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Topic: ear training - testimonial  (Read 3616 times)

Offline end

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ear training - testimonial
on: December 30, 2008, 08:38:49 AM
Hi,

I'm a beginner and very thankful for the help I'm getting from you all. So, I wanted to try to help too. The only thing I can do is this small comment.

I had the worst ear in the whole world. Really.

Then I started playing the guitar, using a tuner to tune it. At the beginning, before buying the tuner, I broke several strings trying to tune with a fork! Several. That's just how bad my ear was.

After a while, when I'd play with other people's guitar, I'd be "disturbed" by their tuning. I realized I had "almost" a perfect pitch in my mind, because I could tell their instruments were not tuned "right", but a bit higher or lower (frequencies).

I never thought it would be really possible to train my ear (I'm about 40), but it's happened. Now I can even tune my violin. I tune it on my own, then I use the tuner to make sure I got it right. I almost always do. Even with alternative tunings (EBGDGD on the guitar, for instance). It seems, my ear got used to the good stuff!

So, from own experience, if you always play with a well tuned instrument, you'll end up with good ears. It has happened to me.

So, don't give up.
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Offline db05

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Re: ear training - testimonial
Reply #1 on: December 30, 2008, 12:05:26 PM
That's it? Didn't you have an ear training lesson or something?

I don't believe you had bad ears, the way you said it. Some people can't tell the difference in pitch no matter what, and worse, have bad sense of rhythm.
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Offline Petter

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Re: ear training - testimonial
Reply #2 on: December 30, 2008, 10:45:13 PM
Lots of the aural skill difficulties are based on psychology and what you think you can do or not. At least for me. If I´m drunk my aural skills are superior. Go figure.
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Offline Bob

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Re: ear training - testimonial
Reply #3 on: January 14, 2009, 02:38:49 AM
I've tuned my ears up for hearing that kind of intonation before with a guitar.  Very helpful.  I should do it more...

And I've heard the thing about being drunk.  Being relaxed, not thinking so much... make some sense.  Or at least thinking your better.  But I've heard about that with jazzers.
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Offline tonyyyy

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Re: ear training - testimonial
Reply #4 on: January 16, 2009, 03:53:24 AM
As a guitarist I think Ive got much more pitch aware over the years. still, there are bad days when I cant get it quite right.

Maybe a quiet mind is necessary ?
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