Ear Training

[Rory.]

Hi Maart, I was going to tag this on as a supplementary to Steve's question about tab/notation, but I thought it might warrant a separate thread.

I know a guy who teaches at the music school here, he's a jazz musician and is always banging on about ear training and how some of the seminaries over in the States have guys listening to and dissecting solos from the big names for ages before they pick up their instrument, so that by the time they come to play the piece they have visualised themselves and "heard" themselves playing it in their heads many times. My mate talks about connecting that ear training to one's own instrument so that you can hear a piece and pretty much play it straight off, the object being to be able to play anything you can imagine in your head.

I mostly play back up to fiddle players in pub sessions, so it's important that I can hear something once and be able to accompany it, these guys have played the tune a hundred times before they play it in public, but I have to be able to play along on the second repeat  

I wondered if ear training is something you have done? If you had any hints and tips on how to develop this, I don't mean perfect pitch, but developing a good sense of relative pitch, I'm not bad at it, but there is huge room for improvement.

Thanks,

Rory.


Oh BTW, another friend told me that you once took advantage of his beer induced state to recommend he try this new guitar tuning you had been working on, EADGBE, it took him a while apparently  

[Maart]

Hi Rory

Excellent. This is something I totally believe in, practising away from the instrument. I can't really add much to this, except to say that one way to develop this, which will really sort out who your mates are, is to play along with the TV. The visuals distract you from concentrating too hard on the theory of what you are doing and your ears are getting a workout without you really knowing it.

Another way is to join in the trad sessions but trying to play along with the tunes. You can do this very quietly and no-one will mind. If they ask you to join in and play a bit louder, tell them that you're learning and feeling your way but you'll be with them in time. It's worth learning one popular tune in case they ask you to start one. When they get going you can switch to rhythm and let them take the tunes where they want to go next.

Maart

[Rory.]

Thanks Maart.