Rating: 
Summary: Hard but worth the effort
Review: I bought this book about 6 months ago. I have only been working on two of the exercises so far but even that has really turned my head around about how to hear sound. I basically have found that this book has started to change my perception of how to identify sound. Though I haven't mastered the ideas presented in this book I am starting to realize that you can indeed memorize the sound of each note within a key and use this as a method to identify pitches. My overall recommendation is not to get this book if you don't have a lot of dedication to practicing. I have found the exercises to very difficult and quite honestly was about to give up a few times. I suppose each person who might buy this book is coming from a different place so my comments may not pertain to everyone. For me, I just couldn't latch onto a method of ear training that worked for me. This method is no "walk in park" but it is working and that's what matters to me.
Rating:
Summary: My Experience
Review: I recently purchased the Ear Training One Note Series and Fanatic's Guide by Mr. Arnold and thought I would share my experience. You can see my review of the Ear Training One Note Series under those book titles. First let's look at the positive things. I like the fact that this is a method and there are many levels and types of books in this series to help you develop at your own pace. I also like the fact that you can start with a level that is right for you and not have to purchase a book with a bunch of exercises that you already can do. But really the main thing that separates this method from any other method I read about or used is that you can contact the author through the muse-eek website if you don't understand something, need direction or just need encouragement. I had quite a few questions over the last couple of months and Mr. Arnold has responded with quite insightful responses. The author is obviously concerned for my development and helped me organize a way to work with this book and others in his series. My one main criticism of this book is that it's overwhelming. There are so many exercises and page after page of note combinations to sing that I was really confused where to start. Although for each exercise it was easy to understand what to do I just didn't know which one to do first and how to organize my practice time. I contacted Mr. Arnold about this and his explanation was that this book "is an overall encylopidia of exercises for students both beginning and advanced." Mr. Arnold directed me to the member's area of the Muse-eek website where book owners can download further information for free about this ear training method. There are lesson files for this book located there which for me really helped me organize my time and get on the road to improving. I think it's important to realize that this method of ear training is really quite different from other available methods. Mr. Arnold calls in "Contextual Ear Training" because you are always relating pitches to an underlying key or sense of key. I'm a giging musician and I've found that this type of ear training has really changed my perception over the last 6 months. Overall I have to say I'm happy with this book. For me being able to contact the author and all the help files on the publisher's website make this a great learning experience! I got the other members of my band working with this method too. In my band mate's humble opinion and mine, muse-eek has one of the best if not only distant learning place for music on the internet.
Rating:
Summary: The "KEY" is the "KEY"
Review: I've been using Mr. Arnold's approach to ear training for about a month now. I have found it very challenging but on the same hand very rewarding. The main thing I have come away with from Mr. Arnold's Ear Training method is how damaging interval based ear training can be to your musical development. He believes that you must first understand how to hear the sound of all 12 notes against a key. I was a little unsure whether this all made sense but after working with this method I am seeing real progress. I'm currently using a combination of the (Ear Training One Note) and the Fanatic's Guide and I find it to be a winning combination. If you are serious about developing your ears like I am, I'd highly recommend checking this method out and starting off on the right path.
Rating:
Summary: The "KEY" is the "KEY"
Review: I've been using Mr. Arnold's approach to ear training for about a month now. I have found it very challenging but on the same hand very rewarding. The main thing I have come away with from Mr. Arnold's Ear Training method is how damaging interval based ear training can be to your musical development. He believes that you must first understand how to hear the sound of all 12 notes against a key. I was a little unsure whether this all made sense but after working with this method I am seeing real progress. I'm currently using a combination of the (Ear Training One Note) and the Fanatic's Guide and I find it to be a winning combination. If you are serious about developing your ears like I am, I'd highly recommend checking this method out and starting off on the right path.
Rating:
Summary: Hard but worth the effort
Review: Mr. Arnold offers practical advice and information to the contemporary music student. His several books present methods for learning music in an efficient and enjoyable manner. The methods were developed and refined during his many years of teaching, and are well informed by his professional associations with many of the world's finest musicians.I have taught music theory and aural comprehension to well over 1000 music students at New York University. These future performers and composers hail from a wide variety of musical backgrounds - classical, jazz, rock, music technology, and music theater - and I have instructed them in ear-training techniques that are similar in methodology to Mr. Arnold's. These techniques have caused dramatic improvement in almost all students that have applied themselves and allotted sufficient time for practice. In the 10 years of our acquaintance, Bruce Arnold has consistently impressed me with his abilities as a performer, composer, and educator. I share his philosophy of ear-training instruction and feel that he has realized it in a highly functional and useful manner with his books and CDs. For these reasons, I especially recommend his materials to my students, as I recommend them to anyone with the desire to expend effective hard work in the pursuit of their musical aspirations. Klaus Sinfelt, Assistant Director of Music Theory, Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, New York University
Rating:
Summary: Highly Effective
Review: Mr. Arnold offers practical advice and information to the contemporary music student. His several books present methods for learning music in an efficient and enjoyable manner. The methods were developed and refined during his many years of teaching, and are well informed by his professional associations with many of the world's finest musicians. I have taught music theory and aural comprehension to well over 1000 music students at New York University. These future performers and composers hail from a wide variety of musical backgrounds - classical, jazz, rock, music technology, and music theater - and I have instructed them in ear-training techniques that are similar in methodology to Mr. Arnold's. These techniques have caused dramatic improvement in almost all students that have applied themselves and allotted sufficient time for practice. In the 10 years of our acquaintance, Bruce Arnold has consistently impressed me with his abilities as a performer, composer, and educator. I share his philosophy of ear-training instruction and feel that he has realized it in a highly functional and useful manner with his books and CDs. For these reasons, I especially recommend his materials to my students, as I recommend them to anyone with the desire to expend effective hard work in the pursuit of their musical aspirations. Klaus Sinfelt, Assistant Director of Music Theory, Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, New York University
Rating: 
Summary: Thanks
Review: Muse Eek Publishing and Recording Company would like to thank all the Amazon.com customers for their wonderful response to this book. Muse Eek stands behind all our products and we encourage you to interact with us if you have any questions. We would also like to mention that the author, Mr. Bruce Arnold has a new CD release "A Few Dozen" which is available in the music section of amazon.com
Rating:
Summary: No Fluff, The Right Stuff
Review: This method is excellent! If I could give it more than five stars I would. If you're willing to put in the time it pays off. I have been working on the exercises from this book for almost a year and my ear has improved tremendously. Follow Mr. Arnolds directions in the book exactly as spelled out and you will do yourself a big favor. He has put in the time learning this material himself and knows all the pitfalls of doing it wrong and has distilled a method that works. He learned from the pros and has published what he learned. If you want a nice glossy book with lots of cool pictures this isn't for you. If you want something that works get it, do it, and you'll be amazed. The bottom line is you have to the work for the results. I have noticed some reviews that note the starkness of Mr. Arnold's books. His books are all substance and no jive! He shows his dedication to the material he presents by providing a FAQ section on the museek Website. You can submit a question and he answers it right away, sometimes in minutes, never more that 24 hours. That really surprised me!
Rating:
Summary: No Fluff, the Right Stuff
Review: This method is excellent! If you didn't get that - this method is excellent. If you're willing to put in the time it pays off. I have been working on the exercises from this book for almost a year and my ear has improved tremendously. Follow Mr. Arnolds directions in the book exactly as spelled out and you will do yourself a big favor. He has put in the time learning this material himself and knows all the pitfalls of doing it wrong and has a distilled method that works. He learned from the pros and has published what he learned. If you want a nice glossy book with lots of cool pictures and esoteric quotes about "intuitive osmotic resonance sensing" this isn't for you. If you want something that works get it, do it, and you'll be amazed. The bottom line is you have to the work for the results. I have noticed some reviews that note the starkness of Mr. Arnold's books. His books are all substance and no jive! He shows his dedication to the material he presents by providing a FAQ section on the museek Website. You can submit a question and he answers it right away, sometimes in minutes, never more that 24 hours. That really surprised me!
Rating:
Summary: No Fluff, The Right Stuff
Review: This method is excellent! If I could give it more than five stars I would. If you're willing to put in the time it pays off. I have been working on the exercises from this book for almost a year and my ear has improved tremendously. Follow Mr. Arnolds directions in the book exactly as spelled out and you will do yourself a big favor. He has put in the time learning this material himself and knows all the pitfalls of doing it wrong and has distilled a method that works. He learned from the pros and has published what he learned. If you want a nice glossy book with lots of cool pictures this isn't for you. If you want something that works get it, do it, and you'll be amazed. The bottom line is you have to the work for the results. I have noticed some reviews that note the starkness of Mr. Arnold's books. His books are all substance and no jive! He shows his dedication to the material he presents by providing a FAQ section on the museek Website. You can submit a question and he answers it right away, sometimes in minutes, never more that 24 hours. That really surprised me!
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