Absolute Pitch Ear Training

Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast

2006-08-03T20:12:00.000-06:00

Topics covered:
Absolute Pitch University, NLP, modeling, hot seats, music hacks, life hacks, much more...

Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast 07-30-06

Subscribe with iTunes here:

Subscribe with Odeo here:

Subscribe with Podnova here:

Subscribe by RSS here:

Subscribe by email here:

Absolute Pitch Power 2.5

2006-07-11T12:11:00.000-06:00

Check out the latest update to Absolute Pitch Power.

Ear Training Lens at Squidoo

2006-02-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

I've created a ear training lens over at Squidoo: Ear Training Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts

A lens is simply an information filter. I've chosen what I believe to be the best ear training information and websites around. Check it out: Ear Training Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts

See what's happening over at GrahamEnglish.net

2006-02-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

I just updated the design on my blog over at http://www.grahamenglish.net. Stop by and tell me how much you love it :)

Absolute Pitch Power Blogathon

2006-01-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

On Thursday January 19th from 7PM until 2AM EST I'll be sitting here at my computer answering EVERY one of your questions about how to learn absolute pitch in as short a time as possible.

This is your opportunity to learn ALL of my absolute pitch shortcuts!

Here's how it works:

Visit this post any time after 7PM EST Thursday evening and ask any question about absolute pitch in the comments area. I'll answer EVERY question that comes in right there on the spot.

Bookmark my new Absolute Pitch Ear Training blog

2005-12-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Bookmark my new Absolute Pitch Ear Training blog: GrahamEnglish.net

You'll get my tips, tricks and shortcuts for learning absolute pitch in as short a time as possible!

=> GrahamEnglish.net

Play The Piano Like A Pro

2005-12-03T00:25:00.000-07:00

Meet the 12 Major Notes:

1. C (do)

2. C# - Db (do sharp or re flat) (one-key only)

3. D (re)

4. D# - Eb (re sharp or mi flat) (one key only)

5. E (mi)

6. F (fa)

7. F# - Gb (fa sharp or so flat) (one key only)

8. G (so)

9. G# - Ab (so sharp or la flat) (one key only)

10. A (la)

11. A# - Bb (la sharp or ti flat)

12. B (ti)

Meet the 12 Major Chords:

1. C major – do, mi, so {C, E, G keys}

2. D major – re, fa#, la {D, F#, A keys}

3. E major – mi, so#, ti {E, G#, B keys}

4. F major – (lower) fa, (lower) la, (middle) do {F, A, C keys}

5. G major – (lower) so, (lower) ti, (middle) re {G, B, D keys}

6. A major – (lower) la, (middle) do#, (middle) mi {A, C#, E keys}

7. B major – (lower) ti, (middle)re#, (middle) fa# {B, D#, F# keys}

8. C# or Db – do#, fa, so# {C#, F, G# keys}

9. D# or Eb – re#, so, la# {D#, G, A# keys}

10. F# or Gb – (lower) fa#, (lower) la#, (middle) do# {F#, A#, D# keys}

11. G# or Ab – (lower) so#, (middle) do, (middle) re# {G#, C, D# keys}

12. A# or Bb – (lower) tib, (middle) re, (middle) fa {Bb, D, F keys}

Notes some one of the most important things to learn and digest when it comes to learning music. The foundation of every tune is the note. This is also what makes the music lesson quite difficult to learn. It is because music is another language. There are lots of music notes to memorize. However, there are some techniques to better understand and not just to memorize the notes then eventually digest all of them. The first technique is to know the first twelve (12) major notes. Enumerated above are the twelve major notes. Most of us have encountered the do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti notes in the early stage of our education. Whether we liked it or not, music has always been a part of the academe. The alphabet notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B are also used along with the do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti notes. However, most people especially those who are not totally musically inclined are more familiar with the latter.

Also enumerated above are the 12 major chords. These are the most important chords to be first learned in learning how to play the piano. These piano chords correspond to those chords used in playing the guitar. So it is possible for you to play your favorite songs in both the guitar and the piano.

Just like in learning how to play the guitar, all you need is to memorize the chords and the proper position of your fingers. There are 12 major chords enumerated above along with the keys that are to be pressed to form each chord. There are actually many more chords and they are quite difficult to memorize and retain at once. Aside from being the major chords, these 12 are the easiest to memorize and remember.

All the other chords may sound so complicated in names but in reality, they are just repetitions or variations of the major chords. The first and foremost thing to remember is the middle C and its location because it is where the other notes are based. The variations of chords are the minor chords, the dominant seventh, augmented fifth, the diminished seventh, minor seventh, dominant ninth, major sixth, major seventh, minor sixth, dominant seventh with augmented fifth, dominant seventh with lowered fifth. Each major chord has these twelve more variations. Notice that the 12 major chords take only three fingers to form. The other variations can include four and even five fingers but still play around the major chord.

Some song lyrics have major or minor chords only. In practicing, especially for beginners, it is better to start with songs with simple chords first. The technique is to memorize the twelve major notes and then the twelve major chords and then get acquainted with the variations. In no time, you can play any songs and the “used-to-be-complicated” chords wouldn’t appear complicated anymore.

About The Author

The writer, Ismael D. Tabije, runs the website idtbusiness@yahoo.com

A Guitar Lesson to Help You Develop Your Vision

2005-11-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done any of the following?

1. Made excuses for not practicing because you “didn’t have time”?
2. Practiced the same licks and exercises that you did last year?
3. Felt like you had hit a brick wall in your progress?
4. Felt unsure as to what to practice?

Unless your name is Steve Vai, chances are you’ve done at least one of the above!

They are all symptoms of having a lack of vision.

What do I mean by vision? Vision in this context is having a clearly defined picture in your mind’s eye of how you would like to play. It must be a crystal clear, exciting and inspiring picture!

Without an absolutely clear picture of what you would ideally like to sound like, you will not know what you need to practice in order to realise that vision. You will also probably lose the drive and motivation to practice daily for many years until you can play like your vision. You may even start using the loser’s mantra which is “I don’t have time to practice”.

Exercise One:
Think about how you would like to play in 10 years time. Close your eyes and try to see yourself playing exactly how you would like to play. Write down what you see now.

Make sure that it is detailed. What techniques are you a master of? What songs can you play? What bands are you in? How many students do you teach? How does it feel when you play like you do?

Exercise Two:
Now write down what areas of your playing you will need to start working on in order to reach your vision. What techniques do you need to start practising? What chords do you need to learn? What music theory do you need to start learning about? Do you need to start doing ear training? What books, teachers, CDs and other tools will help you realise your vision? How much time every day do you think you will need to practise in order to play like you want to play?

Exercise Three:
Spend 10 minutes a day for the next 30 days imagining yourself playing exactly how you would like to play. Do this with your eyes shut. Don’t worry, it won’t make you want to start eating tofu or go around the neighborhood hugging trees!

At the end of every time you do this, write down one small new detail about your vision. By the end of 30 days you should be feeling so excited that you'll want to practice 24/7!

Copyright©2005 by Craig Bassett. All Rights Reserved.

Craig Bassett (The GuitarSolutionsExpert) is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author.
http://www.pentatonic-guitar-lessons.com

Secrets Of Super Hearing Revealed

2005-11-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

You don't know it yet, but in a few short minutes you will have learned the secrets of SUPER HEARING!

Secrets Of Super Hearing Revealed

Guitar Players...Get a Balanced Guitar Practice Diet

2005-10-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Guitar Players...Get a Balanced Guitar Practice Diet

Do you have a wide variety of things that you practice. Or do you like to binge? (You know...the type of player who practices sweep picking for a kazillion hours a day but only know three chords)!

Having a balanced practice routine is essential if you want to become a versatile guitarist. If you just practice one or two things, sure you'll get great at those things...but you'll be weak in other key areas.

In this lesson you'll learn how to create a practice routine that is well-balanced and will help you work towards your ultimate vision of how you would like to play.

I generally categorise what I practice into one of seven areas:

Technique.
Repertoire (Covers).
Composition.
Improvisation.
Ear Training.
Theory.
Music Reading.

Everything that you practice will fit into one or more of the above areas. For example, if you are learning a very challenging cover tune by transcribing it off the CD you are essentially working on your technique, repertoire and ear training at the same time. If you also write down the song in standard notation, you will also be developing your music reading skills.

Now…do you have to practice things in all seven areas? I believe that you don't have to if your vision doesn't require it. For example, if someone wants to become an awesome classical guitarist and has no desire to improvise, then I believe that they don't need to practice things relating to improvisation. We all have limited time available for practice, so it's a waste of time working on things that don't specifically help you reach your goals.
Let's go through a few exercises…

Exercise One:

Think about the vision that you have for your playing for a few minutes.How would you like to play in ten years time. Make it exact!

Once you've done that, brainstorm as many things that you need to practice in order to play like your vision. What specific things do you need to learn, develop and practice? Write them down now.

Exercise Two:

Next to each of the things written down for Exercise One, write down a category next to it. For example, if you wrote "I need to be able to play faster" then write technique next to it. If you feel that something you wrote belongs to more than one category, then write down all the categories it could belong to.

Exercise Three:

Look at your answers for the previous two exercises. Once you've done that prioritise the categories shown below. For example, if you feel that technique is the most important thing you need to work on to reach your vision then put a 1 next to it.

Practice Area Priority Level (1-7)
[Note: 1 is the highest priority].

Technique
Repertoire (covers)
Composition
Improvisation
Ear Training
Theory
Music Reading

Now here's the important point. You should spend the most time practising your number one priority. I know it's pretty obvious, but you'd be amazed at how many people don't do this! I know a few guitar players who would like to be able to play incredibly fast, yet they don't do a lot of technical practice. Talk about setting yourself up to fail!

Exercise Four:

Decide how much time every day you will spend on each category. Write it down below.

Practice Area Time Invested Daily

Technique
Repertoire (covers)
Composition
Improvisation
Ear Training
Theory
Music Reading

All done? Great!

So what’s the next step?

The next step is to decide on a specific activity for each practice area.Make sure to write them down.

Here are a couple of examples of what someone might put down...

Technique: I will invest 10 minutes a day on alternate picking exercise one. I will start with the metronome at 80 beats per minute (bpm) and increase it by 4 bpm daily (as long as I can play it perfectly).

Ear Training: I will invest 10 minutes daily a day on A minor pentatonic ear training exercise one.

Got the idea? You would have one specific activity for every practice area. If you have a lot of time to practice you could set more than one activity per practice area.

Give this method a try. I'll think you'll be more than happy with the results!

Craig Bassett (The Guitar Solutions Expert) is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author who lives in Auckland, New Zealand. To get a free high-quality lesson e-mailed to you once a month, please go to:

http://www.pentatonic-guitar-lessons.com

Mindfulness and Music: Things That Go "Hmmm"

2005-10-28T10:45:00.000-06:00

Shhh... can you hear it?
One of the most powerful forms of mindfulness is awareness of sound. We tend to tune out the noise of our lives in order to concentrate on the tasks at hand.
In fact, we may get so used to a particular sound that we don’t notice it until it’s gone—like a television that is turned off, or traffic that stops outside your home, or your neighbor’s lawn mower or stereo that is suddenly silent.
We notice when it starts, we intentionally shut it out, and then notice it once again when it stops.
Everyone who hears has a healthy serving of what is called musical intelligence. It isn’t limited to actual music, however—it is our recognition and understanding of the pitch, tone, quality, length, volume and source of the sounds around us.
Now, some of us might have perfect pitch, knowing instantly that the note we hear is a middle C. Others might have a very well-developed sense of tone quality—noting the difference between a middle C played on a piano or a flute, or even the same note sung by two different people. And some of us might consider ourselves completely hopeless as musicians while having an encyclopedic memory for song lyrics, guitar riffs, or even the songs of birds.
The great news is that, no matter where we stand on the music smarts scale, we each have the capacity to increase our musical intelligence. Better yet, by focusing on selected sounds as triggers for mindfulness, we can sharpen our awareness and increase our enjoyment of the world around us at the same time.
Here’s a little mindfulness game to help you zero in on sound as a trigger for greater awareness: Notice “Hmmm.”
You might hear someone say “Hmmm” when they are trying to remember something or trying to make a decision. They might use it to show skepticism or wonder, inspiration or frustration. It might be low and long, or high and short. It could be very soft or quite loud. Is it ascending or descending? Is it aspirated? Is it musical?
Using “Hmmm” as a mindfulness cue allows you to:
1) Notice a selected trigger
2) Take a moment to note the intention, emotion, and sound quality of that particular “Hmmm”
3) Notice that you noticed
You are catching yourself in the act of being mindful while you are right smack in the middle of the Real World. This is the essence of playing with mindfulness!
By paying attention to this soft exclamation, you can heighten your awareness of sound while also picking up on the subtleties of emotion and expression. It’s a great way to use your ears to learn more about interpersonal communication. You will be amazed at what you can learn about others—and their state of mind—by becoming more aware of the way they use this sound.
Start noticing “Hmmm” in conversations around you as well as your own. Then, branch out and notice “Hmmm” in movies, television shows, or theater presentations.
Finally, tap into your musical intelligence even further by recognizing the sounds that resemble “Hmmm” in machinery or nature. Does the copier sound like “Hmmm”? Does your printer make that sound? How about your dog when you scratch its ears, or your partner sleeping beside you?
Start hearing “Hmmm” all around you. It’s a fun way to create a few “Hmmm” moments of your own!
Maya Talisman Frost is the Mind Masseuse. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches fun and effective eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. To subscribe to her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.MassageYourMind.com

What's your single most important question about learning absolute pitch?

2005-10-27T01:05:00.000-06:00