The GuitarParrot Story

I am extremely excited to share this unique melodic ear-training app with you!

Something that every virtuoso musician will express to you is the importance of ear training on your instrument. They are right! At some point in your development, you should reach a level where you hear a note, chord, or melody and know exactly where it lives on your instrument. It can take years. Then, one day, you GET IT. I used to practice this by learning songs as they played on the radio. This is one of many “lightbulb on” moments that every learning musician should strive for; it is an essential step to musical freedom and creativity. Getting there is different for each player and what works for one player may not work for another.

I will often play "follow the leader" against a student during a lesson. One student complained that there was no way to practice this at home. He looked all over the App Store and found nothing that could help. "You should write an app that does that!" At the time, I had never written an app. "I'm a guitar player, not a software developer!" On October 15, 2020, I finally cleared all the hurdles and GuitarParrot became a reality.

Disguised as a game, GuitarParrot is a random melodic musical workout that easily adjusts from Super Simple all the way to Super Impossible. A benefit and challenge for every level of player. Playing the 4-note scale at Level 1 is a 4-note melody, which builds success and confidence by giving you an easy win. Each increase in level adds 4 notes to your challenge, up to Level 20. For an even greater challenge and a more complete workout, there are multiple scale shapes available in all 12 keys. A Custom Scale option makes any scale possible.

Hard memorization of anything loses its effectiveness after awhile. The only way you can really develop the ability to truly hear and identify a chord or melody is to practice using something you haven't heard before. Yes, learning and practicing scales and chords in all keys is super important for feeling tonal reference centers, but it's just one piece of the puzzle.

There are many apps available with the goal of helping players develop ear skills.

Some issues I have observed:

• An ear training app should not show you where the expected note is or what is coming next.
• If you respond to a pitch by tapping your phone, it isn't making you better at your instrument.
• Following a music staff of notes improves sight reading, not ear training.
• The grouping of notes should include common solo patterns, not just root-to-octave scale shapes.

GuitarParrot rapidly develops various skills, including:

• Hear a note without seeing it, locate it and play it back.
• Hear a string of notes (melody) and repeat them.
• Short-term memory development - remember what you just heard?
• Familiarity with your instrument.
• Play your instrument by ear, not by chasing notes or numbers.
• Sounds you hear in your head can be quickly brought to life.
• Less hunting around for the right note.
• Each melody is random – it can't be memorized!

As your hands learn the "feel" of melodic and intervallic combinations, it becomes easier to locate new things that you hear, even if you don't know what a Minor 3^rd is. If you don't know your intervals, go learn them! Like speaking without knowing how to read – you can play by ear and perhaps have a fine career, but knowing a little theory and the written form of music drastically improves your ability to retain, explain, and explore the language of music.

You can use the built-in mic on the device, or use your favorite A/D converter and plug directly into the device for a cleaner signal. You actually don't need a guitar, you can even play the game with another instrument or by singing!

Stay tuned! I look forward to getting input from users on how GuitarParrot can be improved. If you would like to receive email updates, please send me an email via the Credits page.

Rock on!
Dave Hineman.