I play bass in a band at school and next thurs. i start ear training so i can be better at stand-up bass, has anyone else done ear training and know if its hard or how long it takes?

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"Of course it's hard to see the sun when you're covering your eyes"

what kind of 'ear training' is this? are you trying to aquire perfect pitch, or learn by ear?

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it's not so bad.

**before you get mad at someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Because then you will be a mile away, and you will have their shoes**

Personally, I think it would be eaiser to play stand-up bass with your fingers or a bow, but if it works with your ear ...

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

roflmao! i cant even think of something witty to reply to that Mike, good one!

 

I think its for perfect pitch. I was told we'd use a piano and i'd learn to recognize notes just by hearing them and i think we might do some theory stuff. I was told that what i'd learn would apply to any instrument. One of the main reasons i have for wanted to get ear training is so that i can learn and practice on my own instead of having to go to a teacher all the time.
 

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"Of course it's hard to see the sun when you're covering your eyes"

I think "perfect pitch" is a gift you either have or you don't - its nt something that can be learned.  I can't listen to a note and say "that's a 'C#', but I can learn pieces by hearing them and then duplicating (with practice) them on guitar/keys.

My dad, one time long long ago, listened to a musical that someone sung to him over the phone - he transcribed the whole thing onto paper so that it could be performed!  Of course he had to 'invent' all the backup music. That's perfect pitch!

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

Ya i know some people are born with perfect pitch but i have heard stories of people who have attained perfect pitch. no idea how, but i've heard people say it's possible. Y'know i wonder how people figure out they have perfect pitch i dont think you could just out of nowhere be able to point out what note is which without learning and comparing and then just finding it easy to differentiate between notes. ...I wonder if it's possible for an old person who has had little to do with music most of their life then tries to learn, say, piano and finds out they have perfect pitch. hmmm...lol i will be pondering for days on this subject lol

But anyway I am still confused on what we are going to be doing, but maybe i may be learning is to do what you can do now, Mike, hearing something and trying to work out what it is i'm hearing.

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"Of course it's hard to see the sun when you're covering your eyes"

everyone is born with perfect pitch, it's just the ability to hone in on that innate skill that comes more naturally to some. my brother was 'born' with perfect pitch, i can usually get it within a half step or so.

perfect pitch is something of a misnomer, no one is born being able to hear 440 and say "by golly that's an A!", perfect pitch just means the ability to distinguish sounds as higher or lower from one another. it's then memorizing tone, and identifying intonation that EVERYONE has to learn.

i think what you will most likely be doing is recognizing dissonance, and thus improving your inntonation, and the chords who perform with other players. try hitting the keys on a piano that are right next to each other. or better yet, a sharp and a natural. not pretty.

because the bass is so low, it is farther from the typical range of the human ear, as perscribed by daily life. i think what you will be mostly doing is scales, and then training your 'ear' to recognize intonation in pitches that are lower that most are used to.

good luck, and i really am curious to see what exactly you all will be doing!

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it's not so bad.

**before you get mad at someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Because then you will be a mile away, and you will have their shoes**

o and mike, if you can transcribe music like that, then you have 'perfect pitch' because you can recognize and replicate a pitch. yay for you!

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it's not so bad.

**before you get mad at someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Because then you will be a mile away, and you will have their shoes**

Paulawalla:

o and mike, if you can transcribe music like that, then you have 'perfect pitch' because you can recognize and replicate a pitch. yay for you!

 

Unfortunately, not me - I can' transcribe it , only copy it on guitar.  Can't sight read music worth a hockey puck!

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

Wow Paulawalla you're realy knowledgeable on the subject, would you be able to guesstimate how long it would normally take for a person to be able to develop a really good intonation? I was told i will start the first thurs of march and practice for a 1/2 hour. and i will continue doing it once a week until i decide to stop. I was wondering how easy is it to learn, or does it vary depending on the person?

 Mike your lucky, I have trouble when people take my music away, lol. I suck at memorizing music. another thing i have to work on lol
 

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"Of course it's hard to see the sun when you're covering your eyes"

scales. Scales. SCALES! i cant really say how long it would take, ive been playing for about 8 years, and it wasnt until i started learning fiddle music by year about a year ago that i realized that i can usually estimate a pitch. if you are trying to develop the skill, it all depends on practice. play scales, then mess around with scales. play a c major, then do some arpeggios. dont get stuck just playing note after note, play around with it. i really dont think it will take 8 years, it took me 8 years since i never really tried to master this until recently.

Mike! i envy you. i live violin because there is basically never more than a 2 note chord. i could never do guitar! like i said before, that is perfect pitch, because you are able to reproduce the pitch.

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it's not so bad.

**before you get mad at someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Because then you will be a mile away, and you will have their shoes**

 I think fiddle would be a cool instrument to learn. Is it tuned E-A-D-G? Once i was hauling my stand-up back and forth to school, and i guy said "y'know how they make those?" i said not really, he told me "ya water your fiddle till it gets big enough." it gave me a good giggle. But ya i wonder how alike a fiddle and a stand-up bass are to play.

 

Well i wont know fer sure what i will be doing until i actually go to the lessons. but i bet it will be as you said "scales, Scales, SCALES!"

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"Of course it's hard to see the sun when you're covering your eyes"

Violins are tuned G - D - A - E, like mandolins, etc.  I'm not sure about bass fiddles and cellos.

Speaking of cellos, check this youtube out:  A Cello Rondo 

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

that is HILARIOUS!

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it's not so bad.

**before you get mad at someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Because then you will be a mile away, and you will have their shoes**

i start ear-training tomorrow- im so excited and i feel like such a dork for being excited -it's great!

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"Of course it's hard to see the sun when you're covering your eyes"