Question... on the EAR!

chicago23x

I've been tabbin' out PJ tunes for about 10 years now....
and I'm just now starting to educate myself in Music Theory...

So I was wandering what anyone thinks about developing an ear for playing what you hear.... can it be learned... or is it just something you have or don't have....

I mean I've always been able to tune my guitar... but I think I've never really had the ability because I haven't known my notes in the past...

any thoughts appreciated....

Pearl Jam and toast

its been my experience that you either know it or you don't.

even when i was just starting i was good at it.. but i know people who have been playing for years and years and are absolutley terrible at it.

chicago23x

aww... shitz.... I was afraid that was the answer...
thanks for the input though

MissYouAllDay

K well there is this ridiculous add in the back of every guitar world that says it can be learned. So the hope of a corny commercial can keep you happy.

justam

Some people are born with better ears than other people (meaning that they can distinguish sounds more easily perhaps) but it absolutely can be worked on and improved.

Universities and music schools have offered courses called "ear-training" for a hundred years or so and most people can learn to improve their comprehension when they study.

Don't give up before you start.

chicago23x

cool.... thanks

justam

chicago23x wrote:

cool.... thanks

You're welcome.

who's_pearljam?

I think anybody learn to play by ear. When I taught,, some kids were better at playing by ear, and some needed the visual of the notes on the charts.
It IS a learned behaviour. Some people are better at it, sure, but if you want to learn it, you can.

A good way to get an ear is to PUT AWAY THE TAB for a while!
Tab'll help get some notes and licks, but people tend to depend on the visual notes rather than "hearing" them.
Take a song you like and play what the singer is singing and not what the guitar is playing. A guitar solo is basically an instrument singing instead of a person. If you're sitting around watching TV, play along with the melodies on the commercials, theme songs for the show,,, whatever. It goes into your subconscious and you learn without even thinking about it.

You're reaching out from the familiar songs you've been playing and it forces your brain to hear the notes rather than see them. Try not to look at your guitar either,, just feel it. Once you get a few songs down,,, you'll be amazed how fast other ones come to you. You'll hear patterns that occur in all genres of music.

That being said,,, make sure you learn some Jimmy Page licks, or else you'll be standing on the stage someday playing what comes to your head and the Oscar Meyer Weiner commercial jingle will come out!