for Professional use and for Fun
FROM BACH TO BRUNO MARS: Music's Workings Revealed
What are your goals?
LEARN ABOUT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE! Have you ever wondered what makes a piece of music work so well? The perspectives and the ear training, music theory, and music analysis tools of "Thinking by Ear" can help you notice what to listen for, design your performances of whole pieces, and unlock the mysteries of why music moves us as it does.
PREPARE PIECES FOR PERFORMANCE! Whether you have just begun to play or are already an accomplished musician, Thinking by Ear can help you prepare whole pieces, rather than simply running notes in a row. Whatever your level of musical experience or expertise, you will become more aware of your music's design and how you can use this knowledge to prompt goosebumps in your listeners.
I can help!
Do you aspire to better understand and appreciate music? Or do you want to elevate your own musical performances?
I offer a range of on-line personalized teaching based on student's goals, from beginners to experienced musicians, individual or group lessons, music analysis of music scores of your choice or those I already have available. I also offer consulting on a range of music-related topics, including how music may be related to health, or legal opinion regarding possible music copyright infringement.
Sample Services and Products
PLEASE NOTE: This is an expanding and continually-edited list. I take requests.
- Thought Models, Workscore Tutorials and Worksheets, Interpretation Workscores © 1989-2016 by Vern C. Falby, Ph.D.
- Orientation: THE VALUE OF MUSIC THEORY
- INTERPRETATION WORKSCORE: Analytical-Interpretive skills
- "Whole piece" musical analysis - at your request, new analysis or chose from collection of previously analyzed pieces (e.g., Bach's Aria, Goldberg Variations, BWV 988)
About Vern Falby, Ph.D. your guide to Vern Falby, Ph.D. your
Vern Falby's teaching career spans nearly 40 years of teaching in professional schools of music. He served on the Music Theory faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University from 1989–2020.
He earned a Ph.D. in Musicology (Music Theory emphasis) from the University of Maryland, and, formerly, was on the Music Theory faculties of the Hartt School of Music and the Louisiana State University.
"Thinking by ear:" A proven approach to better understanding and performing music
Dr. Vern Falby has developed an approach to the study of music and music making that he calls "Thinking by Ear." This approach, based in our aural experience of music, can be used by music students and professionals alike to improve their performances by playing the overall architecture of pieces rather than just playing their notes lined up in a row. This approach can also help music lovers seeking to understand what is happening in their favorite pieces—and why those pieces affect them so deeply.
Endorsements
"Vern Falby is the kind of teacher whose impact is felt across a lifetime. This certainly is the case with his impact on my own. He followed the music where it took him; he never attempted to corral it into preordained spaces. He allowed his students to hear for themselves, and to explore why they heard the way they did. His classes were among the most joyous hours I spent as a student."
Michael Hersch (Former Student)
Composer,
Chair of Composition Department,
Peabody Conservatory
Harvard Club of DC: A dinner and Musical Conversation
Harvard Club nof DC: A dinner and Musical Conversation with Vern Falby and Pianist Catalin Dima
A dinner and Musical Conversation with Vern Falby of the Peabody Institute and Pianist Catalin Dima
All are welcome to attend. The evening will begin with drinks and dinner.
A number of years ago, it occurred to Vern Falby that he could offer a vivid demonstration of the shared importance of artistic patterning and design across cultures and media. Specifically, he noticed that the audible quadrilateral design of many of J.S. Bach’s pieces, iconic masterpieces from our musical tradition, has a design remarkably analogous to the equally iconic quadrilateral patterning within the central medallions of Persian carpets from the Heriz region of Iran! This is a direct analogy to the phenomenon of multiple discovery (or simultaneous invention) in the sciences. And the striking parallel in the two noble arts, also matches the “voyage and return” plot in literature, offering strong testimony to the centering, affirming, unifying, and therapeutic power of archetypal pattern in the human experience.
Falby has developed an approach and the practical tools to investigate works of music, which he calls "Thinking by Ear." This approach encourages listeners and performers alike to become consciously aware of the layered musical patterns and processes within every musical piece, and to hypothesize how music’s patterning works upon the emotions of their audiences. Such understanding of how music works is invaluable in listening to and making music. The goal is to expand comprehension of music to the point where we can hear how every piece of music works as a whole.
Harvard Club nof DC: A dinner and Musical Conversation with Vern Falby and Pianist Catalin Dima
News!
March 7, 2024 Dontae Winslow, former undergraduate and graduate student, and his wife Mashica, hosted the Baltimore premiere of Outlaw Posse, for which Dontae wrote the score, featuring an impressive quantity and quality of great music!