode for instance, it sounds the same. So it's way easier to memorize than being on a note and not really ( or always) knowing what is this note in the harmony. It also stabalises the memory of prhases. The same phrase on a given chord is always numbered the same , as oposite to the notes system.
But again, I totally agree your point : the current interface of MelodEar is not showing the tonal intercourses of the chords. But I can assure you that on a practical level, it's really powerful to do this work. I' ve been using this method for 15 years now , with singers & instrumentalists, and at the end of the day the language is secondary : by doing this things start to change very deeply. Hope I was clear because these are really very subtle questions;
And sorry not being able to make it quicker, that' s just the time it takes to explain ;).
Thanks for this exchange ! Best , David.
@@dmr12jmy thanks for this message. Love to discuss this subject :). ( David from MelodEar) First I want to say that it is in project to implement in a future version of MelodEar a tonal system like you describe using the Solfa ( do re mi fa so la ti do), keeping the do always on the tonal center. However, if I totally understand that it makes more sense for educated instrumentalists like you that already are aware of the notes place in the harmony ( for instance on a A7 you know immediately that Bb is the b9 of the chord), this system would be more confusing for singers or people with no notions of harmony. With the current system they can know in a glance which note of the mode they are singing, and so know how it should sound. ( I dont sing a 6th the way I will sing a #9). I think it's something singers will understand more easily, but if you sing a little bit it may ring a bell to you. I think instrumentalists have a lot to gain here too, because for some reason I'm almost certain that experiencing the physical print of the each note gives density, musicality and strengh to each note you play on your instrument, because you feel it in your bones and Ear.
- it also stabilises the color prints of the notes & modes, as well as the musical intercourses for the memory to process them. Each time you sing a 6th on the dorian mode for instance, it sounds the same. So it's way easier to memorize than being on a note and not really ( or always) knowing what is this note in the harmony. It also stabalises the memory of prhases. The same phrase on a given chord is always numbered the same , as oposite to the notes system.
But again, I totally agree your point : the current interface of MelodEar is not showing the tonal intercourses of the chords. But I can assure you that on a practical level, it's really powerful to do this work. I' ve been using this method for 15 years now , with singers & instrumentalists, and at the end of the day the language is secondary : by doing this things start to change very deeply. Hope I was clear because these are really very subtle questions;
And sorry not being able to make it quicker, that' s just the time it takes to explain ;).
Thanks for this exchange ! Best , David.
and.... I know instrumentalists are the tough guys to convince, but I'll get there and I'm sure they too can benefit from this work :). Where the singers can build a harmonic map, the instrumentalists have the oportunity to really accomplish by singing all their melodic language, and more. When you have to sing all your ideas, everything changes, and it's much more challenging because fingers are not helping anymore :). I' ve seen this so many times of brilliant musicians working with on my method in front of me. But once you have it , all your playing becomes more lively, and come so much closer to your instrumental playing, because your ear is always there. :) ( this comes in complement of my answer on tonal center.
It looks great, but is currently available only for Apple. According to the website, an android version is in the works.
Also note--the website is secure (https rather than the http url in Amy's note), which is good news.
Is it really? I’ll make the switch. Thank you!
Cool idea, anything to help us grow
Would think this would be a big help to horn players.
Hi Koho , it's David from MelodEar, I would say this approach can be beneficial for any kind of instrumentalist, disregarding the instrument. The key point is to muscle your melodic/harmonic ear. I believe if you achieve that your instrumental playing will enrich naturally. You will connect more with your instrument because your inner ear will be there behind every note you're playing. Best, David.
@@Deskenazy David - thanks for taking the time to reply! Can't wait to try the app. Just one thought - a lot of budding guitarists aim to play "melodically," and it's tough to learn, just I imagine it is singing. A lot of us understand the need for er training, and the benefit of singing a melody, then transferring it to the instrument. The reality, though, is a lot of us just don''t pursue that route, either out of laziness or fear of singing. So, there's a lot of effort put into composing melodies over progressions right on the instrument. I only bring this up since for that audience, being able to input the instrument's note choices directly into the app would be very attractive. A lot of the benefits we see Amy getting in her video might be available that way.
@@koho yeah it's possible to really feel an interval before figuring out how to sing it. I can do that with a keyboard instrument - imagine where a melody goes, play it, and learn how to sing it later. Even melodies that have vocal characteristics. So, I agree that it would be useful to allow instrument input for the app, in addition to singing.
Though it could be worse than having to sing😲📢🙄
@@kohothank you, I love your analysis of the emotional aspect behind singing for instrumentalists, and I feel grateful that you describe this little bareer of daring to sing. I must confess that I'd love to be able to convince this audience to go and sing. Even if it's hard ! it's such a breaktrhough. But back to earth, I'd love to take in account your imput for future evolutions, but I'm not sure to understand : do you mean to also have a system where the numbers are replaced by the actual notes ?
Watching this September 2023. Would have loved to use this to Help me as i play Piano and TONE DEAF. 🥴🧐 Unfortunately it wasn't in the Playstore with IOS 5 mnt's ago. Any Suggestions where I might get it. I do have a laptop. Thank"s. P.S You do inspire me 👍👋
Write to circlesongdesk@gmail and see if they can tell you something
Great post, Aimee, as always... but where can I get that t-shirt? 🙂
Thanks! And, I don’t know. I got it at a thrift store. Glad you like it. So do I!
I would love to get this app on my pc.
Maestro - thanks for the app recommendation. Looks very interesting. I would say this however - peeps if you choose to work with this tool expect to make a material investment of time. Intuitive it is not - powerful no doubt it is.
so you have to change the tonal center you hear for every chord?
Yes you do MG. I know it can appear a bit weird at first to loose the tonal center, but as far as ear and singing are concerned, it allows the prints of the colors of the notes ( 2, 6, 4 etc) to really integrate in your system. And it's a bit subtle to explain but it kind of stabilizes the language itself, because then numbers are more permanent in this system. But it's definitely in project to implement in MelodEar a choice of systems including relative and absolute Solfeo ( Do re mi fa so la ti do). Relative would be the same system as now just replacing the numbers by the names of the notes, and absolute would be closer to the tonal center system (the center is keeping the same). I think every system has advantages and inconvenients. Enjoy, David .
@@Deskenazy When using the app, would I first need to learn to be able to hear the quality of the chord such as major, minor, diminished, etc? and do I also need to be able to hear where the chord is in relation to the overall key of the song like this chord is a VII chord?
Lastly, by "relative" and "absolute" solfeo are you referring to the movable and fixed DO system? Thanks!
@@mg6192 I'm not sure to understand correctly your question but I would say that MelodEar is not focusing so much on analysing the chord progression. It's a very practical tool to get your ear totally acurate and flexible in the moment. It doesn't replace a theoritical analysis but it does fill the gap that theory is not able to handle alone . The work if you do it in the right order , is very intuivite
- Level 1: work on a single mode and work on your pitch ( there is a fine tuner)
-Level 2: work on a single mode and improvise, then gradually learn intervals
-Level 3 : combine 2 modes
-Level 4 : combine more modes
- Level 5 : play with motifs and intervals in the crossmode
Hope this was helpful !
Best regards, David.
This is a great app, the method sound like the improviseforreal method, but there they use the numbers related to the tonal center as oppsed to the numbers of the chord itself. What do you think, which number system is more useful? I am not sure which one to practice, as practicing both would be very confusing.
The IFR approach to numbering is much better in my opinion. I have been using it for several years.
IFR is really great. And the developers talk to you and are very helpful. I've learned a lot. They do seem like similar methods though.
@@ledaswan5990 I’m going to get the free 7-day trial of this app to see what it can do. As it does pitch recognition, it might ignore the numbers we sing so it could still be useful. We’ll see.
But if you press the subscribe button, it tells you you can have everything for six days free.
@@AimeeNolte Thanks. I’ll check again. UPDATE: You are right. Thanks. I have deleted my misleading comment.
Hello Aimee, i am curious how the app is working out for you after 3 months. What are the benefits that you discovererd for yourself?
Should I make a cheap PC/Laptop app on chords? I have Software Dev experience and a little piano experience.
Anyone use this? I’m considering signing up
Hi Aimee who is the lady singing at 0:17? I can't find that video please help, nice video
superwoman!
Seems it’s not available in Britain. Just checked.
I'm tempted to get the oldest refurbished iDevice that can run ios13 just for this
:)
I'm always amazed at how far pitch detection software has come. There seems to be very little lag time here. Better than my headstock tuner!
As an elderly rock guitarist, I have a fairly stunted facility for harmony, so just getting the right 1357 chord tones of each chord and KNOWING that that's what they are is hard enough! This is a very cool app and can't wait to check it out on Android or see if someone develops a browser-based version with similar capabilities.
Thanks for alerting us to this innovative tool.
A little like guide tones?
Who are the musicians in the original video you watched?
Looks like a great app. Redefining note 1 at each new chord makes it so more complicated to audiate melodies over chords changes. I admire people who can do that. Personally, I think it's unnecessary effort. With this system, the same exact melody will have different note numbers when you change the order of chord progression in the same tonal center. That's way too more complications for me. But love the idea and the execution.
In Jazz some styles change the scale with every chord. And that’s the problem that needs a solution.
@@disinformationworld9378 My view is that what only matters is if the tonal center (or the key) changes. That's the only time when I change which note is my note 1. There is no right or wrong way of doing things, that's just the way, which works for me as it's much less things to keep track of.
David thanks for this message. Love to discuss this subject :). I'm sharing you a previous answer on that topic, not to try to convince you, I totally get your point, but just to explain that this choice is not a random weird one and has been thoughtfully matured throuth ears ( it's David from MelodEar by the way :). First I want to say that it is in project to implement in a future version of MelodEar a tonal system like you describe using the Solfa ( do re mi fa so la ti do), keeping the do always on the tonal center. However, if I totally understand that it makes more sense for educated instrumentalists like you that already are aware of the notes place in the harmony ( for instance on a A7 you know immediately that Bb is the b9 of the chord), this system would be more confusing for singers or people with no notions of harmony. With the current system they can know in a glance which note of the mode they are singing, and so know how it should sound. ( I dont sing a 6th the way I will sing a #9). I think it's something singers will understand more easily, but if you sing a little bit it may ring a bell to you. I think instrumentalists have a lot to gain here too, because for some reason I'm almost certain that experiencing the physical print of the each note gives density, musicality and strengh to each note you play on your instrument, because you feel it in your bones and Ear.
- it also stabilises the color prints of the notes & modes, as well as the musical intercourses for the memory to process them. Each time you sing a 6th on the dorian mode for instance, it sounds the same. So it's way easier to memorize than being on a note and not really ( or always) knowing what is this note in the harmony. It also stabalises the memory of prhases. The same phrase on a given chord is always numbered the same , as oposite to the notes system.
But again, I totally agree your point : the current interface of MelodEar is not showing the tonal intercourses of the chords. But I can assure you that on a practical level, it's really powerful to do this work. I' ve been using this method for 15 years now , with singers & instrumentalists, and at the end of the day the language is secondary : by doing this things start to change very deeply. Hope I was clear because these are really very subtle questions;
And sorry not being able to make it quicker, that' s just the time it takes to explain ;).
Thanks for this exchange ! Best , David.
Can the app be used by plugging in, say, a guitar or other instrument), or just by singing?
(in other words: could I use my guitar instead of singing?)
@@daegabmusic59 I'm David, the inventor of MelodEar . You could play the guitar if you have an acoustic guitar and what you would play would be displayed on the app. So the short answer is yes, technically.( you can't plug though).But the long answer :) is that then I think you would be missing the big point of the app which is to develop your inner ear. That's what could connect you more to your instrument. Sing ! you dont have to sing magnificiently , but your voice is the best thing you have to check what you actually hear ! Best, David
@@Deskenazy Merci beaucoup, David, pour votre réponse! I think your App is a great ear-training tool as it allows one to always be aware of a melody/top voice-interval being sung/played over any given chord... this is something I'm already able to do, eccept at really slow tempos. Being able to actually visualise and name, in real time, the the melody-interval being sung/played while improvising is surely a huge help in speeding up the process and reinforcing one's ability to create melodic improvised lines using chord-tones in complex changes (provided I've understood correctly). I think, besides singing, I could also use my jazz-guitar unplugged, as it has an acustically loud enough sound. All the best.
Doing anything useful with modes has always been my Achilles heel. All those weird scales just seem like alphabet soup to me. Something automated like this might be a helpful tool, but I think I'd need to be able to work with in on the piano, or just singing "la" versus strictly singing scale member numbers. I'm also an Android user, not an IOS user. Otherwise I might be willing to give it a try. People likening it to Rubik's Cube are losing me too, because I've never been able to solve or enjoy those 3D puzzles. Maybe if there's something similar but simpler for Android, that's also not too expensive...
There is no android app yet. Any sugestions on how to train this way without this app?
Thank you so much Dani , we created a special one-shot newsletter that will be used only to notify people interested in the androïd version when it’s ready. Here :
melodear-app.com/melodear-for-android
For you it’s cool to have a secure way to know when it’s ready, and for us it’s very helping because we will know when we can securely invest in the development for androïd once there is enough people to do so. We are a small company and we invest graudually.
So feel free to sign in the newsletter. Best regards, David.
Hola esta genial la app !
Te hago una pregunta, sabes cómo hacer para poner 2 acordes o más en 1 compás ?
Gracias
I’m late to this party, but I have a question: I’m considering this app, but after posting your review a year ago do you find yourself still using it and would you still recommend it? Ok, that’s two questions 😁
I think that it might not be available anymore for purchase 😬 Check
Thanks, I so get you..me a synesthete-color music
I'm still working on Chopsticks. ;-)
Interesting.
I’ve been using Improvise For Real for several years and am biased. Jumping into a different number system for each chord is a pain the ass as it means you are playing with one set of numbers while trying to work out how to move into the next number system. Awful really, and it’s why so many jazz players sound like they are just playing scales over each chord.
This is surely a great way of learning to improvise on the correct modes. However, with my 3+ years of learning Jazz piano, this would be a waste of time at my level. I‘m taking the simple approach of listening to solos of great musicians that I like and, if they are at my reach, copy them note by note and learn to play them.
Hi hungry for music, I totally get your point. However, if I may add my point of view, I'd like to say 2 things :
this app focuses more on the connection between the ear and the instrumental playing. So yes you wouldn't benefit in direct performance, but certainly in strengthening this connexion to your instrument. Because by singing your improvs , you will learn to actually hear every note you play. Which playing transcription will not necessarily give you. ( unless you sing and analyse them). By the way, there are a bunch of cool transcriptions in MelodEar and more will be added each month.
Have fun with or without of course :) !
Does it have an option to display function as chromatic solfege syllables instead of numbers?