Ear Training
If you Google “Ear Training” you will have a hard time finding any information on the internet without getting some kind of sales pitch. It is hard to sort out the opposing opinions of experts and self proclaimed unbiased experts on music ear training. On this page you will learn what MusicGoals music theory software offers in terms of ear training and musicianship training. There are also some links for more information.
A melody is the combination of several elements. The pitches are in a framework of a scale or the harmony of a chord. The rhythm is not just a sequence of durations but exists within the framework of a pulse and the downbeat of a measure. Each note exists within the framework of scale, harmony, pulse, and measure. A note like a single word or syllable in a song is given color and expression through this relation to scale, harmony, pulse, and rhythmic pattern.
Music lessons must include ear training, music fundamentals, and music theory to be effective. Do you know a musician that can only play by ear but cannot read a note? It is just as common to be good at reading music but unable to improvise or play by ear. MusicGoals ear training software separates skills with drills that focus on each element to provide complete musicianship training. It is wonderful to build physical technique and memorize finished compositions. But growth demands understanding. Understanding music requires in addition to what is done on the instrument, knowing musical concepts by ear and through language.
The foundation of ear training is built upon music theory. There are no muscles in the ear that can be strengthened and coordinated. Ear training is a matter of developing a vocabulary that relates to sound. This is a process that requires thought and association. Ideally we want to imagine music, hear it in our mind, and perform it. This is what happens when we learn a song and sing it. The song as a whole is a musical thought. As we learn more songs we begin to recognize common patterns within songs such as scales, intervals, and chords. A language to identify these elements opens up other ways of thinking musically.
The strength of MusicGoals ear training software is its’ ability to separate skills. Musicians may rely on their best skills to cover their weaknesses. The drills in MusicGoals will not allow this. Each element is drilled on the instrument, in notation, and by ear. Each skill is approached through several activities. For example, with interval ear training, the context of rhythm, harmony, and notation are removed. Intervals are drilled by learning them on the instrument, by naming them by ear, by playing them on the instrument, and by sight-reading.
Guitar Ear Training
Guitar ear training occurs naturally around the pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale is a five note scale consisting of degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the major scale. This pattern is easy to learn on guitar. Your ear helps you to move along this pattern until you find a pitch that fits. Musicianship training works best when the vocabulary and language of music theory is applied to the instrument and to the ear. Most people have much better ears than they think they do. Guitar ear training is improved greatly when one learns what to listen for and one has a vocabulary to keep track of it. MusicGoals ear training software provides the tools to gain these skills. What you can gain with practice is the ability to look at a piece of music and hear it in your imagination, the ability to play what you hear or write it down, and most importantly, the ability to think musically using your vocabulary of sound.
More on Music Ear Training
In this ear training drill you listen and play the note that you hear:
This activity starts with two notes and adds notes as you improve. This starts out as a comparison test but gradually builds the aural recognition of context. This builds the skill of placing a sound in the position of a note set, scale, or chord.
Below is a drill where you must identify the interval. The beginning lessons provide clues of what to listen for. The Perfect 5th sounds more perfect than the rough sounding Major 2nd.
Learning the names and sounds with interval ear training builds a vocabulary. This is a kind of thinking unlike the context of the scale as in the previous example. The size of the interval between two pitches has a characteristic sound. You are putting a name on this sound.
When the task includes reading the staff and hearing the interval as in the example below, the vocabulary of ear training connects with musical notation.
