ear training

[Martin Sheridan]

I'd like to get some advice on ear training, and I don't mean "stand up, sit or fetch" ( just thought I'd head off you "wags").

How have you trained yourself to hear pitch, chord changes etc.?

[Matthew Heintz]

I spent a great deal of time in formal ear training courses, plowing through books, using computer programs, singing with the piano, transcribing etc... and I've found that, for me, the most enjoyable (and, not coincidentally, most effective) method has been a proper study of jazz theory.

I'm far from competent in jazz, but I enjoy it, so the study of it is intentional, enjoyable misdirection. For instance, I picked up a copy of the The Jazz Sound by Dan Haerle, and in addition, to reading through his ****ysis, I sang through his examples to understand the ****ysis. It quickly becomes apparent that jazz isn't math and that it isn't enough to know that X scale is played over Y chord. One has to hear the surprise, the tension or release, etc... Once I had some elementary tools, I could then ****yze a few favorite tunes and pay along with recordings etc... I needed the theory first so that I had a vocabulary to describe what I was hearing.

Beyond finding more enjoyment in this process than traditional ear training, I also found that the freedom of jazz to move around the chord/scales really improved my ear. One can certainly do the same when singing Bach chorales, but the jazz setting encourages exploration.

Traditional solfege is certainly helpful, but can be tiresome for me. The only ear training that I didn't find particularly helpful (YMMV) has been computer programs that use midi-files. I found that the midi files lack the color and voicing of live recordings such that becoming better at recognizing XYZ chord/scale on the computer didn't necessarily improve my recognition of XYZ chord/scale in context.

My two cents...

[Martin Sheridan]

I am underwhelmed at the response to the question.

How about some traditional methods?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Martin Sheridan

I am underwhelmed at the response to the question.

How about some traditional methods?

Ok, I will bite..

I worked with records when I was young (16-19?) and transcribed or learned the exact Bass lines. Back then, the Bass was not all that out front like it is today. The Speakers were not as good either. Like listening to a Jack Jones Record and hearing the Bass line. Sinatra's mix was better. For the most part, pop records had the bass mixed down a bit. Jazz records were mixed on the volume thing but I had a basic home/consumer stereo, my brothers.

Playing gigs with Piano players also made me listen. It was listen and learn or, get a new profession. I remember Major Holley telling me 'my eyes aren't so good by my ears ARE!".. I sat in on his Sunday Brunch gig at Jacque's next to the Village gate. This is about 1969-1970. Got to play with Roland Hanna, Kenny Barron and others he had there working the Duo each week. I also sat in on Reggie Workmans' Bass/Guitar gig uptown on Monday nights and played with various guys there at Brandy's(?). The Bass chair changed when Reggie couldn't make it so one week I played on Reggie's bass, the next was Wilbur Ware's, then Sam Jones' and they all knew I was OK with Reggie so they let me play a tune or two each week.

On the Gig training or sitting in will get your ears working. I did so so many reading gigs that taking a wedding job once in a while was needed just to use my ears. My pitch and intonation got really good but my ear for hearing changes on tunes I didn't know or substutitions needed work.

Here's a shaker upper.. Bill Evans at the Blue Note c.1973/4 or so when it was uptown. I would go in each night and stand by the door (for free, they let me) and it was just after I got out each night of the B'way show I was doing. Al Cohen (of Al Cohen/Zoot Simms) with a Quartet with the Piano and drums from the 'Tonight Show' (Ross Tompkins and I forget, Shaunessey maybe) and Chuck Isreals on Bass opened up for 'Evans. Eddie Gomez was the bassist then who I knew thru the drummer Marty Morell with the trio.

Well, Eddie comes up to me on a break and asks if I would like to sit in on the last set (3am-4am) and I said YESSSS. So I kept my cool and tried calming my butterflies while waiting a few hours to play... Then Chuck Isreals comes up to me on his last break half way thru the night (the set b4 I would sit in) and says, "Kenny (they called me Kenny back then.. No longer allowed), would you mind doing the last set for me? I'm not feeling too well and wanna go home.".. Well, my first ever B'way sub was for Chuck so I could not refuse so I gladly accepted as I should. Well, I played his Italian bass on that set playing tunes I had no clue what they were and could barely hear the changes but survived.. and then put the Bass away in the clubs office as Chuck asked me to. Then.. I get called up by Eddie.. knees shaking after a set in the Twighlight zone with the Veterans who none of them even knew my name (I was announced with the Quartet.. "and an Unknown on Bass") and took the stage taking Eddie's bass from his hands. Talk about Pitch!!.. That was the 3rd bass I played that night counting the one I used earlier on my own gig.

Well, Bill polietly askes me "so what do you wanna play" ('kid!'.. didn't say 'Kid' but I could feel it.. or.. maybe I was just paranoid). Well.. I had this day planned out for years after all the 100s or hours playing along with the Records, mosty with Scotty playing.. So.. I said, 'Green Dolphin Street'. Well we ALL play it in 'C' in NY so I thought I was set... Then, he starts the intro.. My ears stand up.. literally.. not C.... oops.. Eb.. Yikes..

Well, there went all my licks and practiced solo riffs.. Now.. memory off, Ears ON. I play the tune, playing maybe 1/4 of the notes I would normally play.. mostly feel and did hear the tune to transpose but my solo.. a Fishing expedition.. And I was a GOOD Fisherman.. no joke.. lived in Florida for 7 years as a kid.. lol..

The Tune ends.. (Thank God..) and Bill looks up and says in a quiet voice 'felt good'. period. Eddie comes back, I unlock my frozen knees from the stool and like I just landed from a 16 hour flight, touched ground and walked off the stage.. I was in a Cloud but didn't know which direction the Earth was in.. .. Later that night or the next day I asked my friend marty Morell the drummer, "what did he mean whan he said 'felt good'?.. Marty replied.. "it felt good.. or he wouldn't of sadi it".. "Oh", I replied.. Boy was I insecure back then..

So, Ear traning? Like swimming.. Jump in.. Swim or sink.. Oh.. and practice a lot, jams are good with people at or above your level, above recommended.

I can't say for sure how one should really learn this formerly but this is how my life went. In the last few years I started doing Dou and Trio gigs again and once again, the ears needed stretching out. Nothing like having music to read for me but that's not always the case. You need to work it all, Eyes, Ears and oh.. the Hands.. Just plain practicing so you can find what your looking for once you know what it is you want.. Note wise I mean..

[Martin Sheridan]

Ken,
That was excellent and I appreciate it. I'm playing some again after hardly playing at all for many, too many years. I've really been improving my hearing, but I wanted to see what others would say. I've been working a little on intervals, but really need to play more with records etc, or I guess I should say CDs. It always seems like if I get the first two chords or really the second one from the beginning the rest come at least most of the time. Same with getting to the first chord of the bridge.
I always feel like a little kid learning his ABCs. Getting most of them but stumbling on some too. There's no worse feeling than going to a chord you thought you heard and having it be a clunker.
Good advice. And great stories tool.
Maybe we'll get some more.

[Richard Prowse]

Ken (I resisted adding '-ny', but it was tough) that was a very interesting post.

Martin here's something I'm doing at the moment that really helps my ears.
When I'm somewhere, away from my bass, I imaging playing my bass. I try to feel, but not to think because reasoning seems to really kill this activity. I pretend to play the notes and listen. I've also applied this exercise to sightreading. I 'play' a piece of music like this and I can easily hear all the intervals between the notes as I finger them. No doubt it works because of years of running my fingers over the bass. I'm sure it will work for anyone. I've found it builds a real link between the notes and intervals, and where they are on the bass - like a singer gets from his voice, I guess. When I first did it, I was surprised that I could hear all the notes so clearly. 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.