eartraining - learning inversions?

[keithjarrett]

Hi, I'm doing the David Lucas Burge relative pitch program and I'm stuck now at the beginning of level 2 because I can't seem to learn the inversions. I often associate the sounds to songs I've heard, and I can associate the second inversion, but I seem to mix first inversion and root position with eachother. Also, it becomes a lot harder hearing it's second inversion when it's played harmonically. What do you suggest I should do to learn to hear the difference between these inversions? I've even made songs and looped them, and used other methods to try to hypnotize myself, but I just can't do it. I can hear first inversion backwards though, from hearing the Charlie Parker tune "Blues for Alice", but still I make the mistake and think it's root position.

[keithjarrett]

haven't anyone got any suggestions? can't you recommend two songs that utilize the inversions?

[chocolatedog]

I'm not sure what the training programme is that you're using but when I teach my pupils about inversions I always try to get them to hear how the first inversion is a much weaker sounding inversion than the root and less stable precisely because it doesn't have the root at the bottom. Having said that, they still find it difficult!!! Can't suggest any songs though...sorry.

[keithjarrett]

yeah, david lucas burge says to listen to the bottom note or the top note, and determine if it's the root, third or fifth, but I haven't learned scale degrees yet so I can't see how I could do that..

[nicco]

Hearing the difference between the root and the third is something of the most basic in ear training, so if you cant hear that you have done something wrong.

[keithjarrett]

is that so? i've never heard or read anywhere about learning that so I never focused on learning it. I don't think it's that easy, say if someone plays an A major chord in root position, then someone plays a Eb major chord in first inversion, I can't tell that the bottom tone of the Eb chord is the third.

[nicco]

I know ear training is different from school to school, but at least at my school we focus a lot on hearing the root in whatever chord is played. That way you can get used to hearing the root in basically any chord in any inversion, making it much much easier to hear what note is in the bass, ergo telling wich inversion it is.

[mike_lang]

It might be helpful for you to associate the first inversion chord with recitative, (e.g., the opening bars of Beethoven's Tempest), and the 2nd inversion with dominant chords (e.g., the C64 that precedes most cadenzas, esp. in Mozart).

[ptmidwest]

Sing it.   

Sing the notes you hear.