Help with ear training
Kurt
8 months ago. Any recommended instruction for improving my ear training? I
see quite a few CDs, "perfect pitch" courses, etc., but don't know if any
are worth it. Thanks in advance.
Kurt
Patrick Hanrahan
"Kurt" <klibe...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:o-OdnZP2lP6...@comcast.com...
> Although I've been play guitar for almost 40 years, I only started with
jazz
> 8 months ago. Any recommended instruction for improving my ear training?
Yea, try transcribing some easy tunes and or solo's, the stuff your
listening to. Ex. Blue Bossa, Freddy the Freeloader, just try to get the
melody by ear. Then work on the cords. After that move on to the solo's.
I
> see quite a few CDs, "perfect pitch" courses, etc., but don't know if any
> are worth it. Thanks in advance.
> Kurt
I don't know about PP but I think you'd be better off with a good theory
book. Of course interval training is the place to start if you want to
train your ear. Most of those PP courses are a rip off. I don't want to
get in a debate about PP; do you need to be born with or can you achieve it.
All I know is that most people don't have it. More to the point you don't
really need it. It's not an absolute must. Stick to developing good
relative pitch. Being able to tell if a chord is major or minor is more
useful then being able to tell if the key is A or Ab.
Michael Nickolas
right it went something like this- I would strum chords into a tape
recorder, I-IV-V-I. This would put the sound of the key in my head.
Following that, I would pick a single note. Give a few seconds pause,
then state the name of the pitch. Then repeat the process, I-IV-V-I,
pluck a pitch and say the name. When you listen back to the tapes, the
idea is to identify the single note pitch, before you hear yourself
state the pitch's name. So you don't memorize the tape, do many, many
examples.
You could start simple, with major scale tones only. Then one octave
chromatic. Work your way up to three octave chromatic. It gets
interesting when you strum open chords, the hit say a G# 16th fret.
Michael Nickolas
www.studionineproductions.com
Max Leggett
wrote:
PP isn't necessary - I wouldn't spend any time on those advertised
courses - but relative pitch is. You want to be able to hear/sing a ii
V I. So you need to be able to sing up a 4th or down a fifth. You need
to be able to do this on the tonic, third, and fiftth. And seventh,
too. So start by playing Dm7 G7 and sing the root of each chord. Burn
into your cerebellum the way they sound against each other. Then sing
the third of each chord. Then the fifth. Then sing the triads and
voice lead, so, sing D F A and voice lead into the G7 chord with
either a G or a B and sing the G7 from there. You can sing the entire
chord and voice lead it, so, D F A C and voice lead into the G7 with a
B or a D and sing the G7 from there. And don't just start on the tonic
- start on the third and the fifth. Playing a lot of triads over
changes will also help burn it in. Whenever you play a line, be aware
of where each note is relative to the root. This means singing the
root and slowly playing the line over it. Or playing the root and
singing the line. I know your singing sucks, it makes dogs howl,
horses shy, and brave men cower, but don't worry about that - sing
triads and arpeggios against the root, and against the third, and the
fifth, and the seventh, and listen to how every note sounds. It's a
gradual process. I was lucky in playing triad bass lines when I
started out, and that really drives home the sound of changes.
Jeremey Poparad
"Kurt" <klibe...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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Mike Reid
This is exactly the technique used on the (free) "Functional Ear
Trainer" software from:
The on-line trainer mentioned elsewhere on this thread is also good, but
only works online, which is a drag.
I've started working on this, though I do get some complaints if there
is someone else in the room :-)
However, making your own exercises is sure to teach you even more
Dave Glasser
-0400 in rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz:
Check out my free software for relative pitch ear training:
Lane Todd
Training; muse-eek.com. I have done other ear training previously and
this works and is useful. I a nut shell, his philosophy is that
hearing notes in the context of a key is the correct way and that
"interval training" is harmful. Read his explanation. If you do his
method you'll realize that he's right. You have to be persistent with
it, just like anything. The pay off is great when you start hearing
things better. I think you'll be plesantly suprised. Check out his Web
page. Start off with the One Note series and Fanatics Guide to Sight
Singing. You can email him and explain to him what level you're at and
he'll recommend more accuately what you need to do. He answers his
email quickly and he's a no jive guy. Read the reviews of his books on
Amazon.com also.
Sincerely, Lane
"Kurt" <klibe...@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<o-OdnZP2lP6...@comcast.com>...
Mike
for testing your skills is:
There's a good few hours of tests to work your way through there.
Mike
Michael Nickolas
>This is exactly the technique used on the (free) "Functional Ear
>Trainer" software from:
Ha. So I had to do it the old fashioned way. Don't want to date
myself, but I did these exercises before the advent of online software
<grin>. I think the Sony Walkman had just been invented, so I had my
home made ear-training tapes playing when I was out and about. Pretty
helpful I think. If I remember right, I might have also done some that
revolved around identifying intervals...
Michael Nickolas
www.studionineproductions.com
Mike Reid
Yes, well, as I was in the middle of saying when I hit "send", if you
made up all the tapes yourself you probably learned a whole lot of other
things that you would not otherwise have learned. I like making up
exercises because I have to think it all out. I wrote some simple
programs recently to take scales and turn out midi files with appeggios
of possible chords in various (which I then read into a notation
package). The logic started getting interesting when the scales were not
just 7 notes...
This on-line thing is both a blessing and a curse. I started playing
back in the 70s and we didn't even have home video. I remember paying to
see movies like Woodstock several times when they came out, just so I
could get some idea of what ******* was doing (this is RMMGJ, so I'd
better not mention the H word :-). Occasionally you might find a book
that explained a little... Someone learning now (like my 15 year old)
can download transcriptions, video clips, and all sorts of technical
advice. This has raised the technical standard of young players
tremendoucly [curse them :-]!
Mike
Michael Nickolas
>can download transcriptions, video clips, and all sorts of technical
>advice. This has raised the technical standard of young players
>tremendoucly [curse them :-]!
Yeah. The personal computer boom happened just after I graduated from
music college. I remember thinking man, if I had this technology
during college, it could have made it easier. I mean even just to get
an idea of what your project would sound like. But, I'm kind of glad I
learned using pencil and score paper. I've embraced the computer world
(like it sounds you have) and make my living composing and doing other
projects, via my computer based personal studio. But if I'm
transcribing a song for a gig, or coming up with an initial
composition idea, it's still done with paper and pencil.
Michael Nickolas
www.studionineproductions.com