The widget allows you to practice reading ledger lines in either a bass or treble clef across two different types of training mode. There are also options to use the widget by navigating via your computer keyboard (which may be quicker than your mouse or trackpad). It’s split into a staff display on the left and a control panel on the right, including error tracking and scoring information down below.
Two game modes make up the core of the learning process in the training car section. One is called Note Name, where you see a note appear on the staff and need to guess its letter and octave. A series of buttons (labeled with letters from C through G) lets you choose the right letter; pressing the plus and minus controls adjusts the octave until the note’s pitch matches what you’ve seen on the staff. The other game mode is Placement car. In this mode, the widget tell you which note to input. You can use movement buttons or click directly on the staff lines to drag the note up or down the staff.
How to Use the Ledger Line Trainer
The keyboard on your computer is a slick alternative to grabbing the mouse. In Name car mode, just hit key corresponding to each letter of the note you want (keys A-G). To specify the octave, use numbers 1-6. In Placement car mode, the arrow keys lets you shift your note a single step on the staff; Page Up/Down will jump it an octave at a time. Hit Enter with your choice after playing in either mode. Spacebar will sound current pitch. R will reset the eight-stop sight-reading route. N sends out another note.
Adjusting the focus and level of difficulty for practicing comes from the right-hand side control panel. In the clef shaft section, you can select Bass, Treble, or mixed mode, which cycles randomly through both clefs. If you’re looking to improve your reading in both clefs then this option is handy as it avoids having to reset the widget each time. Next are the ledger lines which you adjust using the ledge reach setting to Skyline, Balcony, Near. These show how high or low note positions are relative to staff line. For more advanced users Skyline shows greatest number of ledger lines.
The notes are the ones you see above, but they’re presented within a musical context using phrases. Either Upstairs or Downstairs will select the direction for the other notes (the ghost notes) that accompany the phrases. It teaches you to hear individual pitches. It also teaches you how those pitches relates to one another and how they change shape throughout the phrase. The surprise mode does not route randomly but simply turns the direction into a surprise, so you have to use your inner ear’s sense of the relative heights of pitches instead of recognizing patterns.
Difficulty is controlled by an auto-route switch that toggles on/off. If it’s enabled, the widget will raise or lower the range of ledger lines based off whether you get three correct in a row or make a mistake. This maintains the same difficulty based on what you can handle. The Skyline sight-read route creates a series of eight notes ascending or descending from the staff for a more intense endurance test. You need to be accurate and on target with this one over a slightly longer phrase. To begin sequence just press the route button. A progress bar will appear and track your stops.
Use the volume slider to adjust how loudly the bell sound confirms each pitch. This is useful when practicing around others, or if you prefer something not so loud as an audible clue. That way, you know what range is harder to get a good score on. Your stats are also right there on the conductor’s call board. You’ll see your total accuracy percentage, how many in a row you’re getting right (your “streak”), and even your highest streak ever. When you get a wrong one, the correct answer shows up in the missed-floor notebook and you can click on the revisit button right beside it to practice just that one note right away if you want.
You should of tried it sooner. Clearing out the log will reset all of your stats and put the adaptive difficulty back to square one, letting you start over with a clean slate for the next practice run. To get started, select an area in which you are comfortabley (Near) and just work through it in one of the clefs until you feel confident. Then Adaptive Mode will gradually add more ledger lines both above and below so that it stretches out the range you can play.
Practice with your eyes on the music and use keyboard shortcuts to keep your hands free. You want to train yourself to spot where the notes lie on the page as fast as you can. You also want to know things like where the stem goes. Just spend 5 mins a day on the trainer and notice how much quicker/accurate your sight reading becomes.