this is an outstanding book to go through all the basics of ear training for both the beginner and the professional.

This book is consistent with keeping your sight-singing skills up to par. However, as far as aural skills it is lacking.

I received a free item to review.

It would be a mistake to regard ‘Developing Musicianship Through Aural Skills’ as just another sight-singing text/anthology with an isolated chapter or two of rhythmic studies.

The scope and pedagogic intent here are nothing short of building an aural skillset to carry musicians through professional careers as composers, arrangers, conductors, theorists, performers - including improvisers. The authors' recurring point is that aural comprehension in a tonal context is a must-have prerequisite for substantive creative musical work.

But that’s not to say the book is a pitch-only affair. Rhythm and meter are given equal footing from the very first module - composed entirely of examples of simple meter using basic subdivisions, and including anacrusis.

This material is not just meant to be ‘clapped through’ and forgotten. Students are asked to notate rhythmic elements, sound the rhythms without pitch, and ‘vocalize’ a particular voice, performing solo or with a partner. Many rhythmic examples are abstracted single and multi-voice works intended to prep the student for comparable literature before incorporating pitch elements.

As the degree of chromaticism in the melodic material progresses through successive modules so do the rhythmic challenges through complex meters, syncopation, polyrhythms and irregular divisions. The complexity rivals anything in Hindemith’s famous book of exercises for musicians.

There are often competing ideas on how best to teach aural skills in the context of tonal music, whether classical, jazz or popular. ‘Relative Pitch’ deals with abstracted intervals and chords often taught and drilled outside of actual musical context. Various vocalization techniques incorporate fixed and movable ‘Do’, functional numbers or neutral syllables.

The authors of ‘Developing Musicianship Through Aural Skills’ believe that pitch relationships should always be conceived, comprehended and executed within the context of diatonic harmony – either specific major/minor scales or derived from underlying chords in a particular harmonic setting.

They authors emphasize this method provides the student with a more solid connection to actual music, enhancing enthusiasm and the learning process itself. They favor ‘movable Do’ to label pitches but they’re not dogmatic about it and encourage students to embrace their teacher’s choice and above all strive for consistency.

The method of presentation in the book’s modules generally places rhythmic exercises first, followed by pitch patterns that emphasize tonal relationships (similar to scale fragments) to be studied outside of specific melodic contexts. The pitch patterns function as ‘lab studies’ allowing the student to focus on and absorb the tonal forces that later reveal their musical application in actual literature. It’s only after these patterns are comfortably assimilated that actual melodic material presented.

Once this feeling for tonal context is established by taking apart major and minor scales, then larger interval patterns, triads and seventh chords are introduced. But instead of learning them simply as abstract entities, the student incorporates them into an evolving ‘tonal consciousness’.

The musical examples are primarily 17th-19th century common practice classical literature – but not exclusively. Aside from later 20th century examples of post-tonal melody, there are a number jazz and various world/ethnic music examples.

There’s a module covering improvisation but this is improvisation in a rather free tonal classical context – think organ improvisation. Perhaps it’s something to stir the imaginations of classically-oriented composers and arrangers. While by no means a jazz theory book, jazz musicians whose interests include classical music might pick up some fresh ideas and perspective here.

And while the book is not a harmony text, astute readers will absorb much ‘applied harmony’ and the book makes an excellent supplement to a dedicated harmony text.

As mentioned, there’s an overall progression towards more and more chromatic material including mixed modes, extended and altered dominant chords, remote and chromatic modulations before the book makes the conceptual leap where few ear training books dare to tread: post-tonal music. Here in the final chapters the concept of ‘tonal context’ used throughout is refined, but never completely jettisoned.

The book presents what the authors deem to be two year’s worth of material - but that’s subject to reduction and restructuring to meet specific needs.In addition to the intended aural training, the book can serve additional practical needs: Composers and arrangers will find of treasure trove of melodic practice to emulate, set, vary and build upon. Instrumentalists can practice transposition and sight-reading.

The ‘Intermezzo’ sidebar essays inserted throughout the book on topics including ‘Professionalism’, ‘Musicality’, ‘Listening’ and ‘Perseverance’ are surprisingly interesting meditations on professional musical life that ring true.

The book actually calls to mind Ron Gorow’s excellent ‘Hearing and Writing Music’, geared more explicitly towards commercial musicians. In my opinion ‘Developing Musicianship Through Aural Skills’ has just as much to offer experienced musicians as it does aspiring students and is well-worth examining for a ‘how best to apply’ path to commit time to.

An excellent book at an unpalatable price. Incorporates a 'key-centered' approach that's difficult to find and way superior to what I learned in music school years ago.

Awesome

A book for students and the publishers price it at $138? This is beyond bizarre. Also, the price differential for the hardbound edition is usurious and totally unrelated to the actual additional cost of production, which is only a couple of dollars. It's really irrelevant whether the book is good or bad, as few of its target audience will be able to afford it. If teachers set it as a course book, it will cause financial hardship for many of their pupils. Shame on everyone involved.