ear training

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   hi guys. i have a problem. i consider myself a talented instrumentalist and i am very knowledgable of music theory. but this problem is i cant hear for crap. i know some people are born with oerfect pitch but i seem to have a lot more trouble identifying tones on pianos and stuff than my other friends who arent as proficient in music as i am. any tips for how to train my ear? any methods you guys use?

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
KranJoos Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: November 21 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 18	Topic: ear training Posted: December 14 2007 at 20:06
	hi guys. i have a problem. i consider myself a talented instrumentalist and i am very knowledgable of music theory. but this problem is i cant hear for crap. i know some people are born with oerfect pitch but i seem to have a lot more trouble identifying tones on pianos and stuff than my other friends who arent as proficient in music as i am. any tips for how to train my ear? any methods you guys use?

ES335 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: December 10 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 168	Posted: December 20 2007 at 13:54
	I'm not sure this is a method I would recommend, but I never had very good ears. Then I took up mandolin, and concentrated on it for a year. For some reason, my ears improved immensely during that period.

nightlamp Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 07 2007 Location: San Francisco Status: Offline Points: 163	Posted: December 20 2007 at 14:48
	I went to music school and had to take two years of musicianship/ear training classes. I would strongly recommend looking into your local community college's offerings in that regard; they're relatively inexpensive and can be fantastically helpful if you're willing to apply yourself. If that's not an option, here are my thoughts... Pitch identification is just one aspect of ear training; I wouldn't consider perfect pitch to be the ultimate goal-- it's not even really necessary to having a good musical ear. Imho, it's more important to be able to identify pitch intervals and relationships than individual pitches. Harmony is also important, not just in being able to identify chord progressions but also being able to distinguish the character of a chord (major, minor, dominant, etc.) in its various inversions. The best way to improve your ear is to practice with someone else; they play and you listen. Make a game out of the process, start out with really simple stuff and progress from there. Play and sing random intervals up to the perfect octave. Have your "assistant " play really basic triadic chord progressions in root position, identify the character of each chord and the harmonic progression. Gradually incorporate alternate voicings/inversions, diminished + augmented triads, seventh-chord harmonies, suspensions, 9th-/11th-/13th-chords, chromaticism, etc. Song transcription can also be a useful tool. I hope this helps a bit-- good luck and have fun!

Christine Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 27 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 184	Posted: December 20 2007 at 16:19
	In the middle school years of chorus they teach solfeggio ( Do Re Mi ...etc). Some people consider it to be very childish, but if you use it to correspond with the notes that they go with, it's easier to pick a note out of the top of your head and to sing it correctly... If you're referring to chords.... : An augmented chord sounds like a major chord except the final note is raised, A diminished chord sounds like a minor chord except the final note is lowered, And the major and minor chords should be easily distinguished, but I am sure there are helps with that as well. Hope I helped! : )
	catsfootironclaw

mr.mack Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: December 21 2007 Status: Offline Points: 5	Posted: December 21 2007 at 15:07
	i just mix my music very low

KranJoos Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: November 21 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 18	Posted: December 23 2007 at 00:43
	i think i didnt explain my exact condition very well. i can identify chord colors and sing stuff fine and can easily recognize intervals but what i have more of a problem doing is hearing a note sung or played and then knowing how to automatically reproduce it on my piano or saxophone. sorry for my bad explanation.

Atavachron Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 30 2006 Location: Pearland Status: Offline Points: 65602	Posted: December 23 2007 at 00:47
	if you mean you don't have 'perfect pitch' don't sweat it, most musicians don't... but if you can identify intervals, etc., then you should be able, eventually, to find the root note in question (and whichever other notes making up a given chord) on your instrument.. Edited by Atavachron - December 23 2007 at 00:48

fungusucantkill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: July 26 2005 Location: New Orleans Status: Offline Points: 618	Posted: December 23 2007 at 00:55
	i listen to jazz. That totally helped me with my pitch. It's put me in what i like to call "near relative pitch" hahaha.