Welcome!
These learning tools are dedicated to my students and fellow music learners. I began teaching piano in 2008 and have constantly been shaping my approach towards learning and practicing. My work below is an attempt to create relevant tools that make practicing music even more interactive and, dare I say, fun - especially the aspects that may appear mundane or intimidating to some. I want to invite and encourage any feedback you may have for any of my learning tools. These tools are primarily designed for classical piano learning youths, but I'm always excited to hear the thoughts of others (mature students, teachers, professional musicians, pedagogues, and those from other genres, instruments, and non-music backgrounds... ) to further improve the music learning experience! If you have any comments or suggestions at all, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts and feelings with me here. Thank you for dropping by; I hope my tools below bring something new to your musical practice.
EAR TRAINING //
// Do you hear that? | an Instagram filter series of ear training challenges (currently in development)
This series of Instagram filters started from an observation that listening and ear training isn't always prioritized in many learners' musical education compared to the counterpart practical training. Aural recognition of certain musical elements (e.g. intervals, chords, chord progressions, melodies, rhythms...) and its importance continue to be taught and presented to students today. However, without resources that play prompting ear training exercises, it can be difficult for learners to practice and test various aspects of their ear on their own. Two decades ago, I practiced listening exercises by playing and pausing recorded tracks on ear training CDs. Today's technology allows and requires for more relevant and fun ways to engage and encourage younger music learners to practice ear training and be easily provided with clear feedback and assessment of their current skills. Do you hear that? is a series of Augmented Reality (AR) Instagram filters that aims to address this.
Do you hear that? INTERVALS.
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Harmonic Major/Minor Intervals
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Aims at practice for identifying major and minor 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th intervals.
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Harmonic Perfect Intervals I
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Aims at practice for identifying perfect unison, 4th, 5th, and 8ve intervals.
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Harmonic Perfect Intervals II
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Aims at practice identifying for perfect unison, 4th, 5th, 8ve, 11th, 12th, and 15ve intervals.
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Includes an additional octave requiring recognition of not just perfect intervals, but furthermore registral differences.
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Harmonic Octave Guesser:
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Aims at practice for identifying registral differences.
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Can you guess how many octaves apart a pair of notes from the same pitch class are?
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Do you hear that? TRIADS. Details TBD
Do you hear that? 4-NOTE CHORDS. Details TBD
Here is an early prototype.
RHYTHMIC TRAINING //
// PolyRhythm OrbiT Observatory (PROTO) | a polyrhythm visualizing tool (currently in design)
When learning polyrhythms meant to be executed by a single person, such as polyrhythms between hands in solo piano, it can be difficult to execute each of the simultaneous rhythms evenly. As opposed to treating these rhythms separately, PROTO provides an interactive interface to help visualize how two rhythms integrate and relate to each other. Each polyrhythm will also have examples of pre-existing pieces utilizing that polyrhythm to provide models of musical application. The main goal of PROTO is to offer an approach to polyrhythms that is feasible and understandable, so that a musician can apply this understanding to their own practice, performing polyrhythms with more ease.
TECHNICAL TRAINING //
// Master of Keys | a gamified piano technique practice app (currently in design)
A fun adventurous way to practice and battle technical obstacles on the piano. Designed for piano learning youth.
The protagonist is an intergalactic space-time traveller who mysteriously receives an anonymous message: various composers have been kidnapped throughout different musical eras and are locked away by monsters! Only you can find the keys, fight the monsters, and return the composers back to their home place and time to repair the space-time continuum! Otherwise, the fate and history of music will be drastically altered for all of space-time!
In each level, the (piano) player travels to a different time period to fight the monsters and find the keys to save the composers by completing specific technical piano tasks. More details TBD.