Training My Ear

[staindbass]

i taught myself to play by humming the note im trying to figure out, shut off the music while still humming the note and figure out where it is on the bass. then on to the next note. after years of doing this it all happens quicker and you dont have to hum the note. your ear learns where your fingers should correspond to what your hearing.

 

[SuperFunkyPete]

I'm reading some things here that sound good in theory, but with which I disagree (or at least, I have teachers who disagree and whose advice I have been taking).

Bruce Arnold is fairly specific in his materials and teachings that interval training on its own is not hugely useful, and he feels likely harmful. The example he gives is that if you hear an interval e.g. of a 5th, there are multiple pairs of notes which are a 5th apart in any given key, and unless you can recognise which particular 5th you are listening to, hearing the interval of a 5th on its own is not hugely useful. There are other examples of the utility of 'functional ear training' in comparison to classical interval training also.

What he emphasises is the ability to instantly hear what notes do when heard in a certain key. 'Functional Ear Training', if you like; that sems to be a popular term for this.

This echoes what I learned previously with 'moveable do' solfege.

I recall the harmony and ear training teacher at the Players School of Music having the ability to solfege his way correctly through entire chord progressions, singing all chord tones in relation to the key/tonality. Similarly for melodies. He in turn related playing with a trumpet player who could sing (in solfege) all of his solos.

From my own experiences, solfege (singing notes and how they function in a particular key) has been helpful, subsequent moving to classical interval training was not so helpful (and I really starting noticing problems when I started the '2 note' Charlie Banacos exercise), and since then every exercise which has been related to Charlie Banacos in one way or another has turned out to be helpful.

In short, I did best with ear training when I have had a teacher to guide me, and materials relating to 'Functional Ear Training' as opposed to classical interval training.

Ed Fuqua is right though, everyone can indeed do as they please. I'm just putting out there what I have learned (through trial and error) so far.

 

[aidan784]

Again I'm going to agree with you Pete, it was the quote to that effect from Bruce that really hit home for me. 'Ok, I just heard the soloist play a major third... Right, so which? There's 12'

Actually if you search youtube for something like 'Berklee ear training' there are some great videos of students projects singing in solfege, but also better there's ear training faculty improvising. Really impressive.
Plus sight singing quite well is a goal for me and this seems the most logical way of going about it.

This is how Jeff Berlin (and others obviously) can transcribe with nothing but a pitch pipe.

I had an interesting experience earlier though, as I said I've been working with the one note CD so it's all been in C. My brother played the same I-IV-V-I cadence but in A, then played a D, which I guessed as B (the 2, which would have been correct in C). So some weird degree of perfect pitch possibly? Slightly strange and I'm not sure what to make of it. Sorry to go off on one

 

[MicceO]

I am in agreement here.

I did a few years of solfege at Players School of Music with Jeff Berlin and Bruce Arnold's stuff flows very logically onwards from this. I continue to improve using his materials and direct email contact with Bruce. I can also use Bruce's materials in my car.

A cheaper way of doing similar stuff to what Bruce asks is to use the Functional Ear Training software from miles.be. It's easy to take a wrong step though, I would recommend a teacher to guide you e.g Bruce Arnold.

However, if you are too skint to pay up, a good place to start with FET software downloaded from miles.be is detailed by Joe Hubbard on his blog posting about ear training. You'll have to do a google search to get to his website. The first exercise he gives might take you months or longer depending on how much you practice. It works.

I have done a lot of interval training after leaving PSOM, but I find that I am having to unlearn it to properly train my ear in 'functional ear training', which uses my solfege. I should have stuck to solfege after I left school.

I write this as if it was straightforward to find out. Took me a lot of scrabbling around to find it, so enjoy the fruits of my labours without the delays and misdirections I took.

Pete

Hi,

I've just started with Functional ear training program and I have a feeling I'm learning something useful.

A couple of years back, I tried to develop my ear by learning intervals. Can't remember what the program was but after a couple of months I could recognize intervals quite easily. But the problem was and is, that it didn't help me at all to recognize and transcribe bass lines. Not at all!

As I said, now I have a feeling that I'm learning something completely new and useful. In the beginning, it was literally impossible to recognize any pitch but became easier day by day. It would be interesting to hear I someone else has similar experience. Or different, as well.

 

[kr0n]

A supply of free bass lines (simple songs with easily audible bass/just lines) with correct notation for checking answers would be awesome.

 

[Mharris]

Certainly you're free to do whatever the hell you want to. As Robert Heinlein said, if you feel like you win at cards because you wear your lucky hat, then wear your lucky hat.
But, to me, the problem with working on ear training by just transcribing (which is what you're doing when you "play along" with recordings trying to get the exact line being played) is the saem one as trying to develop a high level of skill playing basketball (if you've never played before) by just jumping on the court and playing the game. Pro players don't do that, they spend a lot of time drilling plays, working on specific shots, exercise, etc etc.
The thing that working with a keyboard and internalizing the sounds you are hearing by singing them with accuracy does is build a firm foundation, so that when you transcribe it's not stabbing around in the dark.

This is an interesting way of putting it. I like it.

 

[MicceO]

Hi,

I've just started with Functional ear training program and I have a feeling I'm learning something useful.

A couple of years back, I tried to develop my ear by learning intervals. Can't remember what the program was but after a couple of months I could recognize intervals quite easily. But the problem was and is, that it didn't help me at all to recognize and transcribe bass lines. Not at all!

As I said, now I have a feeling that I'm learning something completely new and useful. In the beginning, it was literally impossible to recognize any pitch but became easier day by day. It would be interesting to hear I someone else has similar experience. Or different, as well.

Quoting myself here

One question: is there any explanation (besides my bad ear perhaps) why it seems to be a bit difficult to tell the 2nd and the 6th apart?

In Functional ear training program, first a candece (random pitch) is played and then you should identify the scale degree that is played after the cadence. No problem if you work within one octave but not that easy with larger tone range.

Strange somehow! Otherwise, I think I'm doing quite well but the 2nd and the 6th cause problems. Why?

 

[HEADbass]

Play with CD, dont use tabs, just listen and repeat.

Its the best way - teacher is playing, you are repeating.