Everyone Can Play Guitar by Ear Perfect Pitch There are certain musicians who have the ability, something they're born with, to be able to identify any pitch. They can tell the exact pitch of any note without any reference note. Believe it or not, most of the guitarists DO NOT have perfect pitch
Relative Pitch
What you need, to connect what you hear to what you play, is Relative Pitch People who have relative pitch have the ability of recognizing what one pitch is in relation to another, they hear and find any note from a reference point; their ears recognize the INTERVAL between two notes
You can develop Relative Pitch with practice thats why Ear Training is a crucial part of your guitar education
Play Guitar By Ear
One of the most important weapons that any of you have, are your ears. A good ear is what separates the pros from the rest; only a good ear opens many doors that theory sometimes can't
To Play Guitar by Ear simply means to listen to something and then play it on your guitar
Benefits
Everything you've ever heard on the guitar is at your disposal It just feels good when you can hear a piece of music and play it back anytime. You feel like you are truly connected with music You're playing along with recordings which is going to make you play guitar better You are subconsciously absorbing the nuances of the recordings into your playing You will improve your knowledge of guitar chords and music. And, because you're forcing yourself to play a variety of notes and chords, you will improve your knowledge of them throughout the fingerboard It helps you to correct mistakes and memory problems. You'll learn new tunes quicker and be more able to play guitar tunes you have never heard before, and remember them more easily You will earn the respect of the musicians you currently play guitar with and you will be more capable to play guitar with other musicians Playing by ear enhances your improvising skills and creativity. Each step you take in playing by ear makes you a more complete musician Knowing how to listen is an art itself and it is a talent you can develop. But, like anything else you practice, you need to know how to go about it and you will need to work consistently on it
What to Practice
LISTENING You have to listen with concentrated effort. That means putting on headphones, tuning off all distractions, and imagining you surfing on top of the sounds coming from the CD player. You have to let your ears do the walking instead of your fingers Remember to spend time listening without playing or singing. By doing this, you devote your full attention to the impressions the notes are making on you
TRANSCRIBING
Write the music down on paper Transcribe songs, chords, melodies, solos, etc. using your guitar and your ears Transcribe without using your instrument and then check your work with your guitar Transcribe rhythm parts
SINGING
After you listen and believe you have the melody in your head Sing scales Sing intervals. Sing a note and then try to sing a fourth, a fifth, or whatever Sing arpeggios (chords-one note at a time) start with major and minor triads Sight singing. Use any piece of sheet music (you'll need to have a basic understanding of reading music to do this) Tip: Singing reinforces the music in your head
GETTING IN TUNE WITH CD
If you hope to have a chance of figuring out how to play a song, you will need your guitar to be in tune with the recording
One of the keys is to listen for open strings in the guitar part. Open strings sound different than fretted strings - they ring more clearly and sustain longer. When you identify an open string, match it up against your open string, and then tune the rest of the guitar to that string
But sometimes, you can't hear open strings. What you need here is to identify ANY note, then find the note on your guitar, and tune the string until it matches that note. Finally, just tune the rest of your guitar to that string. Learn more on Guitar Tuning
OTHERS Imagine a melody and then try to play it on your guitar Improvise melodies, solos, etc. over chords Record yourself playing different chords. Play back your recording and try to identify whether the chords you hear are major or minor. Tip: Make one list of tunes and work through this list. Write down how long it takes you to learn each one. You'll see how this time decreases with practice
Grow Your Ears
Ear training is critical to any musician's development as musician If practice alone is not enough or you may want to get more dramatic results in less time, there exist several ear training resources that can help you to play guitar by ear The ideal ear training resource should train your ears with music, should be fun and challenging, should be interactive, should keep score, and should test you on harmonies, rhythms, and melodies.
Persevere and be patient with yourself as your ear develops. Remember, the most crucial tool that you have is your ears...GROW YOUR EARS, PLAY GUITAR BY EAR!
