How to train my ear

[minogue]

I'm curious about training you do to enhance your ear (relative pitch, recognizing chord progressions, and identifying sharps/flats). If you have any exercises or resources, please feel free to share!
Currently, I've been using a ear training app called ToneScholar (https://tonescholar.com) if you're interested). It's been effective, but it's not for classical guitar. it has improved my relative pitch, but it focuses on voice based exercises. I am NOT a singer!
I’m NOT looking for an alternative ear training app. I'm interested in any advice or exercises you may have that are similar to the app. Thank you!

[tbdana]

I don’t have any scholarly advice, however, what I’ve done and what seems to work for a lot of people is just you pick a tune you can hear in your head and play it. Then play it in every other key. Do that with a bunch of melodies, starting with simple ones, and moving to very complex ones over time as your skills develop. Start with something as simple as happy birthday or the Star-Spangled Banner. Just play anything you hear by ear, until you get it right. Then play it in a bunch of other keys.

[AndrewMeronek]

I took a quick peek at Tonescholar, and have thoughts:

Training to equal temperament - i.e., the tuning used on pianos - is probably not the easiest way to actually develop a good sense of relative pitch because it's in the name: temperament. The intervals are tempered, which means at least to some degree (depending on the interval in question) they are not as clear as they could be.

What do I mean by that? The constructive interference caused by two or more pitches that sound together. Tempered relationships between pitches makes that constructive interference more . . . random, to use a word, that can make it harder to train the 'ol ears (the brain, actually) to identify the interval.

For this, I think that playing scales along with drones is better, because in that context you can really drill into hearing how the relationship between pitches "snaps in" when you really get it in tune, and you can also practice hearing how it changes as you veer above and below those "snap in" points.

But - that is only one aspect of ear training. There's honestly a lot to it besides just recognizing intervals. It's a good place to start.

[Doug Elliott]

"Training to equal temperament - i.e., the tuning used on pianos - is probably not the easiest way to actually develop a good sense of relative pitch"

What would you tell a piano player who asked the same question?

The fact is, most players (on any instrument) have to play in equal temperment - or something close to equal temperment - most of the time.

tbdana's advice is exactly what I did, and it works VERY well if you actually do it. Btw, that was before apps or computers or cell phones. None of that is necessary and probably not even helpful. You just need your horn and your ears.

"pick a tune you can hear in your head and play it. Then play it in every other key. Do that with a bunch of melodies, starting with simple ones, and moving to very complex ones over time as your skills develop. Start with something as simple as happy birthday or the Star-Spangled Banner. Just play anything you hear by ear, until you get it right. Then play it in a bunch of other keys."

[Burgerbob]

And sing!

[baileyman]

And start every day on the same note. Pretty soon you may be able to hear that note before it happens.

[robcat2075]

I'm curious about training you do to enhance your ear (relative pitch, recognizing chord progressions, and identifying sharps/flats). If you have any exercises or resources, please feel free to share!

About 30 years ago I purchased David Burge's Relative Pitch Ear Training Course. It is a fairly rigorous curriculum of lecture-demonstration-drill-homework that begins with the simplest of elements... teaching you to hear and sing and spell a perfect 5th... then eventually progresses through mastering all the intervals, then major/minor chords, then the inversions of those, then the 7th 9th 11th extensions of those chords, then the various voicings of those, then progressions of those...

I'm not sure what comes after that... I've never made it more than half way through the forty+ 45-minute tapes! To do it as it is intended to be done will take time each day that I eventually fail to keep up.

But it has more meat on it than any college "ear training" experience I had.

His lectures and comments have the air of 1980s motivational tapes. Imagine Richard Simmons in his more contemplative moments. Not that there's anything wrong with that. He presumes you understand basic notation as notation does get discussed occasionally.

The singing he has you do is basic but essential for moving this from something you just think about to something you experience physically.

I'm not recommending it because it's quite expensive. I bought it for $80 and now it's $300+? Ouch.


But you asked. That's my 2 cents on it.

[AndrewMeronek]

I just ran across this video that has a really fun ear training exercise.



Aimee Nolte is a fantastic music educator.

[cb56]

It kind of happened to me by accident.
I think the younger you start the better.

When I was about 12 years old. ( I'm 67 now)
When I'd finish practicing my lesson I'd put on records and try to play along. Beatles, Mancini, Tijuana brass, etc.. start simple. Try to play the melody, guitar riff, bass line whatever. Bits and pieces.

After awhile I noticed that when one song ended, I could "hear" the note of the next song in my head. I played that note before the song started and it would be right. This was after many times of repetition of hearing those songs in the same order. HOPE THAT MADE SENSE.

I've been accused of having perfect pitch by teachers, professors and fellow musicians but I know what I have is not perfect just pretty darn good.

Also practicing arpeggios major, minor, Dom 7th, major 7th. 6th, augmented and diminished etc. NOT to memorize but to internalize so you can tell the quality of a chord by ear. IMO don't memorize scales and modes. Also, avoid any expensive book or course that tries to teach you how to hear note by color red green brown etc...--> IMO<--
Hope this helps.

[Cmillar]

"Training to equal temperament - i.e., the tuning used on pianos - is probably not the easiest way to actually develop a good sense of relative pitch"

What would you tell a piano player who asked the same question?

The fact is, most players (on any instrument) have to play in equal temperment - or something close to equal temperment - most of the time.

tbdana's advice is exactly what I did, and it works VERY well if you actually do it. Btw, that was before apps or computers or cell phones. None of that is necessary and probably not even helpful. You just need your horn and your ears.

"pick a tune you can hear in your head and play it. Then play it in every other key. Do that with a bunch of melodies, starting with simple ones, and moving to very complex ones over time as your skills develop. Start with something as simple as happy birthday or the Star-Spangled Banner. Just play anything you hear by ear, until you get it right. Then play it in a bunch of other keys."

Yes!... trombone teacher Dave Robbins had me learn how to play Bach's 'Jesu Joy' in all 12 keys (... actually, the moving triplet obligato line behind the melody of 'Jesu Joy').....da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da....etc...etc.

And to move it around in different octaves all over the horn.

(Thanks to lessons with Doug Elliott, I can actually do justice to that music now!)

Makes for a great few minutes on the horn.

[Cmillar]

Also, Ed Neumeister's suggestion of taking a key a day and just improvising in that key. Stay in whatever key you choose, and just compose as you go; getting the creative brain playing some music while also concentrating on sound, articulations, attacks, legato, slurs and whatever trombone techniques you need to use in order to play the horn while at the same time composing as you go (all in the same key for the day).

Great way to get back into actually playing music if all you've done for a few days is just work on some basic fundamentals or only had time to play some basic 'staying-in-shape' stuff. Really gets you back into the horn and gets the ears 'in tune' to what you're wanting to play. (stay in one key for awhile!....you'll never exhaust all the musical possibilities!)

Just listen to Ed Neumeister.