Melodic Intervals Ear-Training Software - 2.04e
(c) 2003 - Jorge Meletti
DESCRIPTION:
This software was developed to help the ear trainning of the user, aiming the perception of melodic intervals played randomly, without a defined tonal center.
HOW IT WORKS:
Some main features differentiate this software from other similar ear-training software.
1) “Virtual Keyboard”
The first feature stands for the way the user transmit the answer to the computer. In many programs, the played intervals are isolated form each other, forcing the user to think just in intervals name, clicking the answer in a list of potential answers. In the T.I.M. software, a keyboard like a piano is used to formulate the question, showing a reference note red painted, simultaneously to the corresponding sound.
As the next note is played, now without visual reference, the user click with the mouse pointer in the note he believes to be correct, training either his melodic intervals ear perception, and the piano keyboard mental mapping, transferring an abstract concept of, lets say, diminished fifth, to a concrete distance in the keyboard.
The user can also choose how many notes are played until the software gives another visual reference in red. The default value is “one reference note for two notes played”, and as the ear perception grows stronger, the user can choose one reference note for 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 played notes, allowing him to guess by ear long melodic chains, based on the intervals chosen for that study section.
Yet, for a specific training of the mental keyboard mapping, an obvious pre-requisite to use the T.I.M. Program, is offered a preliminary study modulus with the same keyboard setup. In this modulus the user chooses just one melodic interval to study. Then, the software casts random notes, red painted, and the user must click on notes far away from this reference note the distance of the chosen interval. This modulus is static, and there’s no pre-defined time for the user answer. This means that in this preliminary phase of study, the user have all time he judges right to grasp either mental agility, calculating the interval from the reference note, and manual agility, controlling the mouse pointer.
2) Study Dynamics
The second characteristic that differentiate the T.I.M. program is the dynamic of study that can be reached in a training section. In a lot of other ear-training programs, the computer play a note, or interval, waits for the user’s answer, show the result, right or wrong, waits more to allow the user sees the result, and, sometimes, wait for another click in a button such as “next” or “go”, finally going on to the next question. All this process demands much more time than necessary, and the user waste your time and mental freshness that could be used to answer to much more tests.
In the T.I.M. Program, the notes are played in a continuous way, in a pace, or speed, defined by the user. This forces a rhythmic thinking, in a “multi-task” attitude, with the ability of hear-process-answer and, in the case, quitting the current interval and go to the next.
Another profit of this method of studing is not wasting the intervals BETWEEN the intervals, as shown in the picture bellow.
In other software:
In T.I.M. Program (e.g. with minor and major seconds, and perfect fifth selected). In this case, the intervals BETWEEN the intervals are also practiced:
With this feature the time of study is radically optimized, avoiding waste of time, and allowing a bigger number of answers per minute, and a better aproveitamento
If the user is working with long melodic chains, let’s say, one reference note for six played notes, he can use an auxiliary tool: in the case of a wrong answer, he can be informed what was the correct answer, now shown in a blue-painted key. This way, the user don’t need to wait until the next reference note, and the study can flow smoothly.
3) Ear Memory
The third characteristic of the T.I.M. Program is about the ear memory training that a continuous chain of melodic intervals can give. The image bellow show this point, in a situation where the user could use his ear memory to guess the played notes, training his ear perception, ear memory, and his attention to the melodic patterns that can happen.
4) Statistics saved on the HD
The T.I.M. Program offers the user to save his performance in each study section in the HD. This function is great to follow his progress in the ear-training and planning future studies, as it shows the number of right and wrong answers, overall and average results, in each type of melodic intervals trained, ever associated to the date and the speed of the study section. Looking the statistics window, as shown bellow, its easier to see what intervals the user misses more, and in which intervals he must concentrated his future studies.
5) Massive Training
hese features allow to the T.I.M. Program to perform a huge number of intervals to be answered by the user. E.g. with a speed defined at 26 notes per mintute, with one reference note for 5 played notes, we can train about 24 intervals per minute. In fifteen minutes, a very short span of time for music sutudy, the user can practice 360 intervals, even before get tired.
6) WARNING
Don’t use the mouse for long periods of time, or you may have a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Why don't you read more about this at Avoiding (Computer) 'Terminal' Diseases ?
7) License:
NO WARRANTY
BECAUSE THE T.I.M. PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
I agree with the license and want to download tim204e.zip (1.5Mb – about 5 minutes @56k)
System requirements: Windows 9.x/ O.S.
MIDI Compatible sound card.
2MB free HD space.
800x600 pixels resolution screen.
CONTACT
jorgemeletti@yahoo.com.br
