Emotional Impact from Ear Training

Emotional Impact from Ear Training

Q: I have a concern about the effects of this ear training on my musicianship. You often say that the goal of this training is to hear music in a different way. As I have progressed through Ear Training One Note Complete, I have noticed that I listen to music slightly differently. And here in lies my concern. A recent article in Scientific American talks about how the brain processes music. It talks about 4 or so main different areas of the brain that can be responsible for enjoying and processing music: on a tempo level, on a rhythm level, on an overall holistic emotional level, and on a per pitch or per sound segment basis (i.e. perfect/relative pitch). Taking the two latter, it seems I have always enjoyed music on a holistic basis. I think that most of the population, the people I hope to touch with my music, enjoys music mostly on this level as well. With the ear training, I have found that per pitch way of listening to music is slowly taking over. Great, deep emotional music that may not have that many pitches suddenly seems stupid and simple, and the appreciation for the whole vibe, no matter how technically simplistic, fades. I fear this and don’t want this. I don’t want to create music primarily using this part of my listening brain. I find it too cerebral, not emotional/cathartic enough. Do you have any thoughts of this concern?

On a whole, I do want to further develop my relative pitch. As you say, it is probably the most powerful tool to have as an improvising musician. Your methods are amazing. But as you know it take lots of work, and therefore, requires 100% motivation. This concern above, even if potentially futile, has caused me to proceed with less vigor, as my motivation is at 98%. Can you ease my concern?

A: I understand your concern. I think there are a few good ways to think about the technical vs. the emotional and it relates to ear training. Let me give you an analogy. When you read a book you can approach it from many ways. The most common is to read the book and be brought into the subject and have it effect you emotionally. You also could sit there and look at each word and sentence and see how it is put together. As I’m sure you realize you have a choice in this matter and can approach the book from either way depending on what you want out of the book at the moment. This is the same with the Ear Training One Note Complete. Ear training is a tool which you can turn off and on. You are not somehow taken into a world where you can only analyze sound and can’t appreciate it from an emotional standpoint just because you have developed your ear training skills.

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.