Sorry this is not specifically an arranger topic but, is loosely related and this board does seem to get the widest audience.

Anyway what I wanted to ask was: does anybody have any experience of the See It - Hear It / Hear It - Play It course which was written by Dick Grove and still seems to be marketed by Dirk Price Music Education Systems.

The course is fairly expensive when compared to most other courses you can find on-line, but is not that expensive when compared with face to face music lessons.

Having paid this much for a course there is certainly an incentive to carry on I have thought about having some lessons from a music teacher but most of these seem to be very piano/classical orientated. I am really looking to improve my skills in hearing music to improve my playing in/with a band context. I read an article The Importance of Musicianship by Dick Grove which really seems to strike a chord (no pun intended) with where I am at.

I would be interested if anyone has any experiences of this course or others they can recommend. Or any other approaches people have found helpful in approaching this subject matter.

Happy New Year
Paul.


[This message has been edited by paulgee (edited 12-31-2007).]

[This message has been edited by paulgee (edited 12-31-2007).]

What kind of music are you into Paul ?

I am playing in a church worship band. The songs are played in various styles, Rock, Ballad, R&B, Reggae etc.

I am usually the second keyboard adding pads, strings, organ, synth sounds etc. here and there.

I am fine if I have worked out a part beforehand, which I mostly do from the chords and using the music theory I have learnt.

My problem comes when a more spontaneous response is needed or perhaps playing a lead sound that harmonizes with the melody. I want to be able to hear something in my head and play it, I just don't seem to be able to grasp this yet. I seem to be pretty much at the stage which is refered to in the article I referred to above (including having a bookshelf full of books and DVD's). I also struggle to hear the chords, if we do an instrumental section which is picking up a chord progression from the song.

I appreciate that there are no shortcuts but I have been perservering for a while now with some relative pitch ear training tutors but my ears just don't seem to get it. I am thinking a different approach might be the answer. This course seems to take the 'solfege' approach which I haven't tried.

Paul.

There is a another way. Click on this link and see what you think. I use his methods extensively and can vouch for their efectiveness.
http://www.hearandplay.com/pianocoursenew.html

Thanks for the recommendation. I had come across this website in the past, but was rather put off by the commercial nature of it. It's bit like the hard sell with a 'double glazing' salesman (no offence meant), where the discounts get bigger as you read down the page

However it does sound interesting and your recommendation is helpful in allowing me to look past the marketing hype.

It's also a very small outlay in comparison to the Dick Grove material. Not much more than a couple of music lessons or a few beers.

I would still be interested to know of anyone's experience with the Dick Grove material.

Paul.