Ethnic ear-training of the Digital Century

Abstract
The article purports to introduce new methodological devices aimed to improve music ear for modal scales and rhythmical patterns by means of modern electronic devices in the field of music education. Musicological and methodological analysis of mobile applications for smartphones and tablets is the core of such a demonstration. The traditional ethnic music from India, Iran, China and other non-European countries is used as rhythmical and melodic basis of these applications. A majority of the selected and analyzed applications may be successfully used in academic courses of ear-training at both secondary and high levels of music education. A number of particular methodological devices simulating the sound of ethnic musical instruments, together with some applications-thesauri (both modal and rhythmical), have been demonstrated for a purpose of ear-training in pentatonic, symmetrical and mixed diatonic modal scales, micro-chromatic idioms and also for training in syncopation and irregularly accented meter.

Keywords
ear-training, ear for mode, rhythmic patterns, music education, mobile applications