Applying Two Note Ear Training to Real Music
Applying Two Note Ear Training to Real Music
Applying Two Note Ear Training to Real Music
Q: Could you give me a practical scenario to help me understand how the Two Note Ear Training workouts will be applied to real musical situations? How do you use this modulating ‘do’ in the ‘automatic’ sense your method is aimed at, in your present work and can you give a recent example from one of your gigs?
Finally, can you give me a brief history of how your hearing skills progressed as they correspond to each method you have developed to attain automatic hearing. The hard work would sure go a lot easier if I can get a handle on some of the improvements I can look forward to in my hearing and musicianship. Now I know this is a tough assignment and I know that you’re not getting paid to answer in such detail… but I am sure everyone in the FAQ room would like to hear your testimony!!!!! Besides I will gladly send you exotic food stuffs, my Mickey Mantle baseball cards… oh what the heck… my first born… just to get a little more insight. take your time… no rush on this one and I will be eternally grateful.
A: With rhythm you need to first do the basic building blocks of counting and thinking the rhythm/time in order to learn what a rhythm sounds like. After that you should progress to more of a Big Metronome approach. So your method of learning is good as you stated.
Applying Two Note Ear Training will teach you how to modulate and also helps you to gain more experience with the one note ear training but now you have to identify multiple notes. There are many applications of this two note method. One of the most common is a situation where you are playing one note on your instrument, let’s say a C, and it sounds like the tonic and then it starts sounding like the 3rd– then you have modulated to the key of Ab. Two Note Ear Training Method Two also helps you the split up multiple notes in your mind and be able to identify them.
As far as my own ear training history, I don’t think it is really that relevant because each person is different, and I don’t think my progression through these exercises will have any bearing on you or anyone else. I will give you a brief idea of my experience just to satisfy your interest. One of the reasons why I have so many methods to help you develop your ear training skills is because I have had a lot of difficulty with learning ear training. I did the interval thing in college and always got an A in the class but found it didn’t help me hear music in the real world, particularly when I was on a gig. When I started the technique I teach now, it took me a very long time to unlearn intervals and then relearn how to hear within a key. Ear Training One Note took me 1 1/2 years to get down. I had to do a lot of singing too, in order to improve. This is one of the reasons why the Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing has so many exercises in it. I had to go through that amount of singing before I could hear the Ear Training One Note. Each of the other exercises i.e. Key Note Recognition and Two Note Ear Training exercises all took quite a bit of time for me to master.
Applying Two Note Ear Training covers all aspects of music making. I use it to tell what key chord progressions are in by using the Key Note Recognition method. I can tell how a progression is modulating by using the two note method and I can hear individual notes by using the one note method. Probably the most profound effect this has is that you become much more musical in your playing and composing. Once you hear music correctly it makes all the difference in how you hear, what you hear and how you interact with other musicians. There isn’t an end to the ear training process. I still work at various aspects of ear training each day, mostly applying it to the music I write. Many people also don’t realize how hearing affects their physical ability on their instrument. Once you really hear what you are playing you play it much better and you’re able to play faster and with more accuracy. Ear Training is absolutely the most important thing you can do for yourself to improve your musical ability. You should look at it as a life long path that will always keep you as close to the essence of music at all times.
It is also recommended that you read Bruce Arnold’s Blog at his artist site. It contains more discussion of the musical topics found in these FAQs as well as other subjects of interest. You will also find the “Music Education Genealogy Chart” located here which shows you the historic significance of the music education products found on the Muse Eek Publishing Company Website.