It was a pleasant surprise to hear and recognize chords which I had actually written without knowing at the time exactly what they were. What a revelation this has been! I recommend your work to anyone interested in developing a professional ear towards music. (K.R., composer, Universal City, California)
Mr. Burge: I'd like to congratulate you for the best ear training course there is. The way you organized your course and the attitude of easiness . . . you know what I need. You can have the greatest music going through your head and it is not going to get you anywhere if you can't project it on the instrument. (R.A., Coamo, Puerto Rico)
As an improviser, working with your course has given my playing a maturity that I may not have achieved as quickly without doing the course. (D.W., electronic keyboards, Ojai, California)
I learned more with these CDs than taking music lessons! (D.A., Germantown, Tennessee)
Message to Mr. Burge: You are a screaming GENIUS! (C.H., La Quinta, California)
Dear Mr. Burge: Hi, I am a 22-year old bass player. I have completed the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse for the second time. I would like to say thank you for helping me really hear what music is all about. (D.D., Minneapolis, Minnesota)
I'm no spring chicken. Turned 70 last March. Have been playing piano since my teenage years and am now studying music and playing. I plan on doing the same until the day I no longer wake up . . . at least another 20 years or so!
I finished my Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse today, August 24. It really opened up new areas for me, and my hearing and my playing have immensely improved. From hearing your voice on these Lessons for such a long time, you are almost one of the family. Keep up the good work. You are really thorough and an excellent teacher. Yours truly, D.C. (piano, Winnetka, California)
Dear Mr. Burge: Prior to starting your course, I was a scholarship winning guitar student at the Australian Institute of Music (Australia's equivalent to Berklee), but, primarily due to your course, I am now about to start a composition major, B. Music. I graduated your Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse yesterday and would personally like to thank you — I am enjoying life and music to a degree greater than I previously thought possible. (L.D., Hornsby, Australia)
I have gained so much knowledge that I am very proud and happy. It is a wonderful course. (M.U., Los Angeles, California)
I'm sure the training will be with me the rest of my musical life. (R.D., Solona Beach, California)
Mr. Burge: In a nutshell, you have changed my life. You have given me knowledge which I never thought I could have nor even thought I needed. Your course covers a phenomenal amount of material in very logical manner and gives the participant the desired result: established Relative Pitch.
I would like to enumerate four “gifts" which I have received as a direct result of this course:
1) A thorough understanding of intervals. This was really the main reason why I took this course. One great side benefit which I am extremely pleased with is the ability to write down music from my head. I never would have anticipated that I could do this, but thanks to you, I can.
2) A new way of listening to music. I now hear music in a totally new and satisfying way. Intervals jump out at me which I can readily identify. I hear chord inversions and scale degrees. My experience of music has become enriched as a result. This type of insight could never have happened without your course.
3) An understanding of chord quality and structure — how chords are used to support a piece of music. This is helpful for my playing and has made me decide that I want to compose music. I now have the confidence that I can sufficiently understand the way music is put together so I can create my own special version. This is the most exciting musical development for me. I will be forever grateful to you and the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse for having put me on this path.
4) Your course has shown me that an individual is capable of learning any skill they desire as long as they adopt their own pace and stay with the learning process.
I hope that you can now understand why I said in the beginning of this letter that you have changed my life. Thanks again for my “gifts." (J.G., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey)
Dear Friend David Lucas: Let me call you that way because after many hours working "together" we have become good friends. I can feel that you really love your job and that's what really encouraged me to refine my ear. I play guitar for 20 years and I've been always using my ear a lot. After I finished the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse, I'm more conscious now of what I hear so I can enjoy even more the music. The more we hear, the more we feel. Thank you very much, David Lucas. (E.B., Barcelona, Spain)
It has been a great learning experience. I am an electric bass player and singer in a popular music group that plays everything from rap to contemporary country to heavy metal and jazz. The most obvious benefit to me has been a feeling of confidence in performance. I memorize songs much faster. Transposition on the spot has improved as well as confidence in singing background vocals. My enjoyment and appreciation of music have flourished.
The challenge of soloing has been made easier since now, even if I get lost in the changes, I can identify the chord quality and play the appropriate arpeggio or scale!
Thank you for a great program that obviously took great effort on your part to create. Your philosophy of "effortlessness" has also helped me in my personal practice. This program has been the most valuable activity I have undertaken to improve my overall musicianship. The results have been obvious; many of my musician friends have asked me about the the program. Thanks for helping me become the musician within me. (B.S., bass/singer, Newport, Rhode Island)
Dear Mr. Burge: I completed the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse yesterday with a feeling that I have fully internalized its contents. I am also working on the Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse and have noticed the profound connection the two courses have. Thank you for giving me a deeper musical life. (M.K., acoustic guitar, Vantaa, Finland)
Dear Mr. Burge: I guess you could say I've always had a love/hate relationship with music because I would hear a beautiful piece of music, recall it for years afterward, and still not be able to play it — an intensely frustrating experience. So many times I wanted to quit and sell anything resembling a musical instrument . . . but I just couldn't do it.
I had seen your ads in trade publications but was skeptical. I had been taught through two decades of musical involvement, a college degree in music, and some professional performance, that one was either born with Perfect Pitch or would never have it. But being at the crossroads I found myself, I really had nothing to lose by ordering your course, so I did. When you unveiled the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse, I figured I may as well go all the way and I ordered that too.
That was almost a year ago. I have a job that has forced me to work sometimes 80 hours a week or even more, so I've had to do what I could when I could. But I didn't quit, and tonight I finished the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. (Yes!!!)
I would like to say "thank you" for not being selfish with all you've discovered. It has galvanized me and challenged me to reach again for new heights I had despaired of ever reaching. People tell me they've noticed improvements in my playing — which hasn't ever really happened before. Thanks again. Sincerely, T.H. (Cudahy, Wisconsin)
My playing is much much better than before. This is a perfect course. (T.E., Pensacola, Florida)
You have helped me make many musical dreams possible. Now I write and play as good as a pro. Because of your influence, I would like to say that I am also going to learn piano and keyboards, even though I am a guitarist. You are a true musical genius, and kind enough to share your knowledge with musicians. Your study of music is just simply fascinating. (R.P., Colton, Oregon)
While I know some of the theory you explain on the Lessons, I never would have dreamed up those drills in a thousand years. Your courses are keepers! I have been looking at your advertisements for years now, and am wondering why I didn't buy the products sooner. When I saw your 90-Day Money Back Guarantee, I knew that your confidence in your product was very high. (J.A., keyboard, Macomb, Illinois)
I can now recognize tones and intervals very fast. (M.E., Cairo, Egypt)
I completed the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse on June 13. I have incorporated suspended 4th and minor 9th chords into playing by ear, which I hadn't used before. (P.R., piano, Charleston, South Carolina)
I've found this course to be a lot of fun. (K.R., Toronto, Ontario)
Dear Mr. Burge: Today, the 8th of July, I graduated the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. To experience the development of my ears has been a wonderful feeling. It has enriched my life as a musician in a very essential way.
The Lessons have been with me on trains, on the beach, and in many other situations where I have been traveling, waiting, or just relaxing. The course is very well composed and you are a great teacher.
The whole course has actually taken me some years because of busy periods of my life that have interrupted my ear training, in some cases for a whole year. But with my own CD Lessons it has been possible to have my own tempo, which is great. After such a long time, completion of the last exam on Lesson 41 feels like quite a milestone.
Please let me know of any new Lessons to buy for developing my ear even further! Best regards, J.E. (bass guitar, Norrkoping, Sweden)
I strongly believe in your ear training programs. Since I started the courses, I note the following which I never experienced before: 1) Music sounds more interesting; 2) Sometimes I feel as though my ear wants to physically catch the music, and it feels good. (M.S., Trinidad)
I finished the Lessons the other day and was blown away by how much they helped me. I was amazed to find myself listening to those extended chords and getting most of them right — that is something that seemed pretty much like the impossible dream up to that point. I've had a "good ear" for some time now and could figure out just about anything if I had enough time and played some of the hard passages at half speed. But since your course, I've noticed that certain things just jump out at me and don't seem to require any effort at all.
What amazes me is that it has vastly improved my ability to improvise jazz. Please let me know if you produce another set of Lessons; I'll order them in a minute. (K.H., Charlotte, Virginia)
Today I've graduated the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. Prior to that one I graduated from the Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. I chose to wait with contacting you until I had finished both the courses. And that's what happened today! It took me about a year to complete them, listening a bit every day. I am a student (21 years old). It has been one of the best investments I've ever made. (K.R., Middelburg, Netherlands)
It has opened up new vistas for me and plugged many of the "holes" or gaps in my ear before the course. (D.R., Saratoga, New York)
Dear David Lucas: Thank you very much for creating an exciting and innovative course for improving one's ability to follow music with your ears. I am not a professional but do play the piano for enjoyment. Ear training was always a mystery to me but now I'm able to follow the flow of music thanks to your course. (J.M., Norfolk, Virginia)
Dear Mr. Burge: Yesterday I finished the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse, and from the very depth of my heart: Thank you for such an excellent course! (P.J., Paarp, Sweden)
We are using the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse in our theory class with excellent results. (J.A., music teacher, French Lick, Indiana)
I am a trained vocalist and also play piano and flute. I took private lessons until two years ago and never learned anything that explicitly related to Relative Pitch or ear training. I learned solfège, nevertheless, it was not enough for me, which is why I purchased your courses. They are wonderful, and I can tell that my ear is becoming more attuned to subtleties. I have been working with the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse for about 3 weeks . . . a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. Thank you for allowing us to benefit from your knowledge. Sincerely, C.M. (Carlisle, Pennsylvania)
Just a short note to let you know that I graduated your Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse and it has really strengthened all my abilities. My main musical focus is composition, and I found that the course almost immediately helped me hear the structure of a piece and how different parts fit together. Practicing your techniques has had such a wonderful effect on all my musical experiences. (B.T., Fullerton, California)
Dear Mr. Burge: Two days ago I completed your Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse and I'm thanking God for you. I am now enjoying the capacity to sing harmonies in my church choir, something I wouldn't do before. I have been upgrading my guitar skills, using the chords in their various inversions that I have learned in the course. I am also developing the ability to accompany any song in any key (for my work with children, etc.), transferring music from my head to my hands, and memorizing popular songs. I have analyzed the progressions using the knowledge I have gained in the course. Thanks again! (B.T., piano/guitar/voice, Toronto, Ontario)
Dear Mr. Burge: I have recently finished your Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse and want to let you know how much it has helped me. I have been playing the piano since I was tall enough to reach the keys, but until now, never realized how much I didn't know.
The ear is like the brain in many ways . . . until we learn how to access it, we can't use it. My ear has indeed opened up and I love it. Thank you.
I have also purchased the Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. Thank you again for proving that an old dog can learn new tricks. Best regards, W.C. (piano, Brockport, New York)
Mr. Burge: I just graduated from the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse on Feb. 9. It is a well thought out course. I hope there will be more stuff for graduates. (J.W.)
Where high school and college programs fail, you succeed! (S.H., Rocky Hill, New Jersey)
Dear Mr. Burge: I have now graduated the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. The course has helped me very much with my music studies and the other students are amazed by the speed I can recognize intervals and chords. I also started the Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse and I have noticed a dramatic improvement in my listening skills. Before, I could hear just one sound but now I can hear the overtones too. Because of this and many other things, I know that I'm doing the exercises right. I would like to thank you for the courses and if you do have any more materials, please let me know. (K.A., guitar, Sibbo, Finland)
Dear Mr. Burge: I completed your Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse today. The time I spent was well worth it. The course filled in a lot of theoretical gaps in my knowledge of music as well as sharpened my ear and I would recommend it to any serious musician. The teaching method makes it enjoyable. I will now be focusing more on the Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse, which I had ordered first. If you have any other courses available, please let me know. (S.A., piano, Montreal, Québec)
Yes, I've graduated the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse Wednesday February 6. Your lessons have become a continuous medium in my studies for a B.A. in music at U.C. Davis, California. I'd love to know any future projects in your music education program. Thank you and warmest regards, J.H. (W. Sacramento, California)
Dear David Lucas: Thank you for opening my mind into the world of music. Today I graduated the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse! (K.S., sax, Olsztyn, Poland)
Dear Mr. Burge: I completed the Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse today. I must congratulate you on an excellent course with strong fundamentals in music theory. I have now started the Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. (S.P., MD, guitar, Brooklyn, New York)
This is an appreciation note to David Lucas Burge: The Perfect Pitch and Relative Pitch training system has been very, very beneficial to me, so much so that I have abandoned all the other training tools that I have been using and am satisfied by his alone. I have found it very well put together, enjoyable to follow and learn and just what I needed. My playing skills have really improved and continue to improve. This is a training tool that every singer and musician should use to develop themselves and the only complete tool that I have ever used. I think I have spent my money very well, and thanks! (K.B. piano,
Ipswich, England)
Dear Mr. Burge: I found your Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse invaluable. It has helped me progress much further towards becoming a professional musician than I otherwise might have. Any further courses that you design would be eagerly awaited by myself. Yours sincerely, M.O. (piano, London, England)
Dear Mr. Burge: I almost wrote 'Dear David' because after listening to your voice for hours during my Relative Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse, I feel as though I know you. I love this program. I am learning so much and it is so exciting. I have played flute and piccolo for 40 years and piano for 11 years. I am not a professional musician, but perform occasionally with friends in church, fundraisers, and other community events. The music theory that I have taken left my knowledge jumbled and full of gaps. Your program is filling in those gaps and things are becoming so clear. My singing instructor has been very impressed with my new understanding of harmonies and my ability to sing intervals for him. I am jazzed!! Thank you so much for doing this wonderful home study course ... this makes it possible for me to work it into my busy schedule and progress at my own speed. I just love it! Sincerely, P.L.B. (Redding, CA)