Ear Training - 5 Reasons Why You Should Do It
Ear training should be an essential part of any musicians practice routine. But many guitar learners neglect this important skill.
It takes time to master and it can be frustratingly hard when you start. Your lack of success makes it easy to give up, thinking it is impossible, or only for a gifted few.
But it is possible for anyone to do if you work at ear training. Here are five reasons to encourage you to develop your musical ear.
Break Out Of Boxes
Many guitar players learn to play in boxes, those fretboard patterns of notes to play. At first it is much easier and quicker to learn than taking the time to master the sounds behind them.
But in the longer term it leads to frustration and limitations, leading to all those “How to break out of ____ boxes” lessons.
The best way to break out of playing in boxes is to train your ears to recognize the language of music. Instead of thinking in terms of patterns and boxes on your fretboard you think in music.
With this ability you can play the sounds you hear, and the sounds you imagine, directly on your instrument. You are no longer confined to mechanical box patterns.
Jam With Other Musicians
If you want to play with other musicians a good musical ear is essential. If you are unable to recognize chords and progressions by ear you are limited to playing only songs you’ve memorized in advance.
When you turn up to a jam session or rehearsal where songs you don’t know are played then you’re faced with the embarrassment of being unable to play.
Ear training will give you the ability to understand any song you hear. So you can join in and jam with any band, even if you don’t know the songs beforehand.
Learn Songs More Easily
The same ear skills will also help you to learn and remember songs more easily.
Ear training will help you learn songs just by listening to them. No more time spent searching for tab or song books.
You’ll also remember songs you learn by ear more easily. Instead of memorizing series of chord letters you’ll have the song’s sound in your head. You can simply play it back in your head and know what to play any time you want.
Improvise Solos
Improvisation is one of the most fun parts of playing guitar. Ear training improves your ability to solo and jam and react to other players spontaneously to create moving music.
Open Your Horizons
A musical ear opens up your musical horizons. You are no longer limited to studying the most popular guitarists who are tabbed in music books.
You are free to listen to musicians on any instrument, understand what they play and transcribe their music to your guitar.
Increase Confidence
Learning to hear and understand music is also a great way to boost your confidence as a guitar player. You’ll feel like a real musician when understand what you hear and can play something that fits it.
There you have six good reasons to start ear training today. Don’t wait until later to develop your musical ear, it will help you enormously as you learn to play guitar.
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