For example, a college semester is about 16 weeks long. One of my main discoveries during this period was that without enough time to properly internalize each relative-pitch morsel, you don’t stand a chance at retaining the information. At the time, I was undergoing an embouchure change and needed a way to improve my playing that didn’t involve bashing my face in. It wasn’t until after finishing my ‘formal’ education that I sat down with ear-training and really gave it a go. But, by the end of the semester, we all passed. And looking back, I don’t seem to remember a single person in that class who could accurately sing a written melody. I guess they figured this would be necessary.Īfter taking the test, many of us – myself included – ended up in the ear-training ‘refresher’ course. One of the first things entering grad students had to do was take an aural skills placement exam to determine who might need a little extra help. Then, we were off to pay for that next round of credits! □Įven Post-Grad Musicians Suck at Ear-TrainingĪfter undergraduate studies, I attended graduate school at yet another university. And those who were in completely over their heads by the second week (and didn’t learn a goddamn thing all year).īut, somehow, we all passed.Those who easily aced everything (because they already knew it).And as the semester went on, you could pretty much split the students up into one of two sub-groups: The thing about these classes that tends to overwhelm musicians is that few are taught the basics of relative pitch before getting to college. And as if crawling out of bed isn’t already hard enough for many musicians, attempting to take musical dictations solely by ear (at the butt-crack of dawn, no less) was especially challenging. Or, recognition of the sounds – and corresponding note names – when two or more musical tones are played together.įor some reason, these classes – which deal with such an abstract topic – are always at, like, 8 o’clock in the morning. When I was in college, all incoming music majors were required to take four semesters of ‘aural skills.’ These classes were intended to teach the student the basics of relative pitch. So, with so many available methods for learning these skills, why do so few possess them? Assuming we are all prepared to study a bit each day, it’s useful to examine two possible reasons: either the method is subpar, or not enough time is taken with each step along the way. Yet, when meeting someone who can look at a piece of music and sing it out loud – or notate a simple melody without an instrument – it appears to be more of a magical super-power than anything else. With no shortage of methods, apps, tips and tricks for learning the fundamentals of relative pitch, you’d think we’d all have ears like Mozart. For those of you who have tried ear-training in the past – with disappointing results – this article is meant to help you understand why it may not have ‘worked.’ Then, we’ll explore how you can ensure that your time spent ear-training actually makes a practical difference to your trumpet playing.
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