Music software has evolved quite a bit over the last 20 years. While sequencing, audio editing, and notation have been the primary software focus in the music retail biz, educational software has sold “in the background”, primarily to school systems and music teachers. Now there are increasingly more teaching tools available in your local PC and Mac stores; here is a new educational tool that is surprisingly complete in its approach, simple in execution, and very enjoyable. During many years on the retail floor, I had numerous customers ask about “music lessons”; I would hand them the number of local college music departments. Here you have a product that would have and does fit the bill, covering the basics of scales, key signatures, intervals, basic notation concepts, rhythms, chord structures, etc., all for only $59. On top of that, you don’t have lessons to schedule (or reschedule) with a teacher; you can do it in the luxury of your own home, or on your laptop at the locale of choice (wireless internet-ready coffee shop, here I come!).

Installation

Simple. Insert the Fundamentals cd-rom in your computer’s drive, and then go to the site and register. Once the user name and password are established, the course intro pops up with a reminder of “things you need to know before…” You will have to go to the CD Rom Setup, and specify (at least, according to the PDF manual) whether it is a Windows or Mac drive. I used a Dual 1.25 GHz G4; the program automatically recognized the cd. The minimum hardware and software requirements are explained: Internet Explorer for PC, Safari or IE for Mac, Real Player, Quick Time, Macromedia Flash Player and Shockwave Player, Sibelius Scorch Player. Links are provided if you need to download (for free) any of these programs. The cd must remain in the drive during the educational process; it holds the various graphics and music clips interspersed throughout the course.

Getting Started

The course covers the following topics: basic notation, the staff, clefs, scales, key signatures, intervals triads (major, minor, diminished, augmented), triads, introduction rhythm and meter, and dominant seventh chords. The beginning of the course is very basic stuff, necessary for the beginner, good to go over again for the more seasoned (if for no other reason, than to get a handle on how the educator thinks and organizes the teaching materials). Throughout the course, you can email a teacher for questions (a support link is provided), you can email other students, check out faqs, check your overall progress, or log out for a break. Wish I could have logged out of some of my theory classes back in college, in the pre-PC Jurassic age…

The Road To Graduation Is Paved With Software…

The course begins with an explanation of basic keyboard and notation concepts and terms. There are a lot of graphical goodies interspersed throughout this and subsequent lessons. Images of black and white keys (White to Black, Black to White) come up with an invitation: “Show Me.” Click on that invitation, and the interval between adjoining black and whites keys is played. This is excellent: you see the image, you hear the image. Ear training is an important part of music education, and you get it throughout the course, whether demonstrating intervals, scales, chords, etc. Different types of music training techniques are employed, from simple definitions, to working with staves, notes and symbols, to mnemonics: “All Cows Eat Grass” (the first letters A-C-E-G illustrate the spaces on the bass staff). The early part of the course is thorough, but lays the topics out simply and logically.

Some of the graphical illustrations, i.e., the creation of the Grand Staff is pretty neat, as elements draw before your very eyes. There are a variety of music examples throughout; bits of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, and even the Sound of Music. There are also bits of music history thrown in: the Barber piece was used in 4 films, the Wagner in 2 (Platoon and Apocalypse Now, both about Vietnam…). The last association concerning the use of the Barber piece is typical of the experience I had taking this course. As I studied one concept, I followed links connected with various examples, learned a little history, and started connecting the dots with the info. Besides just learning a list of terms and facts, the brain is teased to discover hidden things as well. This is a good way to learn!

Interesting tid bits accompany every page, helping to diversify the educational experience. On the left side of the page, there is a list of keywords. Click on any of them, and a popup box appears. For instance, I clicked on the term “tertian harmony”, the box came up, a voice pronounced the term (watch the audio level of your sound card, or the guy pronouncing “tertian harmony” will wake you up!), the definition appeared, and key words in the definition were highlighted. They were links to further layers of definitions. This is an excellent way of keeping each lesson simple and easy. Instead of loading up the text with all this data, you can go through the lesson, and then investigate many of the related terms and concepts at your leisure. This keeps the graphical interface neat and clean, while having the info for related concepts close at hand. This also stimulates the brain to make associations between topics embedded in your lessons.

As the course progresses into scales and meters, the difficulty increases slightly. My advice: read everything in each lesson, and take your time. Explore the keywords; these lessons follow a logical progression, and if absorbed at a non-harried pace, good fruit will follow. There are “course required” quizzes along the way, as well as practice quizzes and exercises. Once again, ear training comes to fore, combined with graphical goodies: you are asked to complete a certain chord type by pulling down the correct notation symbol and placing it on the staff; afterwards, the chord is played in audio. Being able to see and hear chords is great ear training. Be careful with your mouse technique: a little sloppiness can get you marked off on the exam requiring the placement of notes on the staff.

The section on meters is excellent; you get to see and hear excerpts in every time signature (well, almost!) there is, and you get a good explanation of what the components of the time signatures mean. This is good info for everyone; in these days of working with loops, we seldom see or hear anything in 9/8; most dance music is 4/4. Once again, there are lots of definitions to learn: asymmetric meters (the top number of the time signature is greater than 4), syncopation, septuple meter, etc. The explanations are simple, and are incorporated into the lessons in helpful ways. The rhythm ear-training test was very good. Several graphic representations of notation were displayed, accompanied by a multiple choice of 4 different rhythms. You got to see and hear the rhythm. When chosen correctly, you were exhorted: excellent choice, bravo, etc. When incorrect, not so exuberant: that is incorrect, wrong, etc. Hey, at least the teacher won’t smack your hand with a ruler!

There is plenty of detail in the world of major and minor scales, as well as diminished, augmented, and dominant seventh chords. Once again, an abundance of exercises allowing a visual and aural experience. The tests have you click on a speaker icon, an interval plays, you pick it out, or perhaps complete it on the staff presented. The course is very interactive, and keeps the mind engaged. There are also interesting “trivia” bits: when studying the circle of fifths, the combination of sharps and flats of opposing scale roots add up to six, for example. On the graphic of the circle, D (2 sharps) and Ab (4 flats) are opposite. These pieces of knowledge that crop up will help the student make mental associations that spur the educational process forward. As the course progresses, the exercises and quizzes help to train the mind to grasp the more difficult portions as they increase. The tests give lots of examples for each type of interval, scale, rhythm, etc., so that the student is thoroughly grounded in each lesson before continuing.

Summary and Conclusion

In this “information age”, education is a desired thing. Today’s living can be a very busy affair, and trying to fit in lessons, or even the occasional night class can be a daunting proposition. The aM-U Fundamentals course solves the problem simply and quite elegantly for the music theory student. For only $59 you get a complete bath in all things theory that can be studied at your convenience. There are email links to instructors and others students for collaboration sake (that is, if the other student responds!) and a history file detailing your progress. I am meeting more artists that come into the music scene via DJ/loop-based programs (Acid, Ableton Live, Garage Band, NI Traktor, etc.), and as they progress, want to get a better handle on all things musical. This is a perfect entry-level program for that musician. So, whether an experienced musician wanting more training, or the absolute beginner, this program is a “no-brainer”. Back to school: time to sign up for class!

* This has been addressed- you now have the option to go back and change your answers.

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