In conjunction with the Guitar Music Theory page I want to present a systemized ear training program as theory and ear training are really two sides of the same coin.
What follows worked best for me personally but I have also spend countless hours transcribing many instruments and playing along to records. So be sure to explore all systems of ear training such as solfege to get the maximum benefit.
You start of very easy and slowly advance to more difficult ear training. Some people may struggle with week 1 others will find it very easy but no matter where you are on the ear training path start at week 1 and any kinks in your ear will be rectified.
Ear training is a bit like watching paint dry, don’t worry about results on a daily basis however you will notice over time that your ear is improving nicely.
See the Guitar Music Theory 101 page to read about intervals.
Week 1 – The Perfect 5th
The exercise for week 1 is simple – just sing, or hum, a perfect 5th up and down a few times daily.
You don’t have to be a singer and you don’t have to song perfectly in tune….but do your best.
To play a perfect 5th on the guitar you just play an open string then play the note at the 7th fret on the same string.
Choose a string on the guitar that will suit your voice then sing, or hum, the lowest note followed by the note at the 7th fret. Do this 5 times then sing the highest note first, followed by the lowest note 5 times.
Do this exercise on a daily basis.
You may notice that the perfect 5th has a somewhat powerful sound hence chords that only contain the root and the 5th are called power chords. A great example of an ascending perfect 5th are the first two notes of the Top Gun theme. It’s strong and powerful. A fun descending example of a perfect 5th is where you sing the ‘Flintstones’ words.
Intermediate/Advanced Players
If you are an intermediate or advanced player practise the perfect fifth as follows;
- Finger a power chord in a comfortable register for your voice. Sing the notes ascending three times then sing them descending three times. Move the power chord up one fret then sing that power chord ascending three times and descending three times. Repeat this process of moving the power chord up one fret and singing the notes ascending and descending until you come to a point where you are singing as high as you can comfortably (never strain your voice). At this point reverse the process. Move the power chord down one fret and sing the notes ascending three time then descending three times. Move the power chord down another fret and repeat the process.
- Play some chords and sing the fifth of those chords. Play the chord, try to hear the fifth then sing it. You might have to play the fifth in order to hear it better. This is ok as you will hear the fifth without having to play it over time.
Use the above steps for all intervals and arpeggios that follow.
Week 2 – The Perfect 4th
Like Week 1 and the perfect 5th, for week 2 you will sing or hum the perfect 4th.
To play a perfect 4th simply play an open string then play the 5th fret on the same string.
Again, sing this interval 5 times ascending and 5 times descending on a daily basis.
Keep singing the perfect 5th this week too and see if you can hear the difference in character between the perfect 4th and the perfect 5th.
Next week is game time!
This week also keep singing the Perfect 5th as you really want to ingrain the sound of these intervals in your ear.
Intermediate & Advanced Players
Repeat the two steps that you did for the perfect 5th but with the perfect 4th.
Note that the 5th is a chord tone so when you played a chord and sang the 5th it sounded good and you could actually hear the note in the chord.
The perfect 4th is a little more tricky as it is not a chord tone and it’s also considered to be a somewhat dissonant note of the scale. Still, try to hear it when you play the chord and before you sing it. This is a very powerful exercise so please do it and be patient.
Week 3 – Recognizing Perfect 4th and 5ths
This week is where the fun really starts.
However the last two weeks you have been getting familiar with the sound of the perfect 4th and perfect 5th intervals.
Now comes the time to see how well you know the sound of these intervals.
I want to stress that some people will find this very easy while others will find it much harder. You are where you are and you can only improve. Again, some people will improve faster than other. Each one of us is unique. Just be patient and the results will come.
Log into your favourite ear training app. I personally use the Teoria (I am not involved with the company at all). Set the app to play only ascending melodic perfect 4th and 5ths at a slow speed.
See if you can hear the difference between both intervals. Once you get a score of 100%, over the space of a few minutes, use the same intervals with the same settings (melodic (one note after the other not at at the same time) and slow) but use descending perfect 4th and perfect 5th intervals. Work on this for a few minutes daily until you get a score of 100% after a few minutes of identifying the intervals.
Each interval has a unique sound, a characteristic sound. See if you can latch onto these sounds as this is how you can recognise these intervals easily.
Once you know the sound of the intervals then getting 100% in the exercises above will be easy.
It might take some time if you are new to this but be patient and the results will come.
Have fun!!
Week 4 – The Major Third
You are going to take the same approach as you did with the perfect 4th and 5th and apply it to the major third.
Sing an open string then sing the note on the 4th fret on the same string.
You will find that the ascending major 3rd is somewhat powerful in sound. For a great example of an ascending major third check out the main theme in Yanni’s ‘Santorini’ of the ‘Live at the Acropolis’ album (the first two notes that Yanni plays on the keyboard are a major third).
The descending major third sounds like the announcement notes played over the telecom at an airport.
In conjunction with singing the major third this keep doing the exercise of finding the perfect 4th and perfect 5th on your ear training app. If you latch onto the sound of the major third easily then feel free to add the major third to the exercise on your ear training app.
If you got 100% for recognising the perfect 4th and perfect 5th intervals then you will identify the major third very easily.
Here are some major third fingerings on the guitar with the A note as the root note and the C# as the major third.
Week 5 – The Minor Third
This week you are going to sing the minor third interval.
The minor third interval is the last interval that you will sing before it gets really, really fun. Next week you will start singing arpeggios (which is almost as much fun as singing the modes). Let’s go!
This week copy everything that you did for the major third interval but apply it to the minor third interval.
Try to get a 100% passing rate on your ear training app when listening to the ascending and descending major and minor thirds and the perfect fourth and fifth.
This is important as you’ll be mixing the intervals when singing arpeggios.
The minor third interval is known as a scary or sad interval.
Check out the first two notes of the main riff in ‘Iron Man’ by Black Sabbath. This is an ascending minor third interval. Blues music often uses descending minor third intervals in their riffs. The lyrics ‘Spoonful’ in the song of the same name by Cream uses a descending minor third.
Here are some minor third fingerings on the fretboard with A being the root note and the C being the minor third.
Week 6 – Root Position Major Interval
You are now about to sing your first arpeggio.
An arpeggio is a chord that is played melodically. One note after the other instead of all the notes at the same time.
So pick an open string then sing the note of the open string, followed by the note on the 4th fret and finally sing the note on the 7th fret.
You have now sung your first arpeggio. Try it a few times more with your guitar then try singing it with out the guitar.
Then, try singing it descending starting from the 7th fret.
You will have heard this sound in music many times before but now you will be able to recognise it in any situation.
Keep singing all intervals daily and use your ear training app daily too.
Sometimes your ear will need a rest. You’ll know when that is. When the time comes just have a break and come back to ear training after a very short break of a few days.
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