With Mode Ear Trainer, you get to practice listening actively to learn what each mode sounds like in isolation. To use it, simply click buttons with your mouse (or press certain keys on your computer keyboard) to navigate the widget and hear a string of notes. Then try to pick out which mode they’re in from a list of options. An experience point system and streak counter keeps track of your performance as well as reward accuracy over time.
To start a new exercise just click on New challenge button at the beginning of the session. This loads up a new exercise with a prompt about what to listen out for (for example, is it a scale that goes up or down). Press the Listen button to hear the sequence through your device’s speakers.
How to Use the Mode Ear Trainer
At the same time, there is piano visualization above the panel. It shows which keys is highlighted as they play, giving you both a rhythmic and pitched visual clue to help you select the correct one. Just press on Listen again to hear it again as many times as necessary then make your choice. Just click on one of the seven buttons arranged in a circular grid that correspond to each mode.
The widget will show whether you got it right or not, and adjust your score accordingly. It will display a success message if you guessed correctly, but highlight the right answer for you if you were incorrect. This way you don’t lose any streaks for getting something wrong, and you’ll learn from your mistakes. You can even press the Reveal button to get the answer instantly and skip the guesswork entirely for educational purposes.
Keyboard shortcuts allow you to play without lifting your hands from the home row, though you can still use buttons with your mouse. Instead of clicking the Listen button, press the Space bar. To choose any one of the modes from the wheel (Ionian being 1 and Locrian 7), use the numbers 1-7 on the keyboard. Escape will reset the round and clear your selection. R will display the current answer, and N begins a new challenge. These shortcuts makes the process smoother and keep you focused on audio task at hand.
On the top bar click Easy, Medium or Hard to adjust the difficulty. Easy will simplify patterns, limit the pool to only four common modes. Medium will add some more variety but still expect a little easier discrimination from similar sounding patterns. Hard will use all seven modes. It will challenge you with descending lines where you must be able to tell interval colors without regard for contour.
Alongside this is your best score and streaks so you can see how well you’re doing over time. The Master Volume Slider enables you to adjust the level of the audio that the program generates (feedback tones, mode phrases etc.) so it’s comfortabley to listen to in your surroundings. By pressing the Fullscreen button you can remove any distractions from around the page and have a bigger view of the interface. This will help you expand your workspace if you want to focus only on training task or practice on a smaller screen.
The Help panel outlines the scoring system and offers detailed advice for every kind of challenge. Tap How to play, to expand it and read about how to recognize a characteristic altered degree such as a sharp four in Lydian or a flat two in Phrygian. It also covers the scoring rules and keyboard mappings. It explains how experience points and streaks is calculated. Leave this open in fullscreen mode for easy reference when practising.
If you wish to restart the visual feedback (but don’t worry, this won’t reflect on your overall score), just hit the Clear button and clear your answer. To cater to whatever time you have or whatever your ability is at present, you can easily switch back and forth between difficulty levels as often as necessary. Staying in one zone may well help you strengthen your ear training skills more by practicing consistently at each of the three level.
First off, get a feel for what each one sounds like by doing a round or two on Easy. Then start ramping up to Medium or Hard if you feel comfortable enough to push your accuracy and recognition speed. Use the keyboard shortcuts so you can go from hearing to choosing as quickly possible without interrupting your flow. It’s meant to be done a little bit every day, short bursts, but over time it should of stick.
Open the interface, hit space and let your first training session begin.