Ear Training/singing audio books? Books or Beato Ear Training

wizbit81

Do NOT do any ear training stuff in the car would be my suggestion. It requires focus and even when you are pretty advanced and recognise most stuff instantly there's a microsecond where you are listening and thinking and not concentrating on what you are doing. After about 30 mins of it I need a nap as well because of how much concentration it's taken, so another reason not to do it while driving. Just as dangerous as looking at your phone I reckon. 
As for home stuff, I've said it before and I'll say it again.... Functional ear training app for melodic dictation and key retention ear training, but Beato for recognition of sounds. Complimentary and both excellent and anyone slagging either of them doesn't know what they are talking about. 

tabano

Cranky said:

I just started today and am baffled by the first "intervals" section on distinguishing between major and minor 2nds.  It's like you said, I can tell the difference if you play them next to each other, but out of the blue I'm just guessing.  The tones are totally blending together, I can't even pick out which is the root.  I keep going over to the piano to play the intervals to myself, and I've been trying to sing "do re mi" but with a flattened "re," it's totally foreign to my lazy western 

If you are trying to sing a C major triad (CEG) , try ignoring the G at the beginning, concentrate on travelling from C to E,
if you struggle to jump from C to E practice C to D, it will make you aware of what a whole tone interval is,
then you can try again and if still doesn’t happen try singing from D to E ,
by then you’d have divided the transition from
C to E in 2 steps and it should give your a better understanding of what you are aiming to hear. You will be aware of what a whole tone is and how does it sound,
then try to find the middle spot within  a whole tone so for instance, if you are trying to sing C minor ( CEbG ) concentrate on travelling from D to E AND stopping half way through, the best is to “ slide” the D to the E when you sing it so you get to go through everything between those 2 notes,
in my opinion doing this with every interval in a triad is much more beneficial than the whole Do Re Mi..  scale at the beginning ( and possibly always is..),

viz

And think of songs that you really know well, to help you with the intervals. 

Minor second: the jaws cello theme. Daaa..dum. Daaaaaa..dum

Major second: you already know Do-Re. Mine is Kabelwsky’s Clowns. 

Minor 3rd: green sleeves

Major 3rd: while shepherds watch ..

Etc. 

Don’t look on google (or my post) for examples. Sing the interval repeatedly until a tune you know pops into your head. Then you’ll know you’ve got it. 

Brad

What did people do before audio books and apps etc?

They used their instrument and their voice. 

Sometimes the old ways are still the best. 

It’s sounds like your student isn’t at the place where he should be doing this stuff without giving it his full attention, so I’d recommend doing it at home until these things get in his ears. 

He should just sing the intervals whilst playing them on the guitar. Only sing them, then use the guitar to check to see if he’s right. Play a chord and sing specific intervals. Sing roots (then other intervals) during a chord progression. There are loads if exercises along these lines that will help. The important thing is to sing them. All the apps in the world will only get people so far if the sound and resonance isn’t inside. It can’t be half arsed. 

That made a HUGE difference to my ear. From there, transcribing became much easier with more difficult things. But as others have said, even transcribing nursery rhymes is brilliant to start with.