FIVE MUSIC LEARNING DISKS FOR THE MAC

Five music learning disk sets from Trimbelle Software are available for the Macintosh computer family. The five disks available are:

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMS

DISK I: FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC

Exercises in the basics of musicalknowledge, including:

DISK II: INTERVALS, SCALES & CHORDS

Music theory for the more advanced learner, containing: TUTORIALS in the theory, construction, and notation of:

DISK III: UNDERSTANDING MUSIC

Tutorials and exercises for students of music appreciation and musical structure. All chapters begin with Tutorials that consist of reading material on scrolling screen fields accompanied by aural examples. These tutorials and the subsequent Listening exercises present dozens of musical exerpts from the baroque period to the 20th century. Sudents are guided in learning and identifying the concepts under study through actual manipulation of "live" music played through a MIDI keyboard. Chapter headings are:

  1. Musical Resources: instrument and voice classification, configurations of standard musical ensembles.
  2. Rhythm: Recognizing duple and triple, simple and compound meters and other kinds of rhythmic activity .
  3. Musical Texture: monophony, melody & accompaniment, homophony, polyphony, and mixed textures with interactive tutorials and listening exercises.
  4. Harmony and Tonality: theory and principles of tonality and harmony; aural recognition of major/minor, tonic/dominant, dissonant/consonant and tonal/atonal harmonic passages.
  5. Melodic Structures: motives, phrases, periods, couplets, cadences; identification of antecedent/consequent phrase structures, repetition, contrast, variation, return.

A unique feature of these programs is the opportunity for students to explore the forms in detail and to 'create' their own structures. For instance, by clicking any portion of a sonata-form "map", only that section will be heard. In dealing with the smaller, sectional forms, students are able arrange and rearrange the sections of a rondo, variation, or binary form to gain a more intimate knowledge of how the forms work through personal experimentation.

DISK IV : THE WELL-TEMPERED EAR

Studies in Ear Training.

All programs sound an example on command, then require students to notate the example on a staff icon, after choosing note values and/or accidentals as needed. Labels must also be supplied for intervals and chords. Unlimited repetition of examples is allowed, and students may also hear and see their own incorrect answers, to compare with the correct versions.

Disk Set V: THE MUSIC TRAIN

Music theory and ear training for younger students.

A two-disk integrated set of programs adapted from Disks I, II, and III especially for younger students of middle school or junior-high school age. Study programs and tutorials have been repurposed with snappier graphics and more gradually graded examples to provide a more elementary approach to these areas. Competitive games involving up to three students have been designed to provide a more entertaining and active learning environment. There are thirteen complete programs with 39 level selections and hundreds of randomly-presented individual examples. Contents of this set are:

  • Music Fundamentals: Musical terms, symbols, key signatures, and note-spellers in three clefs.
  • Intervals: Tutorial and game in constructing common musical intervals.
  • Scales: Tutorial and exercises in notating major and minor scales in treble clef.
  • Ear Training: Melodic phrases in arhythmic and rhythmic patterns, along with games in recognizing and notating rhythm patterns.

    MORE INFORMATION

    The disks are pretty reasonably priced. A demo disk is available.

    Order from your dealer, or from:

    Trimbelle Music & Software
    7157 County Rd. 133
    Steedman, MO 65077
    573-676-3034

    Trimbelle Software's Email address is:

    danitz@vax2.rainis.net