INTRO TO EAR TRAINING

The ability to hear music, that is, to understand and make concrete use of musical sound, is what separates true musicians from those who are simply listeners. Just as a painter sees a landscape and knows what particular combination of paints would need to be mixed to capture the colors, a musician hears music and knows what combination of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic elements will capture those sounds.

To perform this task well, a musician needs to be trained to quickly organize sounds into recognizable groups by rapidly comparing what is currently being heard with what was previously known, thus placing the new sound into familiar context. This means developing relative pitch, that is, a sense of pitch that is based on comparisons. Some people, including non-musicians, possess an ability called perfect pitch, which allows them to instantly identify the musical name of any tone, without outside comparisons. It is important to note that most musicians, including most of those regarded as having a “great ear,” possess a highly developed sense of relative pitch, not perfect pitch.

Training the ear is best accomplished through a short, focused practice session of 15 – 30 minutes every day rather than longer, infrequent sessions. The fundamental technique for training the ear is memorization. Just as you practice technique through repetition of exercises, new sounds need to be memorized through repetition before they become an automatic part of your musical reflexes, and this takes time. Don’t expect immediate, spectacular results, but if you devote the effort, you will be gradually rewarded with the ability to hear music as a musician, rather than as a mere listener.

Lets Take a look at some of the ear training drills you will start off with.

Matching Notes Within Your Vocal Range

Play middle C on your instrument and match the same note with your voice (sing any vowel sound, such as “ah”). It may sometimes be difficult to know if you’re singing too low or too high. The ability to sing in tune is similar to the ability to tune an instrument, when the two pitches match, the notes stop vibrating against each other and sound “smooth”. Sing other notes around middle C to continue practicing this skill. As soon as you hear each note, work on matching it right on pitch, without sliding up or down to find it. If you’re not confident of your ability to match pitch, work with another person on this skill until you can hear it on your own.

Matching Notes Outside Your Vocal Range

The laws of musical acoustics show that any particular tone repeats itself at different pitch levels, or octaves. For example, there are several C’s in different octaves to be found on a guitar, bass, or piano. Middle C is a note that almost anyone can sing, but some other C’s will be too high or too low for your voice to sing them in the same octave in which they are played. In order to match pitch with these notes, you will need to find the same tone in the octave that is comfortable for your own voice.

First, it is helpful to find your own vocal range by matching notes on your instrument until you find the highest and lowest notes you can sing with accurate pitch. When you find the highest and lowest notes you can match with your voice, write them down.

Next, play notes on your instrument that are beyond your vocal range and “match” them by singing the same note in the range that is comfortable for your voice. If “C”, for instance, is played in an octave too high or low for your voice, find the “C” that’s in your range. It’s the sound of the tone that matters, not what octave it’s in.

The Major Scale

i

The ability to sing and identify major scale melodies is, after the ability to match pitch, the most important skill in ear training. Major scales are the first in your vocabulary of “known sounds,” and are the sounds to which all others will be compared.

Sing ascending major scales from tonic notes chosen at random on your instrument. To maintain accuracy when singing, follow these steps:

  1. Sing the scale and simultaneously play it on your instrument, carefully matching pitch with your voice as each note is played. Sing the scale step number of each note, 1 – 8 (you don’t need to know the names of the notes you are singing, only the numbers).

  2. As you develop confidence, sing the scale while playing only every other note on your instrument.

  3. To challenge your pitch accuracy, play only the tonic, then sing the scale without accompaniment until you reach the octave. It is extremely important not to let the pitch of your voice vary from the major scale pattern. Use your instrument to check your pitch until you develop complete confidence.

  4. Sing patterns of notes such as 1 – 2 – 3, 2 – 3 – 4, 3 – 4 – 5 etc. to increase your confidence in matching pitch and in moving around the scale accurately.