#ear-training

What is Harmony?

If Melody can be thought of as a line, Harmony can be thought of as colorful structures.

Structures can be stacked up high like skyscrapers, or built up low, like one-floor homes. They can be plain and simple or vibrant and complex. They can be dark and ominous, or light and pleasant. They can be viewed and enjoyed from many angles.

We'll learn how to build these structures and appreciate their colors as we go forward in the WARRENMUSIC Series: Harmony Module.

Thanks for a great 2015!

Thank you for being with me one more year!

This was a huge one for me personally and professionally.

I have taught music for nearly ten years, but when I started, I thought I'd be teaching "Wonderwall," "Stairway to Heaven," and "Smoke On the Water" for the rest of my life until I won the lottery.

I never imagined I would be teaching online. And never in my wildest dreams did I think people would want to learn theory and ear-training from some nerdy dude with long hair and glasses who talks way too much.

A huge thanks to those of you who have supported this series financially by donating, tipping, and purchasing the Melody Module, but also to those who shared their time and efforts, and kind words. The ups and downs of launching a website can be dramatic, but your enthusiasm and friendship have been constant.

Looking forward to 2016, there are some big goals for WARRENMUSIC:

▪ more tutorials ▪ the Harmony Module ▪ the Rhythm Module ▪ music theory and ear-training app!!!!!!!!!! ▪ a more integrated and feature-filled website ▪ more videos about music in general (Cruisin' With Warren, maybe even some album reviews with theory insight)

Stay tuned and watch this space for updates. And be among the first to hear about new stuff when you sign up for my mailing list.

On a personal note, I got engaged. I'm truly blessed and lucky to have this awesome woman by my side as I continue on in this journey. She fully gets what I'm about and she supports my love for connecting with people through music. Love you, Ellen!

2016, we're ready for you!

Melody Module Preview is UP!

Enjoy the first three episodes of The WARRENMUSIC Series, absolutely free.

After so many days of a somewhat shady-looking page that basically only takes payments, we’re so glad to present a site, even if it is just a preview, that finally has some videos, HA!

For those of you who have pre-ordered, please enjoy all TEN episodes of the Melody Module. But please, not all at once. We don’t want to be cleaning any brain matter off the walls.

For unrestricted access, order here. Make an investment in your musicianship today. You won’t regret it. Or your money back. I’m serious.

Interactive YouTube Piano

I made a nifty YouTube piano you can play with your keyboard. A quick music theory tool that’s sure to be useful. Best enjoyed on desktop.

I also created several Song Puzzles that you can try on this YouTube Piano. Song Puzzles are basically the method I use when teaching my Skype students to learn to play by ear.

I explain the Interactive YouTube Piano and Song Puzzles to my girlfriend here in the first episode of “Cruisin’ With Warren”.

Your Input MATTERS

We’ve implemented a comments system to make things easy.

Discuss, ask questions, leave comments. Our hope is that every video would be a jumping off point for passionate conversation, i.e. MUSICAL conversation! And many more features are coming soon.

We love your feedback, even if it’s a critique! We’re always looking to improve the site to meet your needs.

Keep an eye on the site. New features will be coming and they will be awesome.

Peace and joy,

If you don't look like this when you're trying to learn a tricky song, you're DOING IT WRONG.

It doesn't matter how ugly or stupid I look here. What you don't see is how I'm actually

kicking.

musical.

ASS.

In this seriously scary photo, I'm making Atoms For Peace's "Ingenue" bass synth my, cough, um, cough, for lack of a better word, my bitch. I'm OWNING one of the squirmiest, twisty, jumpy, convoluted, yet infectious melodies in the entire album.

The way I see it is, if you don't harness 100% of your musical energy into truly LISTENING (and I don't mean passive listening, I mean engaging your whole body and mind), then you are not growing your ear.

If you lift weights, then you know that you have to squeeze out that last rep to get them GAINS. You have to use every muscle fiber, until you FAIL.

Well, ear-training is no different.

The best thing you can do for your musicianship is, for five minutes a day, listen with FULL INTENSITY to a melody you love and try to work out what's happening in it, musically.

Ask yourself:

* Is it moving up? * Down? * Staying the same? * Is it moving by a little, or a lot? * Does it use the Major Scale? * Can you match it? * Can you tell the distance between any two given notes? * Do you know whether it's a "1," or a "5," or a "♭7?"

Transcribe what you hear until you FAIL. And then you'll see the greatest musical gains. Because it's when you actually find the limits of your ear that you discern what's been holding you back. Only then can you actually do something about it.

Don't know how to transcribe? Well, I have a series for that at warrenlain.com.

Or don't do any of the above, and keep reaching for that next tab, or tutorial. And you'll just stay the same.

By the end of the Melody Module, what will you come away with?

- You will see Melody in a fresh way... - We'll begin to de-mystify Melody via the WARRENMUSIC Grid System - You'll be introduced to a codebreaker for Melody, The Major Scale - You will make your way towards a more finely tuned sense of pitch - You will learn how musicians approach playing by ear - You'll be given a clear way to process Melody, through the skills of Matching, Relating, and Feeling - You'll discern what's been holding you back. - You will have a clear picture of the ultimate goal of Ear-Training - And lastly, you will learn to make songs your teachers.

Perhaps best of all, I'll be taking your suggestions on where the series should go next. With your input and my obsession to communicate every musical insight in my brain, I think we can go pretty far.

Are. you. ready?

Pre-order the Melody Module today for $99.

You'll receive:

* Unrestricted access to all TEN Melody Module Episodes (up to 30 minutes in length), launching in December * Topics include everything listed above * Innovative Music Theory Aids * Challenging Ear-Training Exercises * 100% satisfaction guarantee.

You can also pre-order all THREE modules, Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm now. These three will form the foundation of the series.

Order Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm Modules together, and receive the above PLUS the following:

* Unrestricted access to TEN Harmony and TEN Rhythm Episodes, to launch in early 2016. * Topics will include how to identify different types of chords, and entire chord progressions, rhythmic structures, syncopation, and much more... all by ear.

And if you want access to all future premium WARRENMUSIC Series content, you can purchase it now and have access to all premium modules, forever. Every module. Every exercise. Every chart. I've never offered anything like this before. But I firmly believe this is actually the best value of all three.

Buy Lifetime Access today and receive:

* Unrestricted access to ALL future WARRENMUSIC Series Content * Future topics will include improvisation, modes and scales, modulation, alternate tunings, fretboard exercises, phrasing techniques, chromatic harmony, chord substitution, altered chords, poly-rhythm, hidden syncopation, and the list goes on and on!

From Sufjan Stevens to The Snowman, I've recorded seven songs for Christmas over the years. You can enjoy them below. #8 is still up in the air... Listen to the WARRENMUSIC Christmas Playlist here.