Improve your ear by playing simple tunes

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I found that by playing tunes I hadn't played before, but could sing the melody, I improved my ear.

Nursery rhymes and TV themes are a good place to start.

For a simple test, see how many Christmas melodies you can play by single notes, without having to work them out beforehand, if you have a reasonable ear, you should be able to play most of them.

"Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • sev112sev112 Frets: 2739
    Is this a letter to Viz ? ;)
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited January 2020
    sev112 said:
    Is this a letter to Viz ? ;)


    It’s to all of us - this is a forum. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • sev112sev112 Frets: 2739
    Well it’s the rather judgemental and exclusive last statement that has the air of Viz letters.  Ie if you can’t do it, you have a crap ear!

    What is the point of saying that? It’s a bit like : “play these Beatles tunes, if you are a reasonable guitarist you should be able to play them”


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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 733
    sev112 said:
    Well it’s the rather judgemental and exclusive last statement that has the air of Viz letters.  Ie if you can’t do it, you have a crap ear!

    What is the point of saying that? It’s a bit like : “play these Beatles tunes, if you are a reasonable guitarist you should be able to play them”



    I didn't mean to upset you, it's just an effective ear training exercise I learnt as a teenager.............
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • I was doing this over the Christmas period , I think you have an excellent point and it has helped me work out my first proper solo by ear. 

    Someone re entry said on here  it is the techniques that will trip you up if you are not familiar with them.  Fortunately the song I was working on had a similar technique to one I played a long while ago and I sort of recognised it from how it sounded (eg sliding to a note on the G string  and playing a note on the high E string , similar to a bit in patience by guns n roses) there was also a bit that could take advantage of a sequence I recently learned) 

    i’m really pleased with the results and will tab it out so I can say I’ve loosely transcribed something lol.  It’s tempting to think though that I got lucky , or it’s easy whatever ,then I wonder if I can do it again.  

    I think it helps though ought to try and play these simple melodies even if you get bum notes and have to correct them. Sometimes it feels like your brain is reaching for the note and you have no idea really but it gets it right, other times it gets it wrong ,but it’s really weird 

    also ,there was no tab available for this solo as it’s a relatively niche Finnish hair metal band so I had no choice .  I’m thinking solos might be easier to work out than some riff’s or rhythms .

    good thread though and good observation. I didn’t think it was judgemental and I’m totally rubbish at anything like this . 

    The transcribe program is good, I guess you could use audacity too. I sometimes find it better to listen to a phrase rather than individual notes, sometimes vice versa. I hope I can do another one 

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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 733
    Transcribing from records is probably the best way to improve playing, it's been a tried and tested method for years.

    I was given the advice:

    Hear it, sing it, play it.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    GuyBoden said:
    Transcribing from records is probably the best way to improve playing, it's been a tried and tested method for years.

    I was given the advice:

    Hear it, sing it, play it.
    100%
     
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • Anything really busy or technical  is quite daunting for me so while I’m trying to get-my ear in I find it fun to have a stab at the vocal/melody of songs I like. I was fortunate with the solo I just did as it is reasonably singable and you can play it back in your head. Plus there was no tab for it.

    some stuff like van halen or megadeth is too much even with the tab lol
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 733
    Anything really busy or technical  is quite daunting for me so while I’m trying to get-my ear in I find it fun to have a stab at the vocal/melody of songs I like. I was fortunate with the solo I just did as it is reasonably singable and you can play it back in your head. Plus there was no tab for it.

    some stuff like van halen or megadeth is too much even with the tab lol

    Yes, it's a good idea to keep it simple and progress slowly, because when transcribing, if you can hear it and sing it, it makes it much easier to play it.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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