Ear Training - A Guitarist’s Note

There’s lots of software like this EarMaster 5 Pro which will help musicians develop ear training, attain perfect pitch, and recognize harmony. They are all in their own way excellent tools, more than fit for purpose, and no doubt will do the job adequately.

However, if you’re just learning an instrument, especially the guitar, you may not have the facilities or even the desire to get to grips with software and all that it involves. In fact, most people who learn guitar do so because it doesn’t necessitate learning music in the traditional way. There are millions of guitarists around the globe who, faced with a sheet of music, wouldn’t have a clue - myself included.

I’ve found that over the years, even without any formal training  but just by playing guitar and listening,  my ‘ear’ has developed naturally. However, there are a couple of simple exercises you can do which will help you to recognise intervals (the space between notes) with greater ease. Not only will this increase your ability to recognize chords in songs, but it will help to translate the musical idea in your head to your fingers on the fretboard. You will think more melodically during solos and will even be able to think ahead, knowing exactly where that jump on the fretboard is going to take you and what your target note is going to sound like.

First, play a major scale, say G on the bottom string up to the open 3rd string G. When you’ve got this under your fingers, simply sing along to the notes up and down the scale. Got that? It’s eight notes, G,A,B,C,D,E,F sharp, G. Next, jump between notes, G to D to G, or G to B to D to G, which are the simplest intervals. Try different combinations until you can sing the same note as you’re playing, at the same time. With enough practice you will be able to hear the notes in the scale in your head and go straight to them on the fingerboard.

Extend this by singing along to your solos. They will include all sorts of combinations of notes across the scales and interval jumps which may be hard to sing to at first but it’s like anything, with a bit of practice it becomes easier. The fun bit is following all the bends, pull-offs and trying to follow vocally any other playing techniques you may have. When you can eventually do it naturally, it will improve your soloing ideas and put your ears, not your fingers, in charge.