Stéphane Dupont

guitarist / composer / developer / teacher

Complete Music Trainer released & Android/iOS apps improvements

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Very proud to announce that I have just released Complete Music Trainer, an application allowing to access Complete Ear Trainer, Complete Rhythm Trainer and Complete Music Reading Trainer on a desktop computer!

Complete Music Trainer is available directly in a browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari are supported), or via packaged desktop apps (Windows and macOS), and it contains the entirety of our three acclaimed apps in a single convenient user interface.

… but that’s not all, I have also just released new versions of all our apps on Android and iOS with many improvements: in-app achievements, cross-platform leaderboards, cross-platform cloud sync, cross-platform license, … See the full announcement here for more details: https://binaryguilt.com/blog/complete-music-trainer-released/

Very excited about this new cross-platform architecture and about the ability to access the apps on any device!

Tremolo Classical Guitar Technique on an Electric Guitar

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I always liked how the classical guitar technique known as tremolo sounds on an electric guitar with a slight touch of saturation and delay.

This is from Progeny, a song I wrote for my band Helium Horse Fly and that is available on the album Hollowed here:

► Bandcamp: https://heliumhorsefly.bandcamp.com/album/hollowed
► Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vvxvdI7Fo0
► Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1KHrtM2pJ48jmV8krjpsPt
► Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hollowed/1439572236

2,000,000 downloads

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The three apps that I have created and developed (Complete Ear Trainer, Complete Rhythm Trainer and Complete Music Reading Trainer) have been downloaded more than 2 million times on Google Play!

I’m humbled by this, and hope that these apps have been useful to most of the people that downloaded them.

I have started to work on some really cool things that are coming in the near-future for these apps, more information coming soon!

Cocoon, Translation and Localization Management System

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The translation and localization management system I initially developed to crowdsource the translation of the apps Complete Ear Trainer, Complete Rhythm Trainer and Complete Music Reading Trainer has just been released publicly as a fully-featured software under the name Cocoon.

You can see more details by going to https://cocoon-translation.com. If you have a game, app, software, website, or any project that would benefit from a crowdsourced translation (or if you want to ease the work of your translators), there is a demo and a free 30 days trial so please have a look!

Workspace

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Pretty happy with my workspace, so I thought I’d share a quick photo of where I work:

A few of the tools I use:

  • Acoustic panels that I built myself (with the help of my wonderful girlfriend)
  • Custom desk made by Eric Pirnay with a retractable drawer hosting a Casio CDP130 88-key digital piano
  • Dynaudio BM5 mkIII active speakers
  • Audient id44 soundcard
  • Focusrite OctoPre MkII Dynamic
  • Kemper Rack

Most of my guitars can also be seen on this photo, including:

  • Joel Laplane Grand Concert classical guitar
  • Martin 000-28EC
  • Suhr Classic T Antique
  • 1994 Gibson Nighthawk
  • Godin LG HMB

It sure helps in these stay-at-home containment times!

App updates

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Almost a year since I have made a post about Complete Ear Trainer, Complete Rhythm Trainer and Complete Music Reading Trainer. Time for an update!

First I have a developed a translation management system so anyone can help translating the apps in different languages. You can find it here: https://translate.binaryguilt.com. Thanks to this tool, but above all thanks to the wonderful Maksym Vlasov, Ezequiel Santos, Tomasz Sęczkowski, Christian Plonka and Miranda Roll-Lund:

Then, these last few months I added two sections to Complete Rhythm Trainer: Polyrhythms (play and practice any polyrhythm) and Free Practice (write and play any rhythm).

On the iOS side, Benjamin Rossi is hard at work on the iOS port and we finally released custom programs for the iOS version of Complete Ear Trainer. Custom programs are of course cross-platform and you can create custom programs for your students that can be joined and played from both Android and iOS devices. Remaining features are currently ported (additional sound banks, UI update, etc.) and as soon as it is done, Complete Rhythm Trainer and Complete Music Reading Trainer port will start. We hope to release everything this year.

That’s all for now!

Easy Duos for Classical Guitar

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As I did not find (m)any good duos that my beginner classical guitar students could play, I wrote a few very simple and easy classical guitar duos.

They are aimed to be played (depending on the students) between the end of the first year and the end of the second year of classical guitar training.

You can download them here.

Complete Rhythm Trainer

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Excited to announce that our brand new app Complete Rhythm Trainer has been released on Android!

About the app:

The ultimate rhythm training app for musicians. Learn to read, recognize, tap and write rhythms from simplest to most advanced. Rhythm is one of the most important aspects of music and one that every musician should become proficient with. Designed like a video game and with strong pedagogical concepts in mind, this app will make you master rhythm while rendering the learning process enjoyable.

Features:

  • 252 progressive drills arranged over 4 levels / 30 chapters
  • Extensive content: from simple time signatures to compound and asymmetric time signatures, from half notes and quarter notes to thirty-second notes, triplets, swing eighths, double dotted notes, quintuplets, …
  • 5 drill types: rhythm imitation drills, rhythm reading drills, rhythm dictations, two-voice reading drills and two-voice dictations
  • Play a selection of 11 drills in arcade mode
  • Most of the drills are randomly generated, enabling you to practice the studied rhythms as many times as needed
  • 21 instrument sound banks with actual recorded sounds: conga, bongo, djembe, darabuka, woodblock, piano, pizzicato violin, …
  • 4 sheet music display styles: modern, classic, handwritten and jazz
  • … and much more!

Get it here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.binaryguilt.completerhythmtrainer

Complete Music Reading Trainer

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It is a great pleasure to announce that our brand new app Complete Music Reading Trainer has been released on Android!

About the app:

The ultimate music reading training app. Designed like a video game and with strong pedagogical concepts in mind, Complete Music Reading Trainer is the fastest way to learn to read sheet music and improve your sight-reading skills. Whichever clef you want to learn and whatever your instrument is, the app will make you master any chosen clef or clef combination while rendering the learning process enjoyable.

Features:

  • 270 progressive drills covering all seven clefs (treble, bass, alto, tenor, soprano, mezzo-soprano and baritone clefs) over 3 levels / 26 chapters
  • Content is organized in such a way that you can choose which levels or chapters are relevant to your instrument and focus on these, whether you play the guitar and only need treble clef, piano and need treble and bass clef, cello and need a mix of bass and tenor clefs, etc.: all instruments are covered
  • Practice key signatures up to 6 sharps/flats in progressive key signature drills
  • Practice common clef combinations in mixed clef drills
  • Play a selection of 19 drills in arcade mode
  • 5 octaves of actual recorded grand piano sounds
  • 6 additional sound banks are available, all with actual recorded sounds: vintage piano, Rhodes piano, electric guitar, harpsichord, concert harp and pizzicato strings
  • 3 ways to input notes: note circle, virtual piano keyboard, or by connecting a MIDI controller to your device
  • 4 sheet music display styles: modern, classic, handwritten and jazz
  • … and much more!

Get it here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.binaryguilt.completemusicreadingtrainer

Complete Ear Trainer v2.0.0

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Complete Ear Trainer v2.0.0 has just been released on Android.

It includes:

  • New audio engine with improved sound quality
  • Updated UI, including new images
  • Wizard screens UI updated
  • Buttons to play intervals, chords and scales in theory screens
  • 4 new chord types in custom drills: m7b13, 7b13, m7b9b13 et 7b9b13
  • It is now possible to increase the frequency of an interval or a chord in custom drills

Get it here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.binaryguilt.completeeartrainer

Helium Horse Fly – Live at Blend Studio

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While waiting for Hollowed to be released we (Helium Horse Fly) had some time on our hands, so we went back to Blend Studio (where we recorded the album) with a few video cameras and filmed live versions of almost all songs that are on Hollowed (Happiness, In A Deathless Spell, Algeny and Monochrome), plus an older song from our eponymous album (Surgery Plains).

Here are the videos:

A huge thank you to Xavier Dromard who recorded, mixed and mastered this, to Farid Agjij, Sébastien Augier and Pierre-Michel Chevigné who filmed it, and to Nicolas Chevailler for helping us with the video edit.

New Helium Horse Fly record is out now!

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Excited about being able to write this: the new Helium Horse Fly record, Hollowed is out now!

Hollowed is available in vinyl, CD and digital on our Bandcamp page. You can also stream it on Spotify, iTunes, Youtube and all major music streaming platforms.

Here’s the record’s full tracklist:

  1. Happiness 6’02
  2. In A Deathless Spell 14’20
  3. Algeny 8’32
  4. Progeny 4’26
  5. Monochrome 11’40
  6. Shelter 2’28

Very proud of releasing this record today. We also have a few things to share in the next weeks, so stay tuned for more announcements soon!

New Helium Horse Fly record announced

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I’m thrilled to announce that the new Helium Horse Fly album Hollowed is now available for preorder on Bandcamp.

Hollowed will be available on January 18 2019 in vinyl, CD and digital, as well as on Spotify, iTunes and all major music streaming platforms.

Here’s the first track of the album, Happiness:

I’m really excited about this new record and can’t wait to share the full release next month!

New in Complete Ear Trainer: Custom Programs

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After months of hard work, I’m excited to release a whole new feature for Complete Ear Trainer: Custom Programs.

In addition to still be able to create quick single custom drills, you can now create full custom training programs with up to 20 chapters and 20 drills per chapter. Custom programs are really useful if you want to build a personalized training program and are offering many options: chapters/simple drill list, scoring, stars, number of required stars, etc.

But that’s not all, you can invite friends or students to join your custom programs. Each custom program can have its own private leaderboards and for example if you’re a teacher you can create custom programs for your students, add drills every week and see their scores on the leaderboards.

I’ll sure be using this myself when teaching!

Get it on Google Play

Complete Ear Trainer update

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I just published an update for Complete Ear Trainer on Android. New features highlights:

  • Easy mode added. A brand new mode specially designed for beginners featuring 51 drills over 12 chapters
  • The results screen has been greatly improved with better contextual texts and a brand new secondary screen with detailed result, explanation and statistics
  • 6 new sound banks added: vintage piano, Rhodes piano, harpsichord, concert harp, strings and pizzicato strings. There’s now a total of 8 sound banks available (via single in-app purchases or via a full pack which give access to all the sound banks)
  • The guitar sound bank has been remade from scratch
  • Sound banks are now handled in a new dedicated screen where you can preview, buy, download and delete them
  • New option added: random sound bank. By selecting this, each question will use a different sound bank
  • You can now set a number of questions for custom drills. As a result, custom drills with a finite number of questions are behaving like classic drills, with a results screen and a high score kept and displayed on the cards
  • To work on specific inversions, it is now possible to chose which inversions to exclude in a custom drill
  • The 12 harmonic and melodic minor modes are now available in custom drills

And more, full changelog here: Android Changelog

Get the app on Google Play

Next Helium Horse Fly record // Complete Ear Trainer video

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I’m currently hard at work on the next Helium Horse Fly record, and we’re doing things differently this time, with more production time and more work at home. I’m discovering that I really enjoy the process of making a record much more that way: having time to try things, to record and edit the guitars myself, etc. Details on the record coming soon.

About Complete Ear Trainer, I wrote and played a small piece of piano for a promotional video a few months ago, here it is:

iOS version of Complete Ear Trainer

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The iOS version of Complete Ear Trainer has just been published! A few things are missing and will be added in future updates (mainly arcade mode, guitar sound bank and tutorial screens), but these few things apart, the app has been ported exactly the same by my friend Benjamin Rossi. You can even sync your progression between your Android and iOS devices. Happy ear training!

App store link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/complete-ear-trainer/id1012455471

Helium Horse Fly

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My band Helium Horse Fly (www.heliumhorsefly.com) just released its first LP. It is available digital/CD digipak here: heliumhorsefly.bandcamp.com/merch

Experimental rock, venomous noise music, progressive baroque hardcore, putting a label on this unusual band is no easy task. A crossroads that brings together diametrically opposed worlds and bridges the gap between extremes, led by a female voice at a cross between incantation and lyricism, Helium Horse Fly offers a musical journey that oscillates between tense breathing spells and cathartic violence.

Editions eLuna

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The collection of sheet music I have edited and published under the name of eLuna editions is now available on the Editions page. The edited pieces are mainly my compositions for classical guitar, as well as a few transcriptions.