Politonus III: Ear Training for Scales & Modes

Politonus III is the 3rd volume in the Politonus Ear Training Series by mDecks Music.

While Politonus I is a multi pitch ear training to help you develop tonal ear training (perfect and relative pitch) and Politonus II is dedicated to Intervals, Triads & Seventh Chords, Politonus III concentrates in Scales & Modes.

Politonus III  will help you recognize all the modes in the three fundamental source scales: Ionian, Melodic Minor & Harmonic Minor.

Can you recognize the difference in sound between Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, or Ionian #5, Altered, Mixolydian b9 b13? Politonus III will help you do that.

Reverse Ear Training in Politonus III

There are plenty of ear training apps that allow you to train your ears but they are all based on playing a note-group and asking you to identify it.

Politonus III uses a different approach called: Reverse Ear Training. (also used in Politonus II but a slightly different variation)

Here’s an example of an exercise in Politonus III where the app is asking you to create a Locrian sound.

There’s music playing in the background and you must change it so it is in the Locrian Mode. Here’s how you do it:

1. Each half-moon controls a degree in the scale.
2. Tap on a moon to toggle between two possible states which will change that degree by a half-step.
3. There will be one to three moons depending on the current level.
   You will not know which degree each moon is controlling, nor which state makes the pitch higher/lower.
4. You must use your ears to figure it out. The sound for the requested scale is represented by the squares below the name of the scale.

There are different ways you can go about solving these puzzles, you can try and listen to individual degrees, or you can try and listen for an overall locrian sound.

Watch the following video demo to see how Politonus III works

 

Machine Learning Algorithm

On top of using the reverse ear training method, Politonus III creates the next exercise based on your past responses using machine learning.  This allows Politonus III to optimize the sequence of exercises so you can advance at the fastest pace possible based on your previous aura skills improvement.

Once you solve the puzzle, Politonus III will up your level automatically.

Smart Progress View

Another cool feature in Politonus III is the Progress View. In this view, the app shows you  your current progress (achievement / familiarity) for each individual sound.

One look at the progress view and you’ll know how familiar you are with each mode. Also, you will learn there aren’t that many anyway.

Each sphere contains a mode from the three main source scales. All possible modes are in this view. The spheres will move from the unfamiliar to the proficient level as you improve. Your final goal is to have all spheres shown inside the proficient layer. The lower the sphere is in the view, the better you know that mode.

To learn more about Politonus III visit mDecks.com or click on the picture below: