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Dumb, tone deaf or both? Bullocks! Do This Ear Training!

ear training

I just saw another heartbreaking question from someone who is troubled by their ears:

I have trouble taking a bass line off the recording. Am I tone deaf or just dumb? What to do?

Some people are less than helpful and say well meaning things like: “Just listen to it and you will get it”.

It leaves the questioner even more isolated and confused, because, well, they have tried that without success!

Worry naught, there is nothing wrong with you! Ear training needs to be trained just like anything else. Those people who can just hear it without seemingly ever having had to practice? Don’t believe it for one second. They probably have been practicing for years, most likely unconsciously. Maybe they were exposed to music early or had mentors and playmates and learned it playfully without noticing that they were in fact practicing. But practice they did. So, there is not a thing wrong with you!

Here is an answer I recently gave on quora to a similar question. Do yourself a favor and spend those five, ten minutes a day with the resource I mention (Functional Ear trainer by miles.be) – in two months tops you are not looking back.

That is step one and will give you a lot of confidence and a way to start out with!

There is much more to say about hearing and I will do more posts on it very soon. Hearing the bass in the mix or not being distracted is another thing to practice. It can give some folks trouble and I am hunting for and testing some good solutions there. Please stay tuned. But in the meantime: train em ears 🙂

Also – talking about ears – please make sure to read this! It is vitally important, especially if you play in bands!

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to I want to develop a good musical ear. What exactly is ear training and where should I begin? on Quora

Note: When I recommend the miles.be app (in the above Quora response), I am referring to the original desktop app (currently not running on Apple M1 computers until Adobe Air is updated). I do not endorse the app available from the app store for desktop, tablets or phones.

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Distinction between a #11 and b5 chord?

b5 or #11?

Enharmonically Speaking a #11 and a b5 are the same…

What this means is that a #11 and a b5 lead you to the same note:

  • The #11 from C is F#.
  • The b5 from C is Gb.

Same difference, different naming. Why is it important?

Bit of an advanced theory answer below – it involves modes of melodic and harmonic minor and chord scale harmony. If this is new to you stick with the gist of this idea: that a chord can be a short cut for a scale – and that scale, then, is a possible approach for improvising. A chord symbol involving a b5 or #11 points me to different scales – because the scale with the b5 in it has that as its fifth scale degree. And the scale with the #11 in it has that as its fourth scale degree. So the scale is looking very different, as the scale with the #11 will have some sort of a 5th (augmented or perfect).

And why does it not say #4, but #11, rather? Technically you can play that 4 or 11 anywhere in the chord, but when we talk about 4 we typically mean a sus chord (substitute the 4 for the 3), and when we talk about the #11 we point to the fact that it is an extension, higher up in the chord somewhere.

Enjoy the read and let me know if you have any questions. What is cool is that harmonic minor and melodic minor also have modes and they provide beautifully colorful sounds

In my answer I address the min7b5 chord versus the min7#11 chord, which was the original question.

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to What is the distinction between using a flat five chord and a sharp eleven, besides the octave? on Quora

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Bass Player Magazine introduces the Wall Chart

Bass PLayer Magazine Ariane Cap

Bass Player Magazine acknowledges the Music Theory for the Bass Player Wall Chart

A super big thank you to Bass Player Magazine for acknowledging the wall chart! I always read that magazine cover to cover when it arrives in my mail box. I am really old fashioned that way – when it comes to that particular mag! With all the online hustle and bustle, I still like holding that one in my hands.

And I got the shelves full of ’em to prove it (right now in storage. I so miss them!). Just the transcriptions alone are a treasure trove!

Read the release here. It also contains a few key thoughts that are behind the creation of the wall chart. It goes into the book and it talks about what exactly is on it. Enjoy!

Bass PLayer Magazine Ariane Cap

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What is the list order of sharps in the key signature of Cb major?

Ari's Beef

My Beef…

Many theory books teach the cycle of fifths without the crucial explanations of Why?, and then they list the “order of flats and sharps”, again without the Why? Okay I got a bit of a beef with that. My pet peeve. A pet beef…

What we are really doing here, is building major scales, getting to the keys and keys ignatures. And while we of course can do that using the good old time tested Cycle, I prefer to:

  • use a much easier and faster method to figure out the make up of a scale and how to name it without driving yourself crazy with sharps and flats and double flats! —> see the article.
  • and, instead use the cycle of fifths for much more exciting things such as
    • using it as a practice tool
    • using it to analyze songs
    • have some super jammy fun with it
    • make pretty mandalas to understand how note relationships work.

And since we are talking beef…

that whole “WWHWWWH” thing is lost on me just the same. I prefer knowing the relationships (ie intervals!) of every single note within the scale to the root.

Why?

  • Less counting!
  • Less miscounting!
  • Thinking relationally rather than linearly
  • You know how the notes will sound within the scale context
  • It’s closely related to chord naming -> useful!
  • Helps to understand how the scale and chords are put together!

But I digress with my beefs and pet peeves here! The question reveals confusion that we can clear up easily. This will make your life much easier. Hope this helps! Check it out! If you cannot see the Quora Box below, click here

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to What is the list order of sharps in the key signature of Cb major? on Quora