Tonic Tutor Game Tips

Tonic Tutor Game Instructions and Tips

In my previous post, I shared the details about the benefits of Tonic Tutor in my music studio.  

It has a built-instep-by-step in tutorial instruction tab for each game with precise step by step tutorials on how to play. For my younger students, sometimes a more concise description can help them quickly engage in the game.  I've included a few tips that I give my students to help them succeed in certain games as well.

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 8ncskw

Keyboard Skills

Piano Keys - Click on the correct piano keys (As, F#s, etc)
Jungle Journey - Click on piano key intervals (which increase in difficulty by level).  Move up a step/skip, half /whole step, Major/minor/aug/dim 3rd,6th etc.
Player Piano - Listen to a short melody played on the piano and copy it by clicking the correct keys you heard (or saw). Hint: After hearing the melody sing it to help you better remember the pitches you heard, then play on the keys.
Piano Chords - Play the correct keys on the piano of the chord indicated (F major, d diminished, etc.) Hint: Walk the correct pattern of half steps up from the tonic (1st note) to play root chords.  Major= 4+3, minor= 3+4 diminished=3+3 and Augmented=4+4
Planets - Play the correct keys on the piano of the scale indicated. Hint: Major=We Were Happy When We Were Home. Natural minor= When Harry Went West He Wore White.

Aural- Intervals

Gumballs - Click on the stack of gumballs with the matching interval #.  Hint: Sing up the scale and count how many notes it takes to get from the bottom note to the top note.
Broken Gramophone - Identify the song that begins with the interval you hear (Jingle Bells, Here Comes the Bride, etc.)
Ladybug - Choose the Quality and number of  the interval you hear. Hint: Perfect intervals are 1,4,5 and 8.

Aural-Rhythms

Dancing Jelly Bean - Choose the rhythm pattern that does not have a match.
Rhythm Zoo - Choose the card with the rhythm matching the first card.

Aural-Melody

Stick People- Choose the picture that matches the shape of the melody you heard. Hint: Steps look like a staircase.
Mystery Note-Click the 2 notes at the top and listen for the note in the pattern that is the same pitch as the single note played.
Mushrooms-As you listen to the melody choose the last note your hear.  Hint: Follow along with by pointing to the first note played and moving your finger in the direction you hear the notes played.
Robot- Challenge! Listen to the melody and play the key that you hear last. The first note is colored on the keyboard.  Hint: Hover your finger or mouse over the first note as you hear the melody and then move in the direction you hear it played.

Aural-Chords and Scales

Aquarium - Listen for what type of scale was played.  Major (happy)? Natural minor (sad)? Harmonic minor (sad with creepy #7)? Melodic minor (different pattern going down then up)?
For Aural games like ice cream, eggs and magnets, it is helpful if you sing aloud the pitch(es) you hear.
Blobs- Identify the chord quality. Is it major (happy) or minor (sad)?
Ice Cream - Listen to the note and decide if it is the bottom middle or top note of the chord (ice cream cone scoops)
Chord Colors - Choose the correct chord pattern.  Hint: Which chord sounds most like "I" even if the notes are rearranged.  I  (Home) sounds restful like the beginning or end of song.  V (Vacation) does not sound like the end when compared to home.  Note: The Chord colors are different than let's play music chords.

Aural-Melodic Dictation

Eggs - Listen to the melody and choose the egg that is not in the write place on the staff. Hint: It helps to follow along with your cursor or finger as the notes are being played.
Magnets - Move the notes up or down with the magnets above or below the staff to match the melody you hear. Hint: Check to make sure notes on the staff that repeat later sound the same before clicking "Done." Remember to check or the direction (up and down) and distance (how far up or down) of the notes that change.

Visual- Intervals

Mini Monster - Identify how far the monster has to move (interval between notes) to eat his food. Hint: For intervals that are farther apart it is faster to "skip-count" up the lines or spaces (1 line, 3 line, 5 line, etc. not 1 line, 2 space 3 line, 4 space, 5 line).
Interval Memory - Identify if the cards are the same interval. For example, are they both 5ths (even if they are on different places on the staff)?
Lollipops - Imagine the lollipops are lined up on the white keys on the piano and play the pattern as you identify how the distance and  How would you play them?
Baseball - Look at the notes on the staff and identify which one has not been colored in on the keys yet. Click on the correct key on the keyboard.

Visual-Pitch ID

Seeds - Select all of the notes on the staff matching the letter name given.
Lasers - Click the correct letter name of the note on the staff. Measure the distance from landmark notes to help you.
Note Bird - Click the correct letter name of the note on the staff.
Note Snap - Identify the letter name of both flashcards. Click match if they are the the same (even if they are different octaves on the staff )
Stars - Sightread a series of notes on the staff by clicking the keys on the keyboard in the correct order.

Visual-Rhythm

Blocks- Listen to the rhythm pattern and rotate the colored block to display the correct missing note. Hint: After you listen once, echo tap or clap the rhythm you just heard to help you determine the correct note(s).
Piggybank- Choose the correct name of the symbol from the multiple choice list
Trains- Listen to the rhythm pattern and determine the last note played.  Hint: Track the music with your finger as it plays.
Pizza- Choose the correct duration of notes in different time signatures.  Hint: The bottom number in the time signature tells us what type of note gets one beat (2/4 -quarter note=1, 6/8 - eighth note =1)

Theory

Lightbulbs- Click the lightbulbs in the correct sequence (treble line notes from bottom to top, rhythm values from large to small, etc.)
Key Signature Snap- Determine if the named key signature and key signature on the staff are a match or not.
Term Memory- Flip the correct cards to match the terms to their definitions.
Boxing Glove- Click on the correct music symbol indicated.  Hint:  Watch out for the "NOTs" (Click anything that is NOT a sharp)
Rock Climber - Choose the correct letter names in the order of the scale. Hint: Think of the sharps and flats in the scale before you begin. For example, the G 1 octave Scale (GABCDEF#G) has only 1 sharp (F#).