"Perfect Pitch"?.... i just want a better one

iBass88 · #1 01-31-2007, 02:09 AM

What up.. I've been playing for a little while and i dont feel as though i have the best "ear" to listen to something and replicate it (from a CD for example) i'm not totally clueless, but i feel that i could be better.. wish things could be a little different.. any advice on exercises, techniques, where to start from when trying to get music/solos from cds???? help, thanks for ur input

BassChuck · #2 01-31-2007, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iBass88

What up.. I've been playing for a little while and i dont feel as though i have the best "ear" to listen to something and replicate it (from a CD for example) i'm not totally clueless, but i feel that i could be better.. wish things could be a little different.. any advice on exercises, techniques, where to start from when trying to get music/solos from cds???? help, thanks for ur input

Taking music from CDs is one of the best ways. The other one that works for me is playing parts and trying to sing the next note before you play it (that exercise can expand to series of notes and whole phrases).

The important thing to keep in mind is that this is a process that will go on for the entire time you play music. Everyone is different, some people take a while to get this and others pick it up quickly. Just ALWAYS be aware of pitch, while you are playing or listening. Sing when no one is around. Sing your bass parts. Do everything you can to get pitch awareness in your mind and ear.

Mark Perry · #3 01-31-2007, 05:04 AM

It's also good to learn to recognise intervals (the notes in a scale), chords and rythms by ear. theres a book on this by Gary Willis: http://garywillis.com/pages/print/etbook.html He starts with the major scale, minor scale, and chromatic scale.
Essentially it's about internalising the sound of the scale going up and down, then root, 2nd, root, 3rd, root... etc.

BassmanNate · #4 02-08-2007, 05:00 PM

Don't worry too much about having perfect pitch. It's more of a gift than something that can be taught.

Instead of being able to know what a given pitch is when it's heard, focus more on relative pitch or knowing a scale degree when heard to a given key. There are tendency tones that you can usually hear where they want to resolve to such as 4-3 or 7-8. These are the beginning to hearing within a key.

PocketGroove82 · #5 02-09-2007, 04:56 AM

transcribe.

dlloyd · #6 02-09-2007, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Perry

It's also good to learn to recognise intervals (the notes in a scale), chords and rythms by ear. theres a book on this by Gary Willis: http://garywillis.com/pages/print/etbook.html He starts with the major scale, minor scale, and chromatic scale.
Essentially it's about internalising the sound of the scale going up and down, then root, 2nd, root, 3rd, root... etc.

+1

A good way to internalise intervals is to associate them with the opening notes of particular songs. The whole "minor second = Jaws theme", "perfect fifth = twinkle twinkle little star", "tritone = Simpsons theme" thing...

iBass88 · #7 02-10-2007, 11:52 PM

i often find myself now a days writing down the notes of songs that i know (easy lil stupid songs from when i was a kid) this is helping me a lot... to sing, then play.. also when i need to pick up a new song form a cd, i try to write down the notes before i go online and look at what i may've missed.. but i feel that its improving ...