The App That Is Changing The Way I Improvise 

Hi Aimee I hope you are doing well and your family too. Been following you for a while now I really like your presentation about the app and the potential it has and the rabbit whole...lol I am unfortunately not a iOS user but an Android one. Do you know when this app will be available on Android. Also very well done for taking taking the time out to comment about my favorite singer and musician Mc McDonald I absolutely loved your presentation about him very well done. Thanks take care God bless. Chris from London, UK

I don’t know if it’s changed, but the app is 29.49 a year right now. It’s not much to a gigging musician, but these subscription based apps are really anti-user and anti-consumer. It’s not like the changes to the standards or the music theory is going to change over time. Just a money grab. You pulled really hard for this app, but it’s disappointing to me.

I think it’s still free for six days.

​@@AimeeNolte Your channel is amazing and I really think you're an amazing educator and player. I'm not sure where the disconnect is but I find your language for this video problematic. A six day trial doesn't change the exploitative pricing, it's a free six day trial. When you state full version of the app is 29.49, most people will think that means the full app, not an expiring year subscription. Many people out there don't mind rewarding a developers hard work, but for us on a budget, completely ending all functionality after paying $30 is not OK. Good luck with the continued and deserved growth and please advocate for those of us where $30 is still a chunk of money they have to be concerned about.

@@womplestilskin You're right! "it's free for 6 days" is NOT an answer to the described problem and reduces trust. Aimee shouldn't do advertising this way. She is too exceptionally capable for that kind of nonsense.

'

Scrolled down while the video was loading and saw this quote ...WOW.

I would recommend 'Solo' released by Tom Quayle, this is very specific to guitar and is without a doubt the best way of learning and teaching intervals!

very soon ! out in june 2024 !

Thanks ! this is David , inventor of MelodEar :). Thanks for your kind message. The app is also coming with a bunch of lessons ( the MelodEar Training) that give loads of exercises to work the app through ! check it out

🙏🏼

Thank you😊

Thanks for your kind words Aeron, this is David , the developer of MelodEar. I'm happy that you think we made good work with Mathieu Lescure, who was the coding brain of the whole thing :)

@@Deskenazy More than deserved and I am already sharing this with some of the vocalists I know.

@@aarondoering4613 Thank you so much :)

@@Deskenazy awesome, hope there's an Android version soon

What newsletter? Scoured site for link. Have I missed something? Thanks for the help.

Facts....

Hi Ray this is David, thanks for your comment . Did you have a chance to check out the MelodEar Training ? I think it's absolutely important to go through that, and it's developing all the clues I gave to Aimee in Short. Best, David.

@@Deskenazy thanks for responding. No I have been concentrating on your remarkable vocal training videos rather than the app, but I spent this afternoon exploring the app and it really is ground breaking. Like Aimee I could feel perceptions that were new to me (and I have done a huge amount of ear training courses). The immediate visual feedback of what you are pitching against the harmonies and the fact that these are real jazz harmonies rather than basic chords is game changing. Highly recommended.

Looks like Moveable Do. I know jazz musicians who 'think in moveable do' and they are awesome improvisers.

@@jamesnotsmith1465 except it’s moving to a new “do” for each chord which is definitely different than a movable do that remains static as long as you’re in a single key.

@@kendallburks Thanks for the clarification. Is there a name for this 'chord-based tonic do'?

@@jamesnotsmith1465 I doubt it, but I don’t know. It’s just clearly what the creators of this app are doing. Awareness of the members of the chord is clearly central to understanding Jazz harmony, but how conscious that awareness is in accomplished players is less clear.

This is exactly how I conceptualize music-mode by mode, moment by moment

Hey hi there. How did things evolve after you dove in? What are your thoughts about the app after using it for a couple months? Just wondering... don't feel pressed to respond if you're busy or would rather not!

Hi Enrique thanks for your comment , It's David from MelodEar :). For you to know you don't need to be advanced like Aimee to get started. For starters you can just work one mode at at time ( there are plenty of them) and just get the colors, improve your basic pitch/intervals skills gradually. The lessons of the MelodEar Training will help you with that. Then when you're at ease with one or 2 modes you can start combining them. Hope you have a try ! good luck, best, David.

For any others that may have the same issue: searching for David's full name (David Eskenazy) will bring it up.

:)

I thought they would start singing Castaways🤣

Thank you Adam :) , yes get an Isomething if you wish, or else you can suscribe to the newsletter to be notified when the android version is out , here : melodear-app.com/melodear-for-android It is important also for us that people suscribe, not to get an email and use it, but only to evaluate when we can start investing in the androïd version. We're a small company and we want to get it done nicely and safely.

I agree ! :)

:)))

Hi Bethany, I'm David, the conceptor of MelodEar, I'm happy to answer this for you. This ' hard part ' is all taken care of by MelodEar itself : when you select a chord in the edit window, a list of compatible melodic modes are suggested, so you can't mistake. You can even hear them on top of the chords to make your choice. You can check this out on the quickstart guide at 1'37. :) . Have fun !

Totally agree. The IFR method just make everything more simple and logical. I wish this app could support numbers relative to the tonal center and not the root of each chord.

Chris thanks for this message. Love to discuss this subject :). ( David from MelodEar) First I want to say that it is in project to implement in a future version of MelodEar a tonal system like you describe using the Solfa ( do re mi fa so la ti do), keeping the do always on the tonal center. However, if I totally understand that it makes more sense for educated instrumentalists like you that already are aware of the notes place in the harmony ( for instance on a A7 you know immediately that Bb is the b9 of the chord), this system would be more confusing for singers or people with no notions of harmony. With the current system they can know in a glance which note of the mode they are singing, and so know how it should sound. ( I dont sing a 6th the way I will sing a #9). I think it's something singers will understand more easily, but if you sing a little bit it may ring a bell to you. I think instrumentalists have a lot to gain here too, because for some reason I'm almost certain that experiencing the physical print of the each note gives density, musicality and strengh to each note you play on your instrument, because you feel it in your bones and Ear. - it also stabilises the color prints of the notes & modes, as well as the musical intercourses for the memory to process them. Each time you sing a 6th on the dorian mode for instance, it sounds the same. So it's way easier to memorize than being on a note and not really ( or always) knowing what is this note in the harmony. It also stabalises the memory of prhases. The same phrase on a given chord is always numbered the same , as oposite to the notes system. But again, I totally agree your point : the current interface of MelodEar is not showing the tonal intercourses of the chords. But I can assure you that on a practical level, it's really powerful to do this work. I' ve been using this method for 15 years now , with singers & instrumentalists, and at the end of the day the language is secondary : by doing this things start to change very deeply. Hope I was clear because these are really very subtle questions; And sorry not being able to make it quicker, that' s just the time it takes to explain ;). Thanks for this exchange ! Best , David.

@@dmr12jmy thanks for this message. Love to discuss this subject :). ( David from MelodEar) First I want to say that it is in project to implement in a future version of MelodEar a tonal system like you describe using the Solfa ( do re mi fa so la ti do), keeping the do always on the tonal center. However, if I totally understand that it makes more sense for educated instrumentalists like you that already are aware of the notes place in the harmony ( for instance on a A7 you know immediately that Bb is the b9 of the chord), this system would be more confusing for singers or people with no notions of harmony. With the current system they can know in a glance which note of the mode they are singing, and so know how it should sound. ( I dont sing a 6th the way I will sing a #9). I think it's something singers will understand more easily, but if you sing a little bit it may ring a bell to you. I think instrumentalists have a lot to gain here too, because for some reason I'm almost certain that experiencing the physical print of the each note gives density, musicality and strengh to each note you play on your instrument, because you feel it in your bones and Ear. - it also stabilises the color prints of the notes & modes, as well as the musical intercourses for the memory to process them. Each time you sing a 6th on the dorian mode for instance, it sounds the same. So it's way easier to memorize than being on a note and not really ( or always) knowing what is this note in the harmony. It also stabalises the memory of prhases. The same phrase on a given chord is always numbered the same , as oposite to the notes system. But again, I totally agree your point : the current interface of MelodEar is not showing the tonal intercourses of the chords. But I can assure you that on a practical level, it's really powerful to do this work. I' ve been using this method for 15 years now , with singers & instrumentalists, and at the end of the day the language is secondary : by doing this things start to change very deeply. Hope I was clear because these are really very subtle questions; And sorry not being able to make it quicker, that' s just the time it takes to explain ;). Thanks for this exchange ! Best , David.

and.... I know instrumentalists are the tough guys to convince, but I'll get there and I'm sure they too can benefit from this work :). Where the singers can build a harmonic map, the instrumentalists have the oportunity to really accomplish by singing all their melodic language, and more. When you have to sing all your ideas, everything changes, and it's much more challenging because fingers are not helping anymore :). I' ve seen this so many times of brilliant musicians working with on my method in front of me. But once you have it , all your playing becomes more lively, and come so much closer to your instrumental playing, because your ear is always there. :) ( this comes in complement of my answer on tonal center.

Is it really? I’ll make the switch. Thank you!

Hi Koho , it's David from MelodEar, I would say this approach can be beneficial for any kind of instrumentalist, disregarding the instrument. The key point is to muscle your melodic/harmonic ear. I believe if you achieve that your instrumental playing will enrich naturally. You will connect more with your instrument because your inner ear will be there behind every note you're playing. Best, David.

@@Deskenazy David - thanks for taking the time to reply! Can't wait to try the app. Just one thought - a lot of budding guitarists aim to play "melodically," and it's tough to learn, just I imagine it is singing. A lot of us understand the need for er training, and the benefit of singing a melody, then transferring it to the instrument. The reality, though, is a lot of us just don''t pursue that route, either out of laziness or fear of singing. So, there's a lot of effort put into composing melodies over progressions right on the instrument. I only bring this up since for that audience, being able to input the instrument's note choices directly into the app would be very attractive. A lot of the benefits we see Amy getting in her video might be available that way.

@@koho yeah it's possible to really feel an interval before figuring out how to sing it. I can do that with a keyboard instrument - imagine where a melody goes, play it, and learn how to sing it later. Even melodies that have vocal characteristics. So, I agree that it would be useful to allow instrument input for the app, in addition to singing. Though it could be worse than having to sing😲📢🙄

@@kohothank you, I love your analysis of the emotional aspect behind singing for instrumentalists, and I feel grateful that you describe this little bareer of daring to sing. I must confess that I'd love to be able to convince this audience to go and sing. Even if it's hard ! it's such a breaktrhough. But back to earth, I'd love to take in account your imput for future evolutions, but I'm not sure to understand : do you mean to also have a system where the numbers are replaced by the actual notes ?

Write to circlesongdesk@gmail and see if they can tell you something

Thanks! And, I don’t know. I got it at a thrift store. Glad you like it. So do I!

Yes you do MG. I know it can appear a bit weird at first to loose the tonal center, but as far as ear and singing are concerned, it allows the prints of the colors of the notes ( 2, 6, 4 etc) to really integrate in your system. And it's a bit subtle to explain but it kind of stabilizes the language itself, because then numbers are more permanent in this system. But it's definitely in project to implement in MelodEar a choice of systems including relative and absolute Solfeo ( Do re mi fa so la ti do). Relative would be the same system as now just replacing the numbers by the names of the notes, and absolute would be closer to the tonal center system (the center is keeping the same). I think every system has advantages and inconvenients. Enjoy, David .

@@Deskenazy When using the app, would I first need to learn to be able to hear the quality of the chord such as major, minor, diminished, etc? and do I also need to be able to hear where the chord is in relation to the overall key of the song like this chord is a VII chord? Lastly, by "relative" and "absolute" solfeo are you referring to the movable and fixed DO system? Thanks!

@@mg6192 I'm not sure to understand correctly your question but I would say that MelodEar is not focusing so much on analysing the chord progression. It's a very practical tool to get your ear totally acurate and flexible in the moment. It doesn't replace a theoritical analysis but it does fill the gap that theory is not able to handle alone . The work if you do it in the right order , is very intuivite - Level 1: work on a single mode and work on your pitch ( there is a fine tuner) -Level 2: work on a single mode and improvise, then gradually learn intervals -Level 3 : combine 2 modes -Level 4 : combine more modes - Level 5 : play with motifs and intervals in the crossmode Hope this was helpful ! Best regards, David.

The IFR approach to numbering is much better in my opinion. I have been using it for several years.

IFR is really great. And the developers talk to you and are very helpful. I've learned a lot. They do seem like similar methods though.

@@ledaswan5990 I’m going to get the free 7-day trial of this app to see what it can do. As it does pitch recognition, it might ignore the numbers we sing so it could still be useful. We’ll see.

But if you press the subscribe button, it tells you you can have everything for six days free.

@@AimeeNolte Thanks. I’ll check again. UPDATE: You are right. Thanks. I have deleted my misleading comment.

:)

In Jazz some styles change the scale with every chord. And that’s the problem that needs a solution.

@@disinformationworld9378 My view is that what only matters is if the tonal center (or the key) changes. That's the only time when I change which note is my note 1. There is no right or wrong way of doing things, that's just the way, which works for me as it's much less things to keep track of.

David thanks for this message. Love to discuss this subject :). I'm sharing you a previous answer on that topic, not to try to convince you, I totally get your point, but just to explain that this choice is not a random weird one and has been thoughtfully matured throuth ears ( it's David from MelodEar by the way :). First I want to say that it is in project to implement in a future version of MelodEar a tonal system like you describe using the Solfa ( do re mi fa so la ti do), keeping the do always on the tonal center. However, if I totally understand that it makes more sense for educated instrumentalists like you that already are aware of the notes place in the harmony ( for instance on a A7 you know immediately that Bb is the b9 of the chord), this system would be more confusing for singers or people with no notions of harmony. With the current system they can know in a glance which note of the mode they are singing, and so know how it should sound. ( I dont sing a 6th the way I will sing a #9). I think it's something singers will understand more easily, but if you sing a little bit it may ring a bell to you. I think instrumentalists have a lot to gain here too, because for some reason I'm almost certain that experiencing the physical print of the each note gives density, musicality and strengh to each note you play on your instrument, because you feel it in your bones and Ear. - it also stabilises the color prints of the notes & modes, as well as the musical intercourses for the memory to process them. Each time you sing a 6th on the dorian mode for instance, it sounds the same. So it's way easier to memorize than being on a note and not really ( or always) knowing what is this note in the harmony. It also stabalises the memory of prhases. The same phrase on a given chord is always numbered the same , as oposite to the notes system. But again, I totally agree your point : the current interface of MelodEar is not showing the tonal intercourses of the chords. But I can assure you that on a practical level, it's really powerful to do this work. I' ve been using this method for 15 years now , with singers & instrumentalists, and at the end of the day the language is secondary : by doing this things start to change very deeply. Hope I was clear because these are really very subtle questions; And sorry not being able to make it quicker, that' s just the time it takes to explain ;). Thanks for this exchange ! Best , David.

(in other words: could I use my guitar instead of singing?)

@@daegabmusic59 I'm David, the inventor of MelodEar . You could play the guitar if you have an acoustic guitar and what you would play would be displayed on the app. So the short answer is yes, technically.( you can't plug though).But the long answer :) is that then I think you would be missing the big point of the app which is to develop your inner ear. That's what could connect you more to your instrument. Sing ! you dont have to sing magnificiently , but your voice is the best thing you have to check what you actually hear ! Best, David

@@Deskenazy Merci beaucoup, David, pour votre réponse! I think your App is a great ear-training tool as it allows one to always be aware of a melody/top voice-interval being sung/played over any given chord... this is something I'm already able to do, eccept at really slow tempos. Being able to actually visualise and name, in real time, the the melody-interval being sung/played while improvising is surely a huge help in speeding up the process and reinforcing one's ability to create melodic improvised lines using chord-tones in complex changes (provided I've understood correctly). I think, besides singing, I could also use my jazz-guitar unplugged, as it has an acustically loud enough sound. All the best.

Thank you so much Dani , we created a special one-shot newsletter that will be used only to notify people interested in the androïd version when it’s ready. Here : melodear-app.com/melodear-for-android For you it’s cool to have a secure way to know when it’s ready, and for us it’s very helping because we will know when we can securely invest in the development for androïd once there is enough people to do so. We are a small company and we invest graudually. So feel free to sign in the newsletter. Best regards, David.

I think that it might not be available anymore for purchase 😬 Check

Hi hungry for music, I totally get your point. However, if I may add my point of view, I'd like to say 2 things : this app focuses more on the connection between the ear and the instrumental playing. So yes you wouldn't benefit in direct performance, but certainly in strengthening this connexion to your instrument. Because by singing your improvs , you will learn to actually hear every note you play. Which playing transcription will not necessarily give you. ( unless you sing and analyse them). By the way, there are a bunch of cool transcriptions in MelodEar and more will be added each month. Have fun with or without of course :) !