I’m super excited about this. It’s so good to mix theory, listening skills and practice.
I read through Tuomo’s web page. We are so privileged to have him as our teacher which makes it doubly exciting. 
Anne thank you for the kind words!
Thank you Hayden, looking forward! Stay tuned for next weeks exercises!
-T
I’ve done the first two exercises, beginner and intermediate. I used the sol fah method, visualized the notes and stayed far away from the Piano! This is great. It will be invaluable. My next step is to play it in all keys. I play at a care centre for the elderly and they have been asking me recently to transpose down, something I’ve not practiced for years so these exercises will be helpful for that difficult task. Thank you for doing this.
Thanks Anne, I’m glad to hear you enjoy the exercises! You can find the right answers day before the new ones are uploaded, new exercises will be uploaded every Wednesday.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know,
keep up the good work!
-T
Hi Tuomo and thanks so much for putting together this series of exercises. (I’m relatively new to the community and have started to work through the exercises for the last several weeks). It’s especially nice to have the background and analyses for different artists and tunes.
I have a notation/transcription question. For the exercises, I think the pdf versions are terrific. I manually write out the notes and/or rhythm in the blank areas, and it’s incredibly helpful to have the rest of the solo already transcribed to provide context as well as a motivation to play through the entire solo after transcribing only a fraction!
But when you, or others, are starting from scratch with a new tune, do you go manual or use MuseScore (or something else)?
(I think this has been asked before in the more general context of notation software, but I’m wondering specifically about transcribing a favorite solo).
Thanks!
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Hi @gregb, thanks for writing!
I think writing things down by hand is a good thing to do first,
it helps to give you the freedom to work fast, by using your own way to notate things, meaning to have your own system to ‘fill up the puzzle’; for example if you’re transcribing a difficult passage, you would start with the first and the last note of the phrase, then little by little fill the missing notes. When writing by hand you have more liberty to write things down exactly how you want, which at least for me, sometimes is hard with a notation software.
Also it gives you a better insight of how to notate things; we all have noticed with all the apps/softwares that they do half the job for you, which is great if we already know how things work, but if all the basics are not quite there, you might find yourself in a difficult situation when you, for some reason, have to write something down by hand.
In general, I would recommend to do things however you find the best for yourself. Only thing I want to recommend if you are using a software, try to work as much as possible just by ear (or if needed, little help from your piano). Sometimes it’s easy to rely on the playback option, which for transcribing/ear training is not helpful.
The last thing I want to mention is that IF you write things down only by hand, PLEASE write them down with a software afterwards! In my early years I only wrote by hand, and after all the years of moving to new apartments/countries I eventually lost my book of hundreds of transcriptions… So write them down on a computer, and remember to back up the files! 
All the best,
-Tuomo
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Thanks, Tuomo; that’s very helpful!
One small point of clarification–I don’t really understand what you mean by, “[don’t] rely on the playback option”. Obviously, playback is available using Musescore (or Sibelius) for anything that’s been input by hand or MIDI, but I don’t understand why that should make things easier, i.e. worse for ear training. Are you referring to the “note guess” function in Transcribe? I can see why that would diminish the effort.
Thanks,
Greg
I meant the option when you hear the sound when notating on a software, that makes guessing easier and thus diminishes the ear training part.
In general, always try to use only your ear first, then, if needed, your instrument to help in the transcribing process.
-Tuomo
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Wow, so happy to have seen this thread! 
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Hi Tuomo, I have another general question…
I find the transcription exercises fun, helpful, and rewarding. I’m taking a break between Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, and working my way through the advanced ear training. When you recommend transposition, do you suggest transcribing into different keys and then playing, or just transposing at the keyboard?
Thanks,
Greg
Hi @gregb, thanks for writing!
Usually it’s better to try to memorize as much as possible, but if writing the exercise down on paper in different keys helps, do it. Still remember to try to get rid of the sheet music as fast as possible.
Have you started to apply those II Vs/ the language from the solo into to your own playing?
If you’re interested in that, I’m happy to help if you have any questions/ suggestions!
-T
Thanks, @Tuomo that’s very helpful.
I am using elements of the transcribed Bill Evans’ solos, mostly in developing my own arrangements of those tunes. The ear training exercises have been serving as just that–exercises, mostly because I work on them when I’m away from the piano. Your advice about transposition makes sense, though; I’ll transpose sitting at the piano instead of sitting at a computer, and work on putting together phrases.
Thanks again,
Greg
@gregb, sounds great, you’re doing the right thing.
When you’re learning the new lines, try also to apply them to your solos; for example think of how you can take a melody Bill Evans played over a II V, and how you can apply that same melody into your own soloing, and over the II Vs of other songs.
Here’s a lesson you might be interested in; the course opens up the topic of harmony, and how to use the same melody over different harmonic events
Let me know if you have any further questions,
-T
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Good evening, sir! I just recently became a member in June 2020. These resources are INCREDIBLE! I’ve been playing for 27 years and am STILL learning new things! I love the uniqueness of each individual instructor on this website. None of you sound the same but you use the SAME theory and the SAME techniques! That’s what makes music so great! I REALLY LOVE how you guys take the time to “break down” every chord, every chord progression, and even the licks and tricks that are commonly used in “Jazz Music”. I’m a Minister of Music at one of these “charismatic” African-American churches (where they use a LOT of licks and tricks and you’re expected to know every SINGLE one of them).
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Welcome @Crystal 
I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the site!
You can find lots of tips and insights in our “Introduce Yourself” Thread, check it out here:
You will find lots of common questions from our students and also guidance on which courses to start, how to structure your practice time, and other useful pieces of information to get the most out of the website.
If you do have any questions with how the site works just let me know.
Enjoy the lessons and materials! 
Hayden
Hi guys,
just wanted to let you know, we’ll be adding 10 more weekly ear training exercises, starting tomorrow February 12th!
If you have any suggestions; harmony, blues, modal, bass lines etc. please write them to this thread, and I’ll build the new ones based on the suggestions!
Thanks,
-Tuomo
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Hi Tuomo,
trying to begin at beginning meaning exercise #1
Trying to locate the first exercises…need navigating guidance.
Ken
Hi Ken 
Here is exercise 1:
https://community.pianogroove.com/t/ear-training-exercises-beginner/2542/
You will see the audio exercise posted first, and then the answers posted below. Try not to look at the PDF answers before attempting to work out the notes with your ears otherwise it defeats the point of the exercise.
If you scroll down in the thread you will find 50 exercises.
These are the beginner ones, there are also 50 intermediate and 50 advanced exercises.
Have fun and enjoy the weekend!
Cheers,
Hayden
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