getting started with ear training
Ear training - what is it? Why do you need it? How can I train my EAR?! 👂 Firstly, it is the act of training your ears to be able to hear music but in a critical and understanding way. So you’ll eventually be able to hear a piece of music, then write it down or play it back. This is essential for any musician that wants to play with another musician in any capacity. Of course different genres require a different skill level and vocabulary, but the basis of ear training remains the same. Finally, it is important to note that we are not actually training our ears, but our minds 🏋🏽♀️🧠.
Tune your harp - tune your harp before every single practice session, so that your ears get used to what the scales/songs/etc … should sound like, and NOT what they sound like when OUT of tune 😱. Our ears and brains can become used to new sounds very quickly, so this is extremely important.
Sing along with your scale or tune - don’t worry if you are not a singer! This helps connect our vocal chords, brain, and fingers together. Try playing the bass line of a tune while singing the melody (or vice versa for an extra challenge).
Learn by ear - ask your teacher to teach you something by ear! Beware that if you aren’t used to this style of learning, this is much more taxing on the brain than to be expected. It’s like learning a new language. So while it may take more time to learn this way for some, once you learn it, it will never leave you!
Use ear training exercises on the website muscitheory.net ! They have a plethora of ear training exercises, including melodic diction(writing down melodies you hear), chord progressions, chord quality, scales, and anything else you could possibly need to get a great ear!
Remember that this is like learning a new language, so it will take TIME ⏰. Be sure to log your accomplishments in your practice journal so that you can look back and actually see your improvement.
🖤michelle