By: Brad Conroy
Earmaster Pro 5
EarMaster Pro 5 is a software program that operates on both Mac and Windows platforms, and is designed to aid, develop, and enhance the ears of every musician that takes the time to work through the program’s lessons. This aural skills training program is an excellent tool for both self-guided study and as a resource in the class room.
EarMaster Pro 5 is eloquently designed and contains a lifetime’s worth of information, including four hundred and fifty classical and rock music lessons and two hundred and eleven lessons dedicated to jazz. Musicians of all levels, beginner to professional, will benefit from working with this software, greatly improving their ability to hear music, while simultaneously developing quick reflexes in their comprehension of music theory.
One of the most helpful tutors on EarMaster Pro 5 is the interval identification lessons. Beginning with simple interval recognition, such as which interval is greater or has the largest distance between notes using M2, m2, M3 and m3 intervals. Using just a few intervals at a time, the tutor guides you along at a slow but steady pace. Starting with ascending examples, the next lesson adds descending intervals before moving into the harmonic realm, all the while testing the student’s ability from every possible angle.
This all encompassing approach will ensure that students will internalize these concepts and be able to recognize them with the utmost confidence. As this is just a brief description of the first five lessons, imagine what can be accomplished after working through forty of these lessons, and that’s just one tutor.
The interval identification tutor provides the student with just as many lessons on the theoretical understanding of intervals, including identifying them on the staff, and even allows you to sing them if you have a microphone on your computer. There is also a tutor for chord spelling, aural identification (ability to recognize chords by simply hearing them), inversions, scales, rhythms, chord progressions, and many more. If there is a skill that the serious musician needs, EarMaster Pro 5 has plethora of exercises to deal with it.
If the student is serious and puts forth the effort and concentration that is required to attain any musical skill, EarMaster Pro 5 can be an invaluable resource, and provide you with enough material to practice and review for years to come. Don’t let the notion that you have to practice to get a head scare you. There is a strong element of fun when working through these tutors, and when working with EarMaster Pro 5 you’ll know that you’re spending time on something that is really worth while.
The software isn’t over animated, which is nice, and gives the sense that it’s geared toward the mastery of aural skills and simply that. It keeps track of all your grades and statistics from the lessons you’ve completed, providing additional motivation, or so the classroom teacher has the ability to keep track of their student’s progress. You can also change the interfaces from piano to guitar and many other custom options.
EarMaster Pro 5 is an incredible resource for musicians of all levels and genres. It’s extremely easy to use and comes with a wide variety of options and hundreds of lessons on classical, jazz, and rock music. All designed to push the boundaries of the student’s ability to hear, recognize, and understand aural skills and music theory.
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Earmaster Pro Screenshot
