ear training

[Joel Larsson]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

I was also surprised that I could hear, say, open G - almost like someone with perfect pitch! Really it's just pitch memory, I guess.

Richie (resistance is futile), that goes for me too. I have nothing coming even close to perfect pitch, but I have some strange skill. When I, after taking a longer break, play an open G, I can usually tell whether it is in picth or not. It's like I know how it should sound. Must be the vibrations, or something. I've heard that there have been deaf double bass players... haven't actually heard or seen any, though.

Too bad I seem to have the G in 440 in my head... I mostly tune in 442 these days, so I can't really leave the tuner at home. (Plus, I hate tuning on harmonics. And this perfect open string pitch becomes more imperfect for each string below the G, so I can't rely on it.)

But if I was to prove to you in person that I could tune a G without references, I'd probably fail completely.

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Joel Larsson

I've heard that there have been deaf double bass players... haven't actually heard or seen any, though.

well...i think i know some...

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke

well...i think i know some...

Who are they, Anselmmy?

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

Who are they, Anselmmy?

well, prowsey, in this forum, where i use my real name. i won´t tell names...
but i can tell you, i know deaf musicians that play any kind of instrument, not only bassplayers

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke

well, prowsey, in this forum, where i use my real name. i won´t tell names...
but i can tell you, i know deaf musicians that play any kind of instrument, not only bassplayers

Okay Haukey, I hear you.
There's something about thinking that gets in the way of hearing. Maybe we all just need to be aware.

[Paul Warburton]

I'm ALL about ears. I learned to play the bass with them. ( no, I don't have any calluses on them) To this day, I couldn't survive musically without a pair of pretty well honed ones. Being self-taught, and being fairly under educated in any real literal musical sense, I would have been dead in the water many years ago without them.

And PLEASE, let's don't get into that silly Van Gogh stuff. Been there, done that.
And PLEASE, Kenny Boy...let's don't get into any more of that swapping of our experiences with Bill, Eddie, Chuck, Marty and ALL the boys again. We went there many times before.
Maybe we should each make copies of that ****, and post them as attachments. ( as you would say...."LOL" ).

And yes, If you keep your nose in the REAL BOOK it will help cripple your ears.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

I'm ALL about ears. I learned to play the bass with them. ( no, I don't have any calluses on them) To this day, I couldn't survive musically without a pair of pretty well honed ones. Being self-taught, and being fairly under educated in any real literal musical sense, I would have been dead in the water many years ago without them.

I too grew up musically during an era where reading charts on stage was frowned upon. The bandleader either gave you the key by the amount of fingers he pointed down (flats) or up (sharps), and if you knew the tune, great. If you didn't, you watched the piano player's left hand and listened for the harmonic movement and cadences. And if you did not have the changes down by the second or third time around, you didn't work with those guys again. Some bandleaders didn't bother telling their sidemen anything, they just started playing. With the key of the last tune in your head, you figured out the new key and jumped in. We didn't have a thing called a Real Book. Paul, I bet you know the changes to thousands of songs, even if you (like me) can't remember their names...