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. GuitarParrot is here to help.

I often play a "follow the leader" game against a student during a lesson. I call it the 4-note box. G, A, C, D. This little box houses so many song melodies and licks! It puts the Root of the scale (C or Am) where there are notes above and below it. This is musically very powerful. One student complained that there was no way to practice our little game at home. I had never written an app, but I could not ignore how important this app was. I had to bring it into existence. On October 15, 2020, I presented it to the world!

Disguised as a game, GuitarParrot is a Random Melodic Musical Workout that easily adjusts from Super Simple all the way to Super Impossible. There is benefit and challenge for every level of player. Starting with the 4-note scale at Level 1, a 4-note melody, this builds success and confidence. Each increase in Level adds 4 notes, or one measure, to your challenge. Level 10 is a 40 note melody! For greater challenge and a more complete workout, there are multiple scale shapes available in all 12 keys. A Custom Scale option makes any scale available.

In any Music School, a sight-singing and ear-training class will focus on reading or hearing a piece of music that is new, not memorized. This develops the ability to truly hear and identify a chord or melody. Learning and practicing scales and chords in all keys is super important for feeling tonal reference centers, but it is just one piece of the puzzle.

Check out the Images and Videos to see GuitarParrot in action!

Some issues observed in other apps:

• 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 is not making you better at your instrument.
• Following notes on a music staff does improve sight reading, but not ear training.
• The grouping of notes should include common solo patterns, not just root-to-octave scale shapes.
• If you can win the game with sound off, then you are not training your ear.

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 on a staff.
• Sounds you hear in your head can be quickly brought to life.
• Less hunting around for the right note.
• Each melody is random and forces you to explore scales in new ways.

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 any 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.