Tutorial – Using the Intervals Option

The centre of the PET screen varies depending on which option is selected. If you select intervals from the options menu or click on the intervals icon you will see:

Intervals

The section on the left hand side of the screen (contained in the frame marked intervals) determines what intervals may occur in the test. A tick beside an interval name means that the interval may be contained in the test – it does not guarantee that the interval will appear as PET chooses at random from the list of selected intervals.

Clicking on the interval name or the box beside it causes the interval to be selected. Clicking again causes it to be deselected.

Clicking on the Presets button allows you to save time by selecting one of a number of useful preset configurations

Try to set up the program so that it will only generate Major or Perfect intervals up to and including an octave. When you have finished, the screen should look similar to the diagram above.

Presets

Selecting the presets button results in the following dialog box:

This dialog box allows for a number of options to be turned on or off quickly. Pressing the OK button with the Perfect only (1 8ve) preset selected (as above) would result in the following intervals being selected (ticked):

• Perfect Unison
• Perfect 4th
• Perfect 5th
• Perfect Octave

All other intervals would not be selected.

Note that it is possible to select a preset that has no intervals selected. If you were to try to select the New button when no intervals were selected PET would produce an error message asking you to select at least one interval. This preset option is merely intended as a quick way to turn off all the intervals presenting you with a ‘blank canvas’ to work from.

Performance Options

The right hand side of the screen determines the manner in which the test is conducted. This can be broken down into five areas:

1. Direction

Determines whether the highest or lowest note is played first or if both notes are sounded together. If more than one selection is made, PET makes a random choice each time a new interval is generated.

2. Register

Determines the register or octave of the interval. The middle register starts at middle C and goes up an octave. The first note of each interval will be in this range. The high register is one octave above the middle register and the low register is one octave lower. Again if more than one is selected a random selection is made.

3. Root Movement

This affects the pitch of the first note of each consecutive interval. If, for example, the ascending semitones option is selected then the first note of the first interval will be a C, the first note of the next will be C# and the first note of the next will be D etc.

If the notes of the interval are sounded together root movement applies to the lowest of the two notes.

Making any changes to the intervals selected or the performance options resets the root note of the next interval to be played to C.

The possible root movement patterns are:

• Fixed on any note
• Random
• Cycle of 5ths
• Reverse Cycle of 5ths
• Ascending Minor 3rds
• Descending 2nds
• Ascending Semitones
• Descending Semitones

For more details see appendix A.

4. Mode

PET has three operating modes:

• Normal Mode: Allows the greatest flexibility for practising.
• Test Mode: Forces you to supply an answer to each question, marks each response and grades your performance at the end of the test.
• Hands Free Mode: Intended for you to practise with your instrument, PET works continuously until told to stop.

Each of the operating modes are covered in detail later in this chapter.

5. Tempo

Determines the speed of playback and the duration of notes. All tempos are represented as beats per minute.

Each note in the interval lasts for a duration of two beats, unless the notes are sounded together, in which case, the interval lasts for four beats.

Using Normal Mode

Normal mode is the most flexible of PET’s operating modes. Intended for optimal use of your practise time, it allows you to work on your ear-training in the manner that suits you best.

Normal Mode:

• allows unlimited repeats of a test
• will repeat a test after the answer has been displayed
• does not force you to wait for the answer to be displayed
• works at your own speed
• is non-judgmental

Experiment by pressing the buttons at the bottom of the screen.

New – produces a new interval

Repeat – replays the last interval

Reveal – displays the last interval played in the solution panel

You may notice that if you make changes either to the intervals included in the test or the performance options, the text in the Repeat and Reveal buttons becomes greyed out. This means that they cannot be selected; you must create a new interval before you can use them again.

Using Test Mode

As the name implies, test mode allows you to test your abilities in any area. Probably the most useful reason for doing this is to track your own progress. Regular testing will allow you to see how you are progressing and may cause you to make beneficial changes to your practise routine.

To see how test mode works, select the intervals and performance options of your choice making sure that the mode is set to test. Select the New button.

The following dialog box should appear:

Here you must enter the maximum number of questions that you wish to be asked. Note that this is a maximum; it is possible to stop the test at any point. You also have to specify the maximum number of times you are allowed to hear each item in the test.

As with all PET dialog boxes, there are various ways in which you can enter this data:

• Using the mouse to click on the up/down arrows
• Clicking on the number itself and entering the new data via the keyboard.
• Pressing the TAB key repeatedly until the required number is highlighted and then entering the data via the keyboard.

Click the Start Test button. PET will play an interval and then present you with the following dialog box:

Note that:

• Only the items that were selected to feature in the test appear in this box. In this case all intervals up to and including an octave were selected but those in the second octave were not.

• If there are more items selected than will fit in this dialog box a scroll bar will automatically appear allowing you to access them all.

• The answer button is unavailable until an item is selected

Try pressing the Repeat button. If you left the Number of Plays set at the default of ‘2’ you will find that after playing the interval again the Repeat button is no longer active, forcing you to either submit an answer or finish the test.

To submit an answer use either the mouse or a combination of the TAB and arrow keys to select the required answer from the list and then select the Answer button.

Selecting the Stop button causes the test to finish irrespective of the number of questions that you have answered. As you have heard the final test item but not submitted an answer this will be counted as a wrong answer which will be reflected in the final grading.

Assuming that you decided to continue with the test, you will find the panels and buttons at the bottom of the screen have now changed.

The mode panel reports how many questions have been posed.

The solution panel reports whether the answer you supplied was correct or incorrect and also what the correct solution is.

The two new buttons that have appeared are fairly self-explanatory:

• Stop causes the test to finish irrespective of the amount of questions you have answered. This is followed by grading.
• Next Question causes the next test item to be played immediately.

When the test finishes grading occurs, there are four ways in which a test may finish:

1. You answer all the questions. After the last question has been answered the next question button disappears leaving you with no option but to select the stop button.
2. You select the stop button rather than the next question button.
3. You select stop from the select answer dialog box
4. You select a menu item or tool bar icon during a test.

The test statistics dialog box is used to display your final grade:

Using Hands Free Mode

Hands free mode is particularly useful if you wish to play your instrument whilst working with PET. It can also be used to produce many tests in the shortest possible time or to force you to work under pressure of time.

Set the mode option to Hands Free and then select the New button. You will then be presented with the following dialog box.

Enter a delay time (measured in seconds) into the box by either using the up/down arrows or by selecting the box and typing the value directly into it. The delay affects the amount of time between an interval being played and the answer being shown and then the amount of time before the next interval is played. A delay time of two seconds will cause the following to happen

• First interval is played.
• Two second delay
• Answer is displayed
• Two second delay
• Next interval is played
• Two second delay etc.

After selecting the start button, you will find the panels and buttons at the bottom of the screen have now changed.

Hands free operation will continue until either:

• The Stop button is selected
• A toolbar button or menu item is selected

A Word about ‘Randomness’

PET chooses test items at random from the selections that you have allowed, it does not remember what has been played in the past. This means that from time to time PET may choose to play the same interval, chord or other test item several times in succession. This is not a fault, it is just a consequence of PET making random choices. The less items that you have selected, the more likely this is to happen.