Sprint 1 — Orientation
Cheat Sheets
Quick-reference cards for every Sprint 1 concept. Keep these visible during practice — print, bookmark, or open on a second screen.
All 11 Di-Chords — Quick Reference
The complete di-chord system. Sprint 1 focuses on [3] and [4] (highlighted). Three pulsation classes: Dissonant (8 Hz) · Modal (4 Hz) · Perfect (2 Hz)
| Bracket | Interval | Semi | Pulsation | Harmonicity | Perceptual Feel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | Minor 2nd | 1 | 8 Hz | Very low | Harsh, biting, maximum tension |
| [2] | Major 2nd | 2 | 8 Hz | Low | Buzzy, energetic, wants to move |
| [3] | Minor 3rd | 3 | 4 Hz | Medium | Warm, shadowed — the minor sound |
| [4] | Major 3rd | 4 | 4 Hz | Med-high | Bright, warm — the major sound |
| [5] | Perfect 4th | 5 | 2 Hz | High | Open, reaching, suspended |
| [6] | Tritone | 6 | 8 Hz | Very low | Maximum harmonic tension — must resolve |
| [7] | Perfect 5th | 7 | 2 Hz | High | Hollow, stable, farthest stable reach |
| [8] | Minor 6th | 8 | 4 Hz | Medium | Dark, tender — minor from below |
| [9] | Major 6th | 9 | 4 Hz | Med-high | Bright, lifting — emotional openness |
| [10] | Minor 7th | 10 | 4 Hz | Med-low | Incomplete, longing — wants to resolve |
| [11] | Major 7th | 11 | 8 Hz | Low | Bright tension — close to octave, unresolved |
Sprint 1 Focus: [3] vs. [4]
[3] — Minor Third
- Pulsation: 4 Hz (modal — smooth, flowing)
- F/O Factor: Refers down (shadow left)
- Harmonicity: Non-harmonic (dark, closed)
- Pull character: Steady weight — notes attract across the non-harmonic gap, dense and inward.
- Feel: Warm but shadowed. Notes attract. Minor chords sound minor because of
[3]between root and third. - At the piano: A + C (3 semitones)
[4] — Major Third
- Pulsation: 4 Hz (modal — same as [3])
- F/O Factor: Refers down (shadow left — same)
- Harmonicity: Harmonic (light, open)
- Pull character: Deep gravity — harmonic kinship gives the pull acoustic belonging, not just attraction.
- Feel: Bright and warm. Notes push apart. Major chords sound major because of
[4]between root and third. - At the piano: A + C# (4 semitones)
[3] and [4] are twins in two of three properties (same pulsation, same shadow direction). The only difference is harmonicity — closed vs. open, dark vs. light. This one difference also changes the pull character: [3] is steady weight (attraction across a non-harmonic gap), [4] is deep gravity (acoustic kinship, belonging). Learn to hear both the color and the pull texture — together they give you major vs. minor by ear, instantly, forever.The Three Sound Factors
1. Pulsation
The beating/flickering when two notes sound together. Fast = tense. Slow = stable.
8 Hz (Dissonant): [1] [2] [10] [11]
4 Hz (Modal): [3] [4] [8] [9]
2 Hz (Perfect): [5] [6] [7]
2. F/O Factor (Shadow)
Direction the interval “refers” — toward the fundamental or toward the octave. Pull intensity varies within each group by urgency + bond strength.
Refers DOWN ↓: [1]–[5]
[1] acute urgency · [2] urgent + rooted
[3] steady weight · [4] deep gravity
[5] calm suspension
Refers BOTH ↕: [6] — no direction
Refers UP ↑: [7]–[11]
[7] deep stillness · [8] upward weight
[9] warm drift · [10] urgent + upward
[11] acute pressure
Pull = urgency (wave shape) + bond strength (color)
3. Harmonicity (Color)
How fused the two notes sound. Harmonic = blend into one. Non-harmonic = stay separate.
Harmonic (open): [2] [4] [7] [9] [10]
Non-harmonic (closed): [1] [3] [5] [8] [11]
Neutral: [6]
Di-Chord Pictograph System — All 11 Di-Chords
Each di-chord has three visual factors: Shape (pulsation) · Shadow (F/O factor) · Color (harmonicity)
Visual Factor Reference
Factor 1 — Shape
- Jagged zigzag — Dissonant (8 Hz)
- Smooth curve — Modal (4 Hz)
- Flat / gentle — Perfect (2 Hz)
Factor 2 — Shadow
- ← Left arrow — Fundamental side
- → Right arrow — Octave side
- ← → Both — Equidistant (tritone)
Factor 3 — Color
- Dark shade — Non-harmonic
- Light shade — Harmonic
- Neutral gray — Tritone
- Mid shade — False-harmonic [9]
Pull character — combines pulsation urgency (wave shape: jagged=8Hz acute / smooth=4Hz steady / flat=2Hz calm) with bond strength (color: dark=attracted across gap / light=acoustic kinship / neutral=ambivalent). Direction tells you which way; pull character tells you how.
★ Sprint 1 Focus — Di-chords [3] and [4] are the primary learning targets for Sprint 1. The gold border identifies them throughout all course materials.
The Di-Chord Pictograph
Each di-chord has a unique visual glyph encoding all three sound factors. Shape = pulsation class. Shadow direction = F/O factor. Fill color = harmonicity.
Di-Chord Pictograph System — All 11 Di-Chords
Each di-chord has three visual factors: Shape (pulsation) · Shadow (F/O factor) · Color (harmonicity)
Visual Factor Reference
Factor 1 — Shape
- Jagged zigzag — Dissonant (8 Hz)
- Smooth curve — Modal (4 Hz)
- Flat / gentle — Perfect (2 Hz)
Factor 2 — Shadow
- ← Left arrow — Fundamental side
- → Right arrow — Octave side
- ← → Both — Equidistant (tritone)
Factor 3 — Color
- Dark shade — Non-harmonic
- Light shade — Harmonic
- Neutral gray — Tritone
- Mid shade — False-harmonic [9]
Pull character — combines pulsation urgency (wave shape: jagged=8Hz acute / smooth=4Hz steady / flat=2Hz calm) with bond strength (color: dark=attracted across gap / light=acoustic kinship / neutral=ambivalent). Direction tells you which way; pull character tells you how.
★ Sprint 1 Focus — Di-chords [3] and [4] are the primary learning targets for Sprint 1. The gold border identifies them throughout all course materials.
The Hear → Sing → Name Workflow
1
HEAR
Let the interval ring for 3–5 seconds. Receive the sound quality before doing anything. Do not analyze.
2
SING
Reproduce the interval with your voice. Quiet humming is fine. Your voice encodes the sound differently than your hands.
3
NAME
Now identify it: “[3]” or “[4].” The name follows the perception. Never name before hearing.
Zone 1 — Chord Tones on Both Instruments
Zone 1 = the root, third, and fifth of the current chord. The most stable, resolved melodic choices. Sprint 1 lives entirely in Zone 1.
| Chord | Root | Third | Fifth | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Am | A | C ([3]) | E ([7]) | Minor |
| G | G | B ([4]) | D ([7]) | Major |
| Em | E | G ([3]) | B ([7]) | Minor |
| Dm | D | F ([3]) | A ([7]) | Minor |
Notice: Minor chords have [3] from root to third (dark, closed). Major chords have [4] (bright, open). The fifth is always [7] (stable).
Root Movement — Di-Chord at the Harmony Level
The same di-chord vocabulary that describes melodic intervals also describes how chord roots move. This is the founding insight of AMF: the Musical OS and the Harmony Chamber are the same ear at different magnification.
| Movement | Di-Chord | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| Am → G | [2] step down | Small step — tension builder |
| G → Em | [3] minor 3rd down | Darkening — the minor shift |
| Em → Am | [5] perfect 4th up | Resolution — returning home |
| G → Am | [2] step up | Small lift back to tonic |
The 8-Position Rhythm Grid
Every measure divided into 8 equal positions. Position 1 = beat one (strongest). Position 5 = beat three (second strongest). The grid is binary: each position is either active (sound) or inactive (silence).
Basic Groove
X · · · X · · ·
Positions 1 and 5 only. The skeleton.
Down-Down-Up
X · · · X x · ·
Add light upstroke on 6 (Week 3).
Anticipation
· · · · X · · X
Position 1 moves to position 8 of previous measure. Forward momentum.
Daily Session — 60 Minutes, 5 Sections
Anchor Song: Ain't No Sunshine
Why This Song
- • Minor quality — Zone 1 over Am reinforces
[3] - • Simple 3-chord structure (Am, G, Em)
- • Accessible on both guitar and piano
- • Iconic stop-time “I know” section
- • Unambiguous minor feel
Key: A Minor
Verse: Am → Am → G → Em → Am → Am → G → Am
“I know”: Am (stop-time, ~26 repetitions)
Piano Zone 1: Am=A-C-E, G=G-B-D, Em=E-G-B
Guitar: Open position Am, G, Em shapes
The Three Stages & Three Causes of Error
Stage 1 — Discovering
First contact. Errors expected. Do not stop at errors — they are the curriculum. Move with curiosity.
“Sculptor roughing out stone.”
Stage 2 — Consolidating
Slow, deliberate, errors systematically removed. The longest stage. “I can do it slowly” = Stage 2. This is not the gate.
“The waiting room.”
Stage 3 — Fluent
Automatic, at performance speed, without conscious attention. Correct on both instruments, in 3+ keys, by ear in real time. This IS the gate.
“The framework disappears.”
Sprint 1 Mastery Gates
Gate B — Plogger [3]/[4]
- Trial 1: 10 random [3]/[4] from different roots → 10/10
- Trial 2: Sing [3] from 5 pitches → 4/5 within half step
- Trial 3: Sing [4] from 5 pitches → 4/5 within half step
- Trial 4: Real-time ID in melody → 10/10
Performance Gate — Ain’t No Sunshine
- Test 1: Guitar — start to finish, no stops, recognizable
- Test 2: Piano — same standard
- Test 3: Sing root of each chord while playing
- Test 4: Identify Zone 1 melody notes by ear → 3/4
Both gates must clear in the same session, without warm-up, on the same day.