Listening

In both music and English, listening is the most important element. In music, people don't care how fast you can play -- they care how fast you can listen and pick up on what is going on.

When you are doing a sound check, what is your main concern? Is it being able to hear yourself, or to hear others?

Ex1 - Singing Intervals

This exercise helps to internalize intervals between notes. The goal is to be able to quickly pick up melodies or chord changes just by hearing them. You can't always rely on a chart or individual practice time. Sometimes you have to pick up tunes on-the-fly. If you've been practicing a supporting part, and the band leader asks you to take the melody, you won't be asked again if you tell him "no".

Approach

Start with the root note of a major scale. Play the note, then sing the note out loud. Think of what the 2nd degree of the major scale sounds like. Sing that note, then play it. Correct the pitch if necessary. Move on by playing the root and singing the 3rd, 4th, 5th, up to the octave. Repeat for the minor scales. Also repeat for scales descending

Next Steps

Use an On-line interval trainer for when you have your computer, but not your instrument.

Put together spontaneous melodies. Be able to sing them and play them at the same time. Make sure you are playing what you sing -- don't sing what you play.

Ex2 - Dropping the Needle

Before the Internet, people used to learn music by playing to records. Because it was difficult to "drop the needle" in the right spot, it was necessary to develop really good ears. Even today, I find that many, if not most, chord charts that I download need modification.

Approach

Make an effort to learn tunes without the benefit of a chart. As a minimum, work out jingles and popular melodies. Don't try to memorize them. Try to hear them in your head and play what you hear.

Next Steps

Play along with the radio. Make sure you are turned down enough so you can hear what is going on in the song.

Ex3 - The Parrot Game

This is a listening exercise to do with a friend.

Approach

One person plays a lick, and the other person tries to play it back. Normally you want to do this over a groove, and keep it fun. The goal doesn't have to be exactly matching note-for-note. You can match the general feel.

In English, if I say "My friend Jonathan plays bass and has long blond hair", someone can legitimately repeat me by saying "Todd has a long-haired friend that plays bass".

Along these lines, I can repeat someone musically using different notes, different rhythms, different articulation, etc.