What is Dark Magic?
Dark Magic is a tool, like a metronome or tuner, that utilizes preexisting technology to improve a player’s pitch and rhythm quickly and dramatically.
By working with an interactive MuseScore file of the music being prepared, the player can calibrate the ear and hands with the pitch and rhythmic accuracy needed to be successful in an audition setting.
The calibration that Dark Magic achieves takes care of much of the technical work that usually occupies practice time, allowing music making to become the central focus of audition preparation much faster than would normally be achieved.
How to Setup Dark Magic
on your MuseScore account
Download MuseScore on your desktop https://musescore.org/en/download
Download the MuseScore app on your tablet (if you don't have a tablet, it will work on your phone, but use is easier on a tablet)
Open the files you have purchased on your computer and save them (this way you can customize them however you'd like). You might be tempted to skip this step, but don’t.
Once they are saved on your computer, save them "online" making sure you're logged into the same account on both your computer and tablet
After they're uploaded, the scores are then available on your tablet, and you're ready to use Dark Magic!
Tips for Best Results
Listen to the files through a rather loud bluetooth speaker
Arrive at the Dark Magic practice session feeling alert and focused
Select the first measure of a scale using the cursor (just press and hold with one finger and the cursor should go to that measure), and then click the ‘Loop Button’ which will select the measure you clicked on. When it is highlighted in blue, drag the highlighter so the whole first scale is selected.
Press play, and listen with your eyes closed a few times.
Then, listen with your eyes closed and finger along silently
Play along with the tape noticing where you aren’t with the piano.
Stop the tape and play it alone - sections where you deviate in pitch or rhythm should jump out to you - are these deviations intentional? Are they just mistakes?
Play with the tape again - slow it down if you need (tempo can be changed by percentage in the tablet app). Loop even smaller sections (such as one octave or even a few notes) using the listen, listen/finger, listen/play, play approach
Repeat the 3 previous steps.
Go for repetitions in each practice session - that is the most surefire way to build consistency
Rest immediately after using the tool - don’t look at your phone or move on to something else. Take 1-5 mins to sit or lay with your eyes closed and let your brain process what it just learned. Make sure you get a good night's sleep that night and the following night to make sure you deeply wire your learning
Terms of Use: All Dark Magic files are under copyright by FederMusic LLC. By purchasing these files you agree that they are for your personal use only and that you do not have the right to distribute or resell them in any way to any person or persons.