Developing The Ear/brain |
|
Developing The Ear/brain |
|
|
|
|
Jun 12 2021, 07:56 AM |
Hello folks,
I don't think I'm "tone deaf" because I can tune my guitar to itself once I've got the low E sorted, I can do unison bends, and I know if the tab I'm using is a semitone out (as long as I've listened to the solo enough or if I play the incorrect note over the recording). What I really really struggle with is bending to pitch, my brain doesn't seem to recognise when I've reached a semitone or a whole tone etc, I've spent many hours with ear training apps, many hours picking a note, dropping down a fret or two then trying to bend to it but I have to rely on my Boss TU-3 to tell me if I'm correct. I don't use the Boss to help me get there, I only look at it when I think I'm at pitch, but, most of the time the needle is halfway between 0 and - 50, it's not very often sharp, mostly flat and once in a blue moon it's within 5 cents but I just put that down to luck. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get it, it's not like a mechanical skill that can be developed, it seems to be like colour blindness. Any ideas to find something that might help? I've even thought about hypnosis Thanks Phil -------------------- SEE MY GMC CERTIFICATE “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in instalments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 12 2021, 03:47 PM |
Thanks Ben and Mertay
Even a song I know really really well like Always With Me Always With You by Satriani, I've listened to that thousands of times, know it or by heart, can hear when Satch makes a mistake live, but still couldn't work out the beginning, not even any bends there, someone gave me their homemade TAB and I played the first few bars and instantly heard an error, his transcription was one fret out on one note. It's a really strange thing going on with my brain/ear/pitch memory connection I was working on a book with Troy Stetina a few years ago, Hal Leonard liked the idea but life got in the way for Troy at the time. We worked on about three chapters before Troy had to pull out. My concept was to start out with two note exercises giving only the first note, student had to find the second. Then student given the second and had to find the first. Next: three notes student given first second or third and had to find the others. Next: Increasing the amount of notes, varying which note is given working up to bends etc and finally, long runs with no notes given. I think that's a good way to do ear training. Maybe I should record a few myself, log the answers and wait until I've forgotten them and then work through them. I think I'll have to stick to slides when improvising -------------------- SEE MY GMC CERTIFICATE “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in instalments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 12 2021, 06:51 PM |
I actually had a lyrical song in mind rather than instrumental. Maybe you're one of those who didn't spend enough time on the acoustic guitar before going electric My Yamaha FG 411C was my third guitar and my least played, maybe you're right buddy I did go through a stage with Gab where I was transcribing stuff, I struggled transcribing anything non guitar. That's another problem, if it's a different sound but the same now I find it even harder. I transcribed a few lines of Adele's Someone Like You, that was okay but there are many subtle nuances in the human voice that throw you off, some words I had Reaper looping at quarter speed just to find the notes I found Paul McCartney hard, McCartney's voice sounds like something from the Exorcist when slowed right down, nowhere near as pure as Adele. My finest moment and the one I was most proud of was the intro to Style Council's You're The Best Thing. I actually worked a few notes of that without resorting to looping one note, I looped three of four it goes from open strings all the way up to the 14th fret. Maybe I should do more of that. This post has been edited by Phil66: Jun 23 2021, 09:29 PM -------------------- SEE MY GMC CERTIFICATE “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in instalments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 13 2021, 04:24 PM |
Best thing about learning the guitar in the 80's and early 90s was there was no internet or tabs to learn from.
So my teenage years were spent constantly rewinding tapes and listening to 5 secs segments over and over again. As for bends each string has different tension and requires more or less effort so remember that. I would suggest play a note and then go to the fret below and bend up a half step to that note, then check it again. Then try 2 frets below. Do that for a major scale down a string then go to the next string. -------------------- My SoundCloud
Gear Tyler Burning Water 2K Burny RLG90 with BK Emeralds Fender US Tele with BK Piledrivers Epiphone 335 with Suhr Thornbuckers PRS SE Custom 24-08 Ax8 Fessenden SD10 PSG Quilter TT15 |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 13 2021, 05:07 PM |
... Thanks for that. I've tried many many things, I just never actually know that I'm at pitch or not without checking on the tuner. It's kinda like I don't know/remember the pitch or interval in my head. Regarding string tensions, I can't really rely on physical movement as all my guitars are different, hard tails, Floyd's, 10s 12s and my SRV Strat currently has a set of balanced tension D'Addario 10s on. I know they say people lose perfect pitch over 50 so I know I can never develop that but some kind of relative pitch would be good. As I said though, I realised that my friend's TAB for AWMAWY was out by a semitone on one of the licks so I must have something there. Cheers. This post has been edited by Phil66: Jun 13 2021, 08:27 PM -------------------- SEE MY GMC CERTIFICATE “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in instalments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 14 2021, 12:21 PM |
... That's great advice Monica, thank you. I don't play a different guitar every day I have three that are my go to guitars, my SRV Strat, Ibby RG1570 and my PRS SE Custom 24. Maybe I should just pick the most versatile and wear it out by only using that one. The Solfege idea is a good one, and I think maybe, in the past, I've tried to do too much at once. I think I might be convincing myself that I'll never be able to do it because of reading about not being able to develop perfect pitch and or losing perfect pitch over 50 years old. Maybe perfect pitch is a different thing to recognising the twelve western notes, I don't know. Thanks again. Phil -------------------- SEE MY GMC CERTIFICATE “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in instalments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 14 2021, 03:30 PM |
You don't need perfect pitch to bend in tune.
Most musicians do not have perfect pitch. All of the comments and suggestions above are great. I will only add two things ... 1) Focus your efforts with only one of your guitars for a while - a month or two. Learn to "feel" it on that guitar. Once you can do it consistently and confidently on one axe, the others will be easier. 2) I had a guitar teacher who made me play a major scale (slowly) by bending up to the notes: one fret bends, then two fret bends. His reasoning was that it's easy to 'hear' the intervals of a major scale. -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 14 2021, 03:45 PM |
-------------------- SEE MY GMC CERTIFICATE “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in instalments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Jun 23 2021, 09:48 PM |
A big thank you to you all. I read through all of your posts a few times and I think it was more down to you all being positive and believing that I could do it that somehow made ME believe that I could do it.
I'm no Dylan Beato by any stretch of the imagination but tonight I did ten A to B bends in a row and they were all within 2cents, then I started to go off a bit. I am getting more consistent though My method, I have my Boss TU-3 permanently on, I start off picking a note looking at the the display, saying the note name, closing my eyes and saying the target note. I pick again and bend until I think it's correct and then open my eyes to check. I do it on random strings and frets and get quite close, sometimes spot on but after a couple of minutes I start to drift and get larger errors. I then get on with my current lesson and at random times I do another few minutes of ear training as above. I'm only concentrating on whole time bends at the moment but I'm definitely improving. I guess it will be harder with a backing track to distract me but at least it's a start. Thank you so much for helping me believe that I could do it. The results I'm getting are giving me more self belief too. Strange thing the power of the mind. As Ben (Higgins) says, "The only enemy is within". Thank you again you wonderful people Stay safe Phil -------------------- SEE MY GMC CERTIFICATE “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in instalments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor |
|
|
||