Complete Ear Trainer - Detailed Review

The Complete Ear Trainer

Developed by Binary Guilt, The Complete Ear Trainer is a comprehensive ear training app that offers a wide range of features to help musicians improve their aural skills and music theory knowledge. Here are the main features and how they work:

Extensive Content

The app includes 11 drill types, covering 24 intervals, 36 chord types (including chord inversions), 28 scale types, melodic dictations, and chord progressions. This extensive content is arranged into progressive drills to ensure gradual learning.

Progressive Drills

The app is structured into two main modes: Classic mode for advanced musicians and Easy mode for beginners. Classic mode features over 150 drills across 4 levels and 28 chapters, while Easy mode has over 50 drills across 12 chapters. This progression ensures that users are challenged appropriately based on their skill level.

Custom Drills and Training Programs

Users can create and save their own custom drills, allowing them to focus on specific areas they need to improve. Additionally, the app enables the creation of full custom training programs with up to 20 chapters and 20 drills per chapter. These programs can be shared with friends or students, and private leaderboards track progress.

Arcade Mode

For a more engaging experience, the app includes an Arcade mode where users can play a selection of 21 drills. This mode adds a fun element to the learning process, making it more enjoyable and challenging.

Audio Quality and Sound Banks

The app features a new audio engine with improved sound quality and includes 5 octaves of actual recorded grand piano sounds. Additionally, there are 7 other sound banks available, such as vintage piano, Rhodes piano, electric guitar, harpsichord, concert harp, strings, and pizzicato strings. This variety helps users get accustomed to different instruments and sounds.

User Interface and Feedback

The app has a clean material design user interface with light and dark themes, making it visually appealing and easy to use. It also provides real-time feedback on performance, helping users track their progress. The app is designed like a video game, where users earn stars for completing drills, which motivates them to achieve higher scores.

Statistics and Leaderboards

The app offers global statistics to track progress and features worldwide leaderboards (global, per level, per chapter, easy mode, and arcade mode) through Apple Game Center. This competitive aspect encourages users to improve their skills.

Cloud Sync and Cross-Platform Availability

To ensure that users never lose their progress, the app supports cloud sync across various devices. It is available on Google Play, Apple App Store, Huawei AppGallery, Amazon App Store, and also as part of the Complete Music Trainer software for web browsers and desktop computers.

AI Integration

While the primary features of Complete Ear Trainer are not explicitly driven by AI, the app’s structured and adaptive learning approach mimics some of the personalized learning experiences that AI tools can offer. For example, the ability to create custom training programs and the progressive nature of the drills adapt to the user’s skill level, though this is achieved through pre-designed pedagogical concepts rather than real-time AI adjustments.

Conclusion

In summary, Complete Ear Trainer is a highly structured and engaging app that leverages strong pedagogical concepts to help musicians improve their ear training skills, even though it does not specifically integrate AI technologies like some other ear training tools might.