The greats make their mark by moving in and out of the rules’ parameters. Learn the theory—but then trust your ears to tell you how much you can bend or break the rules.

No matter how good you get, it should always be a process of experimentation, not a formula to repeat!

The post : Trust your ears (not just music theory) appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

It’s easy to get caught up in what you are playing, thinking only about your own instrument and which notes to play when, but good improvisation always takes into account the musical whole.

If you make an effort to pay attention to the rest of the band instead of just your own part, you’ll all contribute to the groove together, the parts will all be cohesive, and your performance will be all the better for it!

The post : Keep your ears open while you improvise with the band appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

You don’t need any fancy equipment—most people have access to audio recording software on a computer, an audio recorder app on a mobile phone, or even a digital camera with a video function.

Record yourself sight-reading or playing a piece you know, then play back the audio while following along with the score. Listen for mistakes and inaccuracies. Make a note of places and techniques you think you need to work on.

If you’re feeling brave, post a video of your performance on YouTube and wait for the public to comment.

Note: not recommended for sensitive types!

The post : Listen carefully… to yourself! appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

It’s really important to spend a few minutes each day practising the exercises your teacher recommends. For example scales, and long tones for wind and string players.

But why?

Scales, played neatly at a good speed, help to strengthen your finger muscles and also aid you in understanding key signatures. They also help you when sight-reading, as scale passages become almost automatic! Scales help to tune your ear in to major and minor tonalities and give you a sense of the roles of scale degrees—useful for improvisation!

Long tones help wind players develop their diaphragm (where your “puff” comes from!) and improve stamina, tone and tuning. String players develop better bow control, tuning, vibrato and arm strength. Listening intently while you play long notes develops your ear for timbre and intonation, helping you become a more expressive performer.

You’ll find that most traditional “boring” practice activities actually have these kind of underlying benefits!

The post : Find benefit in the “boring” appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

It’s much better to do a little every day than to do a mammoth session and then forget about ear training for another week or two. Don’t practise for so long that you exhaust yourself, because you’ll need a break in order to recover your enthusiasm and motivation.

Slow and steady truly is the fastest way to improving your aural skills.

The post 101: Practice Ear Training Every Day appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

If you think negatively, you’ll probably be right.

Change your focus and think positively – and you’ve already improved your odds!

Keep trying, keep practising and keep enjoying music.

The post 100: Keep a Positive Focus appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

Learning how to play a new instrument can help you to understand music in many ways. Producing sound in a new way is exciting and will inspire you to play more, or even compose.

Some instruments are best suited to proper lessons (like the bassoon, or double bass) – they are expensive and quite difficult to learn. But many instruments are cheap, easy to pick up and you can easily teach yourself.

You could try the recorder, harmonica, electric keyboard, glockenspiel, ocarina, penny whistle, panpipes or fife.

The post 99: Learn Another Instrument appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

This could be anything from passing an exam, to performing in public or simply making it to bar 30 with no mistakes. Most people are motivated more when they have a clear goal they’re trying to achieve.

What’s your goal today?

The post 98: Set Achievable Goals appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

Learn some theory, and automatically your aural skills will also improve.

As your ‘ear’ improves, you will also get better at music theory – a win-win situation!

The post 97: Learn More Music Theory appeared first on Ear Training Tips.

However, many musicians have ‘relative pitch’ which means they can tell you the pitch of a second note, if they know the pitch of the first. This is a very useful skill which you can easily develop over time!

The post 96: Perfect Pitch vs. Relative Pitch appeared first on Ear Training Tips.