Beginner Ear training - how?

[Saxxy]

Although the sax is already my third instrument I never had any ear training, what I really regret! Can I still learn this (I'm 25)? And how? Where do I start? My main goal is that I'll be able to play songs by ear and doing jazz improvisations!

 

[BigMartin]

Although the sax is already my third instrument I never had any ear training, what I really regret! Can I still learn this (I'm 25)? And how? Where do I start? My main goal is that I'll be able to play songs by ear and doing jazz improvisations!

Definitely not too old. I'm in my 50s and have improved my ear a long way (from a rather low base line!) over the last 2 or 3 years. As well as the usual stuff like playing simple songs and movie themes by ear I've been using some software called EarMaster. Don't know if it's any better or worse than anything else. Also there are some free ear training exercises here: http://www.teoria.com/index.php.

 

[Kingsleyhk]

The most interesting - and I think productive - way is playing along with literally anything - or trying to play any tune that you know without music.

There is an iPhone app called Relative Pitch, that I've also used.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Man!! 25? Much too late. Pack it all in and book your chair in the old folks home.


Bleedin' kids!


I read, on a matchbox I think, "You'll never be as young again as you are now"

 

[Saxxy]

Haha, sorry, I'm actually not a fan of "you can't teach an old dog new tricks", so I don't know why I even asked this. But you'd be surprised - when I wanted to play bass at the age of 10, many people told my parents not to invest in this since it's to late to learn your first instrument!

I got he software and app you suggested. Very easy to learn with it! But what I find very difficult is recognizing notes and intervals of someone's singing!

 

[Sue]

Listening lots and lots will help with ear training. Also have a list of songs for interval recognition. Here are a few to choose from:

Interval​	Ascending​	Descending​
m2​	Jaws What's New? Nice Work if you can get it San Francisco (Left my heart) I Remember You I'm Getting Sentimental over You Bye Bye Black Bird Stormy Weather It's Been a Hard Day's Night (Beatles)	O Little Town of Bethlehem Joy to the World The Theme (M. Davis) Sophisticated Lady Stella by Starlight The Lady is a Tramp Solar (M. Davis) Shall We Dance (The King and I) Fur Elise Hernando's Hideaway
M2​	Happy Birthday Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer Silent Night There Will Never be Another You Tennessee Waltz My Funny Valentine Body and Soul They Say, Ruby Frere Jacques Doe, a Deer (Sound of Music)	Mary had a Little Lamb Deck the Halls Away in a Manger Yesterday (Beatles) On the Sunny Side of the Street Freddie Freeloader Three Blind Mice Whistle While You Work Mary Had a Little Lamb M.A.S.H. Blue Moon Satin Doll Tune Up My Girl The First Noel
m3​	Work Song Confirmation Georgia on my Mind A Foggy Day Moontrane The Impossible Dream Somewhere my Love O Canada Oh Where, Oh Where has my Little dog Gone? Brahm's Lullaby Greensleeves So Long, Farewell (Sound of Music)	Frosty the Snowman What is This Thing Called Love? 500 Miles High (C. Corea) Misty When Irish Eyes are Smiling Hey Jude Peter Gunn You're a Grand Old Flag This Old Man Jesus Loves Me Star Spangled Banner
M3​	Oh When the Saints I Can't Get Started Kum Ba Yah While Shepherds Watched Sweet Hour of Prayer Well I Come From Alabama From the Halls of Montezuma {Big Ben Sounding the Hour?}	Beethoven's Fifth Swing Low Sweet Chariot Good Night Ladies Summertime Giant Steps Come Rain or Come Shine Bessie's Blues
P4​	Here Comes the Bride Hark the Herald Angels Sing Oh Christmas Tree Doxy 'Round Midnight Maiden Voyage We Wish You a Merry Christmas All the Things Ornithology Song for my Father Love me Tender Auld Lang Syne Aura Lee The British Grenadiers Amazing Grace Someday my Prince Will Come Day is Done (Taps)	Shave and a Haircut Oh Come All Ye Faithful Valse Hot (Not Intro!) Yardbird Suite Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise I Didn't Know What Time it Was Almighty Fortress is Our God Baseball Chant Bizet's "L'Arsienne" Make New Friends Bizet's Farandole Born Free I've Been Working on the Railroad
TT​	Maria (West Side Story) The Simpsons	Blue Seven (Sonny Rollins) European Siren
P5​	Twinkle, Twinkle Theme from 2001 Whisper Not (Benny Golson) Theme From Peanuts Bags Groove Lavender's Blue Hey There Georgy Girl Blackbird (Beatles)	Feelings 7 Steps to Heaven (M. Davis) Have You Met Miss Jones? The Way You Look Tonight Mozart's Minuet in G Flintstones Bring a Torch Jeannette Isabella
m6​	Love Story (third and fourth notes) The Entertainer Morning of the Carnival Go Down Moses The Entertainer (third and fourth notes)	Love Story Theme Please Don't Talk About me When I'm Gone You're Everything (C. Corea)
M6​	My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean Theme from "The Sting" NBC Dashing Through the Snow	Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen You're a Weaver of Dreams Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen O-ver There Gonna Lay Down My Sword and Shield
m7​	There's a Place for Us (West Side Story) Old Star Trek Theme Have You Driven a Ford? Somewhere (West Side Story) I'll Close My Eyes	Watermelon Man (H. Hancock) Theme from American in Paris Little Red's Fantasy (Woody Shaw)
M7	Cast Your Fate to the Wind Ceora Theme from Fantasy Island Superman Bali Hai (South Pacific)	I Love You (?) "Hee Haw" From the Grand Canyon Suite
P8​	Somewhere Over the Rainbow A Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting) Let it Snow! McDonald's Commercial (?) Del Sasser Blue Bossa	There's No Business Like Show Business (Notes 2-3) Willow Weep for Me I Love You (The Other One)

 

[SopJob]

Hi,
I'd like to suggest some more training material:
For those short of cash, there is a free ear training software that can be installed on Ubuntu Linux.
The name is "GNU Solfege". Definitely not as good looking as EarMaster.

If you want to train your ability to play tunes after listening to them, I can recommend a great book + CD kit:
"Das Ohrenbuch" (The Ear Book) by Jochen Pöhlert. I don't know if it exists in English, but you certainly don't have to learn German to be able to use the original.

It consists of 160 carefully selected tunes (mainly German, Russian, and English/American traditional songs), starting with easy pieces, then gradually moving to more difficult ones, always with an emphasis on important intervals and chord changes. Many times, the tunes are not complete, but extracts, so that you don't have to spend ages on a single one. The author asks you to first sing a tune, then play it in the key of C, and finally transpose it into several other keys. It is cumbersome, but very effective.

 

[Saxxy]

Sounds intressting! And no problem it being in German, I am German ^^ !

 

[Colin the Bear]

Stick the radio on...any station... play along. Sorted.

Play from memory as many melodies as you can remember. When you're comfortable in one key try the same thing in a different one.

It depends how you want to train your ear. Listening to quality music of any genre will help. Apart from that it's practice, practice, practice.

I have heard it said that four years old is too late to take up violin if you want to be a master. I think the saxophone is a little more flexible and who wants to be a master anyway. A little applause will suffice.