For many years I disliked what I thought was ear training. This was largely due to my reaction against formal Western Music Pedagogy, but also included some of the standardized Academic Jazz Instruction I encountered. I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that I have a “bad attitude” at times, and I’ve tried to open my mind to information and instruction that I find non-intuitive. But having a “bad attitude” can also be an expression of one’s individuality, and this can be valuable, if you use it to grow, not just react against things.
I’ve been applying this perspective to ear training with my students, and with myself. There are many, many exercises you can do to improve your music awareness, your listening skills. But the main ingredient is to be engaged, not feel that an exercise is a chore to get through. The difference between work and play is often your attitude. So how do you play with ear training? How do you make it a game, or a fun puzzle, rather than a test? One way is to set your own parameters, decide what specific things you’ll pay attention to, rather than just following some external rules or instructions. Of course, good instruction and an empathetic instructor should create the conditions where you can have a sense of agency, a path toward a more direct relationship to the music.
Here are a few musical games I’ve created for myself, focusing on ear training, but drawing from insights and methods from various teachers and colleagues I’ve worked with over the years.
- Singing Intervals. When you play two notes on your instrument, your fingers are already telling your brain the interval. Singing the intervals has a more direct relation to your ears. Sing a pitch, then stop and sing a random other pitch, higher or lower. Over time you’ll recognize the interval, but there will be some areas that sound unclear, ambiguous. Is it a 4th or a 5th? Am I singing the second interval sharp, or maybe flat? Experiment by singing the second interval, then moving up or down by a half-step. “Dial it in,” as they say. Compare and contrast, is another way to put it. Am I singing a half-step or a whole step? Part of the game is to treat your voice as a tool for exploring sound, to let go of ego (insecurities, self-consciousness) and play with your voice as pure sound. I do this when I’m sitting in grid-locked traffic, or waiting on hold for some corporate flunky to pick up. I find it relaxing, and my ears get better all the time.