Practicing Question

SSINTENSE · #1 02-17-2009, 11:23 AM

So for the past week I decided to do some ear training by simply turning on the radio, tuning into the classic rock station, and playing whatever comes on. I'll alternate between doing what the bassist is doing and making my own line to the song. It takes me a minute or so to get down what the bassist is doing and I think it is good practice for ear to hand coordination.

Should I be doing this for a while to better train my ear? Are there other ear training excercises that you guys recommend?

Krowser · #2 02-17-2009, 01:52 PM

Throw your tuner out the window. Best advice I was ever given for ear.

use www.tunemybass.com

Sarbecue Boss · #3 02-17-2009, 02:22 PM

Yes- That is a great ear training method. As you continue doing this, try-
-learning all of the parts in a song by ear, horns; guitar solo; vocal melody.
-learn to determine the chord voicings that are being used.
-learn to quickly determine th key center.

SSINTENSE · #4 02-18-2009, 08:19 AM

Sounds good. Thanks for the advice!

dj150888 · #5 02-18-2009, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krowser

Throw your tuner out the window. Best advice I was ever given for ear.

use www.tunemybass.com

Would *slightly* disagree with this.

I'd say keep your tuner, try tuning up using your ear and a website like that and then check it against your tuner when you've tuned by ear. Keep practicing this and you'll notice yourself getting better until you've no need to use the tuner at all

Krowser · #6 02-18-2009, 10:12 AM

Well, yeah. I just wanted to say Throw your tuner out the window.

What I do, is tune the G with my tuner, tune the others by ear, RE-tune the G with the tuner, retune the other, and then check.

I tune the G with the tuner because lower frequencies are harder to differenciate. When you've gone below B all you hear is booooooooooooooooooooooooo.

bggeezer · #7 02-23-2009, 03:51 PM

i would go opposite...

If you don't have a tuner, get the bottom E or B right from the keyboard player, or guitard, or a record you trust (I used to use Ever Fallen In Love by the Buzzcocks)

If your happy with the E then use your ears (5th fret) plus 12 fret harmonics. Simples (compare the meerkat.com)

SSINTENSE · #8 02-26-2009, 10:43 AM

You know what's obnoxious? My bass is in tune with almost every song that comes on in the radio but some rolling stones songs come on and those songs seem out of tune. It's like my bass is slightly flat to those songs.

Did the rolling stones like to record with a slightly sharp sound?

JTE · #9 02-26-2009, 10:59 AM

Anything that was originally recorded and/or mastered on analog tape can vary from A-440. Sometimes it's done on purpose. I know there's an Emmylou Harris song where after they recorded it they thought it sounded too slow so they sped the tape up a bit, which puts it into a different key. "A Day In The Life" has those two very different sections, and they were originally in different keys and tempi. George Martin found that by speeding one up and slowing one down he could get them to be really close to pitch on each other. The whole "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" album is all over the place for pitch too, largely due to gratuitious use of tape speed (and drugs- lottsa drugs).

jte

BassChuck · #10 02-26-2009, 12:15 PM

If my memory from my childhood is accurate in the 60's the tempo of the 45rpm records was faster than the same song on the album. I seem to remember hearing that the radio stations liked that so they could get the same number of songs within an hour and have more time for ads. If that's true, they could easily increased the tempo by speeding the tape for the master pressing and that would have had an effect on the key, or rather the tuning.