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Create a quiz

When creating a quiz, you have a wide range of options at your disposal. The combination of these options offers an almost limitless number of possibilities. However, this requires thoughtful design to ensure your training is both effective and enjoyable. Here are a few considerations:

  1. Start Simple
    Begin with basic exercises to familiarize yourself with the format and tasks. Avoid excessive complexity by limiting the number of answer options—4 to 6 choices per question are ideal.
  2. Increase the Challenge Gradually
    Raise the difficulty step by step. For example, incorporate what you’ve already learned into new exercises while adding fresh content. This keeps your training engaging and motivating.
  3. Master the Basics First
    Focus on the foundational elements of ear training first. In almost every musical discipline, mastering intervals is the key. A solid understanding of intervals makes it much easier to learn more advanced topics like chords, scales, or harmonic structures.

A well-designed quiz will not only help you learn efficiently but also make your progress enjoyable! 🎵

When creating a quiz, all options are presented at a glance. However, please note that some options are interconnected and may initially be hidden. For example, the selection of tuning and fretboard range will only become visible if the answer input option is set to “Fretboard.”

Quiz type and scope

The quiz type is the most essential setting in a quiz, as it determines the type of content to be practiced. The available options are intervals, notes, chords, scales, and scale degrees:

  • Intervals: Choose from intervals ranging from perfect unison (P1) to double octave (P15).
  • Notes: Select from all whole notes and semitones in Western music.
  • Chords: Choose from all possible chords. You can select them one by one via the chord screen, enter them textually, or quickly pick them from a song or chord progression.
  • Scales: Access the entire range of scales from the smartChord library through a user-friendly scale selection interface.
  • Scale Degrees: Practice identifying the degrees of a selected scale.

This flexibility allows you to customize the quiz to your specific training goals!

Reference note

You can set an optional reference note as a familiar pitch that you can confidently and accurately sing. This tone will play at the start of each task to guide you.

To reset the reference note, simply select the same note again.

Answer view

In ear training, the questions are always presented with the playback of the required note or notes. However, you have the option to choose your preferred method of answer input: Fretboard, Piano, or List.

◾ Fretboard

The fretboard is the ideal choice if you’re confident with your string instrument or want to deepen your knowledge of it during ear training. You can select any tuning and specify any section of the fretboard. The fretboard is displayed according to the settings you’ve defined in your instrument and appearance preferences.

If the selected range is too small to cover the scope of your quiz, it will be automatically expanded. Additionally, when using the fretboard, you have the option to hide fret numbers, allowing you to increase the quiz’s difficulty level.

◾ Piano

The piano is the best choice if you’re comfortable with the keyboard or wish to enhance your piano skills during ear training. The number of visible keys is automatically adjusted to display only as many octaves as necessary to input your answer. Like the fretboard, the piano is displayed according to your piano and appearance settings.

◾ List

Choose the text list option if you want to focus purely on ear training or if you’re not confident enough with your instrument. The list is also the most convenient input method, as it provides the largest space for answer options and requires less precise clicking.

Training mode

The training mode determines how the questions are selected and how they are repeated. (see more).

Duration

You can determine the duration of your quiz yourself. Shorter quizzes are ideal for quick practice sessions, while longer sessions are perfect for more intensive training. It is better to answer a few questions with focus and accuracy than to complete many tasks superficially. The duration of the quiz should be chosen to match your attention span. A well-chosen duration helps you learn efficiently and stay motivated without feeling overwhelmed.

There are two ways to set the duration of a quiz: by a fixed amount of time or by a specific number of questions. Using the “Duration Unit” option, you can choose the unit as either “Minutes” or “Questions.” Then, with the “Duration” option, you specify the total duration of the quiz by setting the number of minutes or questions.

Additionally, you can optionally set a maximum time per question using the “Maximum Duration per Question” option. This allows you to limit the time available to answer each question, measured in seconds. If the maximum time to answer a question is exceeded, the correct solution will be displayed, the answer will be marked as incorrect, and the game will automatically proceed to the next question.

Playback

You have various ways to influence how tones are played back during ear training.

  1. Choose the Instrument
    You can select the instrument that will play the sounds. Since not all smartphones can reproduce every instrument satisfactorily or realistically, this flexibility allows you to choose the one that best suits your needs.
  2. Select the Octave Range
    You can define the octave range for the tones used in notes, chords, and scales, tailoring the playback to your preferences.
  3. Customize Playback for Multiple Tones
    For questions involving multiple tones, such as chords and scales, you can specify how they are played:
    • Chords: Play harmonically, melodically, or randomly.
    • Scales: Play ascending, descending, in both directions, or randomly.
    • Speed: Play chords and scales at slow, medium, or fast tempos.

These options ensure that the playback is both realistic and suited to your training needs.

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