There are several levels to progress through to acquire perfect pitch. Each level consists of two parts, a single note identification part and a chord identification part. The first several levels will allow you to answer notes in any octave that is enable in your test. The notes inside chords can also be answered in any order you choose. Once you reach the upper levels, you will be required to answer the chords in the order specified and all your responses must match the actual octave of the sound. You can check out the ProLobe Student Syllabus for more details on each level.
Single Note Identification Lesson
During this lesson you will be presented with a piano keyboard with a number of keys active to your mouse clicks, and a musical stave for reference. These active keys are the notes the computer will use to test you with. In level 1 for example, two Eb and F# keys will be enabled on the keyboard for a total of four active notes. Above the keyboard is a button labeled "Begin Lesson". Once you click it, the computer will choose one of the notes that are active in the test and play it. In the display box under the keyboard, you will be prompted to identify which note was played. Choose a key that represents the note you just heard and click it. If you wish you may also respond using the musical stave or use the keyboard shortcuts described in a later section of this tutorial. Notice that if the computer chose an F# you can select any of the F# keys that are active and achieve a correct response. This is true for most lessons since absolute pitch training focuses primarily on the pitch / chroma and not the octave the pitch is in . Once you have achieved a high degree of chroma identification skills, the computer will make the lesson harder by only allowing correct responses in the actual octave the pitch is in.
When responding to a question, the computer will mark your response on a note panel below the keyboard. A blue box with a "?" in it marks the note you are currently answering. If your response was correct, the note on the panel will turn green, and you will be prompted to move on to the next question. If your response was incorrect, the note on the panel will turn red and you will be prompted to compare your response with the correct one at least once before you can try again. Comparing your incorrect responses with the correct ones is how you will strengthen your absolute pitch abilities. It will help you form a "visual" map of pitch in your mind, that becomes clearer and clearer with practice. Try not to get discouraged when you make lots of mistakes. If you didn't make any, you would already have absolute pitch and would not be here. You need to be relaxed and clear headed to make progress.
Chord Identification Lesson
During this lesson you will be presented with a piano keyboard with a number of keys active to your mouse clicks, and a musical stave for reference. These active keys are the notes the computer will use to test you with. In level 5 for example, four C, C#, Eb, F#, and A keys will be enabled on the keyboard for a total of twenty active notes. Above the keyboard is a button labeled "Begin Lesson". Once you click it, the computer will choose two of the notes that are active in the test and play them at the same time. In the display box under the keyboard, you will be prompted to identify which notes were played starting with either the highest or the lowest note. Choose a key that represents the first note in the chord and click it. If you answer correctly, the computer will mark that note correct and prompt you for the next one. Notice that if the computer chose an F# you can select any of the F# keys that are active and achieve a correct response. This is true for most lessons since absolute pitch training focuses primarily on the pitch / chroma and not the octave the pitch is in . Once you have achieved a high degree of chroma identification skills, the computer will make the lesson harder by only allowing correct responses in the actual octave the pitch is in.
When responding to a question, the computer will mark your response on a note panel below the keyboard. A blue box with a "?" in it marks the note you are currently answering. If your response was correct, the note on the panel will turn green, and the next box in the chord will turn blue representing the next note in the chord. Once you have correctly identified all the notes in the chord, you will be prompted to move on to the next question. If your response was incorrect, the note on the panel will turn red and you will be prompted to compare your response with the correct one at least once before you can try again. Comparing your incorrect responses with the correct ones is how you will strengthen your absolute pitch abilities. It will help you form a "visual" map of pitch in your mind, that becomes clearer and clearer with practice. Try not to get discouraged when you make lots of mistakes. If you didn't make any, you would already have absolute pitch and would not be here. You need to be relaxed and clear headed to make progress.