Aural Awareness: Principles and Practice

by George Pratt, Michael Henson (Primary Contributor), the late Simon Cargill (Primary Contributor)

Traditional aural training is heavily biased toward the perception and identification of pitch and rhythm. The authors of this book argue that, in the current age of CDs and cassette recorders, much of this area of the subject can be best worked on alone. They demonstrate how, by tailoring tasks to individual needs, every student can make some encouraging progress in these aspects of the study of music.

Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[Sarah Twist · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overall good book outlining a lot of skills for musicians to improve as performers and composers. The book has a number of principals and techniques which are followed by examples of how to practice these techniques and these are very easy to follow.
The book is heavily aimed at those learning and practicing orchestral music, sometimes to its detriment as all example pieces are classical/orchestral and there is an expectation that readers will use and be familiar with musical scores. Some of the exercises expect group work which is to the detriment of the individual reader, and some may be impossible to replicate with different styles of music and playing.
Due to the age of the book, some references are a bit dated (I giggled when I was asked to set my gramaphone to mono) but it has held up well over time.

Overall, a good tool for musicians who are looking to learn more about composing, improvising music, analysing and criticising music, and improving their pitch and flexibility with their instrument.