Developing an Ear

cynical-rabbit · #1 08-03-2010, 09:19 PM

When developing an ear, what methods do you find helpful? I can hear when a note is out of key, but I often get things like octaves (

) and fifths confused. I'm good with most major intervals, though.

I've been trying to learn some degree of "perfect pitch." I know C pretty well. The first thing I learned when I started bass a while back, was the Simpsons theme song, and I decided to remember the first note. Now I'm working on getting C, D, and E consistent at good-ear.com.

I've heard people associating notes with colors, but to me they have personality. D is serious, bland and reliable. E is playful and whiny. Does anyone else get this? Am I nuts? Anyways, any general tips on ear training would be great, or methods that you use to improve.

Thank you.

Billnc · #2 08-03-2010, 09:41 PM

Yep your crazy.

Actually getting octaves and fifths mixed up is not the worst thing that can happen to you, they are closely related. I would play a note and sing the fifth. Do this with every interval. Drive around in a car, grab a chromatic pitch pipe at a red light, play a note and hum the interval of the day then check it. Wierd yes but doesn't chew into practice time.

walterw · #3 08-03-2010, 09:54 PM

sit down in front of the radio and spend some time figuring out every song that comes on before it's over, whether you like the song or not. hell, figure out the commercials, too.

this is how i learned as a kid to grab stuff by ear.

Stumbo · #4 08-04-2010, 12:03 AM

Ear training and then some more ear training.

Try playing the chords on a key board, first the whole chord, then one note at a time...C....E....G....C(octave)...you know, sing along with the notes.....the old la,la,la,la....go up and down the keyboard, chord by chord, a few hundred times. Then play the root and you sing the 3rd, etc.

Some of the ear training programs can do this.

Here are a few other links to check out:
Test your ear
Free downloadable ear trainer (basic/advanced) Solfege. Xlnt program
Trainers/tutorials. Music theory, ear training, read music, chords, intervals, etc.
Online Visual Beginning Theory, ear trainer

Joe Nerve · #5 08-04-2010, 12:08 AM

I think learning as many covers as possible without any help (music, tabs, youtube vids) is the best ear training you can get.

Thunderthumbs73 · #6 08-04-2010, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cynical-rabbit

I've been trying to learn some degree of "perfect pitch." I know C pretty well. The first thing I learned when I started bass a while back, was the Simpsons theme song, and I decided to remember the first note. Now I'm working on getting C, D, and E consistent at good-ear.com.

I've heard people associating notes with colors, but to me they have personality. D is serious, bland and reliable. E is playful and whiny. Does anyone else get this? Am I nuts? Anyways, any general tips on ear training would be great, or methods that you use to improve.

Thank you.

Don't worry about "getting" perfect pitch. The time you spend worrying about this takes time and focus on other music basics and essentials which you should be spending time on. Good bass players (or musicians of any sort) aren't judged on whether they have perfect pitch or not. More often than not, in situations in which you would think perfect pitch would be important, it turns out, isn't. This is my experience, anyway... (not going to argue about whether you can "get" or are born with it or not) Relative pitch will likely serve you much, much better, IMO.

If you associate notes with colors, good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia

I've never found a good way to test people to determine if they have it- or don't, with regard to associating notes with certain colors.

Ear training? Listen to and try to play exactly as possible, note-for-note anything you can year.

In terms of ear training heirarchy in general and progression from knowing nothing about the notes/chord/sounds to knowing all there is to know:
-Determine the basic range/ballpark of where the pitch is.
-Determine the actual pitch
-Determine if a fifth or octave is being played.
-Determine if a major or minor triad exists.
-Determine if there are added tones such as a 7th, 9th, a 2nd, etc...
-Determine if an augmented or diminished chord is being played.
-Determine the inversion of the chord.
-Determine exactly what octave EVERY note is.

Maybe someone has a better idea. That's about as in-depth as I care to get into at 2:30 in the am.

cynical-rabbit · #7 08-04-2010, 07:13 AM

Thank you for your help guys!

Sometimes I do make up basslines to commercials and I've sounded out a few jingles. I'll be doing more of that. The keyboard thing sounds like a good idea, the only problem is our piano is hideously out of tune, but I'm sure I can find an online keyboard or use Garageband. Thunderthumbs, I copied and pasted your post. I'll work on all the the things you suggested.

irishpride28 · #8 08-04-2010, 07:22 AM

I took a beginner theory course in my sophomore year of highschool, and the one thing that would piss me off daily was when the teacher would take the last fifteen minutes to take us (small group of 6) to the piano and have us sight sing simple charts while also incorporating the solfege syllables. While it was a pain then, in hindsight it was the pivotal point for me in the beginning to developing an ear.

AcidFripp · #9 08-06-2010, 10:49 AM

I used to get octaves and fifths mixed up too.
And then I found something out. Sing Somewhere Over The Rainbow. It really helps! Why? Because from "Some" to "Where" is one whole octave! So if it sounds like the first two notes of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, it's an octave. If it sounds "perfect" (as in perfect fifth) but not like the song at all, then it's a fifth.

cynical-rabbit · #10 08-06-2010, 12:36 PM

Thanks for the tip!

I sounded out the bass lines to the Beautiful South's Bell Bottomed Tear and Talking Heads' Wild Wild Life. Knowing the intervals really helped move things along; I can definitely tell my ear has improved since last year.

mambo4 · #11 08-06-2010, 02:42 PM

defiantly don't waste time trying to learn "perfect pitch".
I'm convinced it more of mutation related to autism and synesthesia than a skill one can learn.

Relative pitch, intervals, chord qualities, scale qualities : these can be learned.
a lot of it has to do with repetition and memory recall.
playign lots of different popular styles and common riffs/rhythms helps tremendously.

I used to think I'd never be much of an ear player, but I recall quite clearly the day, after 7 or so years of playing, I heard an unfamiliar tune on the radio in a bar and after listening to the bass line for few bars I realized I could picture exactly how to finger the phrase on the neck. Couldn't tell what note I'd have to start on, everything else was pretty clear just listening.