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Eartraining Software

Hugo Riemann

Hugo Riemann
19th Century Theorist

Kapelle Eartraining Applications

Kapelle is a series of eartraining programs, written for Microsoft Windows by Scott Foglesong. You may access more information about the software, including download links and instructions, by clicking on the links below:

The suite includes three additional programs which are used by instructors for creating exercises. (Those aren't available from this website.)

The Kapelle programs differ considerably from most commercial eartraining software in that the programs do not hard-code their exercises, but are instead almost completely open-ended as to the nature of the materials they present. Those materials are created using the instructor applications, and are read by the client applications as exercises. In fact, most of the programs are not even useful without materials prepared with those instructor applications.

Online Tutorials for Kapelle Programs

We have a series of video tutorials which will walk you through the process of using the Kapelle programs. They can accessed either via the Technology section.

Running the Kapelle Programs on a Macintosh

The Kapelle programs don't run natively on the Mac — they're Windows software. However, you do have some options for running them on a recent-model Macintosh that uses an Intel processor:

  • You can run the Kapelle programs within CrossOver Mac, product that allows you to run Windows software on the Macintosh. I've given this method a testing, using CrossOver Mac 7.0 with Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard", and everything works just fine. I have a few tips here for making sure that it runs properly. NOTE: this doesn't work on Apple Silicon such as the M1 or M2.
  • You can use either Parallels or VMWare to run Windows in a virtualized environment, right on your Mac. This requires buying both Parallels and a copy of Windows (any version from Windows 98 onwards), but it's a foolproof solution. NOTE: will not work on Apple Silicon such as the M1 or M2.
  • You can also use BootCamp (built into OS X 10.5 "Leopard" and later) to create a Windows partition on your hard drive, and then reboot the Mac into Windows (you also need a copy of Windows). Note: BootCamp is not available on Macs with Apple Silicon such as the M1 or M2.
  • The WINE emulator runs on the Mac and might allow you to run the Kapelle programs — they have never been tested under WINE. However, WINE does not require a copy of Windows. Since CrossOver Mac uses WINE, the odds are very good that Kapelle programs would work well under WINE. WINE does not run on Apple Silicon such as the M1 or M2, however.

NOTE: the Kapelle programs will NOT run with any known emulator on the latest Macintosh computers that use Apple's own processors, such as the M1 and M2.

The Kapelle programs run just fine on the following versions of Windows:

  • Windows NT 4 (with sound drivers that support MIDI installed)
  • Windows 98
  • Windows ME
  • Windows 2000
  • Windows XP (all versions)
  • Windows Server 2003
  • Windows Vista (all versions)
  • All later Windows versions, up to and including Windows 11

HarmonyTutor

HarmonyTutor is an application written by Scott Foglesong, which helps students to recognize harmonies by ear. It is an incomplete application (among other things, there is no Help system) but yet it is complete enough to use profitably. For more information about HarmonyTutor, including download links, click here (or on the program's title above.)