Ear Training: Triads-Major, Minor, Aug & Dim

[@bremlquan]

Coming back to this 8 months later and experiencing much more traction identifying patterns and notes...quality and note names are nearly instant for me now. This is amazing because I thought I was "tone deaf". I've developed a usable theoretical understanding of harmony and it is so much fun and connects integrally with this material. Thank you Michel for such quality ear training with good feel.

[@spocksmusic]

You're welcome. That's why I do it.

[@julie4377]

I almost gave up on music because of the frustration hearing and understanding what you hear is awesome thank you again for motivating me to keep working hard!

[@KathyFreeman]

Yippee, 50% on advanced level! Couldn’t have done that 3 months ago. Thanks for your great ear training playlists

[@spocksmusic]

I love hearing stories like that - and you're welcome.

[@vaclavhanusekv1717]

To all of you trying and thinking it is impossible: after studying it for one semestr (intervals only) it is becoming easier and easier to hear it. I had no problem with this video, since we are already doing 7th chords and their inversions, but you should really just keep listening and it´s gonna be ok.

[@spocksmusic]

Yup. The more you try the better you get (incrementally).

[@julie4377]

Just wanted to say thank you very much this is helping me a great deal. It also makes me realize, face and understand what I can't hear and how important it is to hear

[@spocksmusic]

Good. A lot of people never get that. Now all it takes is several years of work and practice. . . . . . good luck.

[@amyfeng8496]

This is so helpful! Thank you

[@spocksmusic]

You are very welcome. I will be doing some played on string next.

[@hartmud-derhypochonderfreu3060]

Thank you very much for this-it is just so extremly helpfull.

[@spocksmusic]

Good. You're welcome.

[@ameliatang7938]

Well! Super awesome! Before my aural exam starts, I always here around to listen your stuff. PS. You got amazing voice too! (This is my first ever KZbin comment :))

[@spocksmusic]

Thank you. I'm glad they come in helpful . . . and welcome to the world of online commenting!!

[@ameliatang7938]

@@spocksmusic Hi Michel! Hope u all well! I had to come back to you ask some advice. As a new bee of musical student. I have a tough time keeping the timing when I singing. I very frequently don't know when to start a song when the musicians give me the intro or if I have a stop in the song and they keep playing I don't always know when to come in. My timing was way off, I'd hold noted for too long and start the chorus late and it threw the whole feel the song off, plus I only could follow the original backing track and I will totally lost if they played a different style different from what I heard from the backing track. My teachers kind of lost patience on me. They always tell me using metronome and feel the pulse etc. But I am still lost. Any suggestion please? Sorry for the long message and I have no idea why I would write you this. I guess I am kind of helpless😂......

[@ameliatang7938]

@@spocksmusicAnd you have a wonderful day!

[@spocksmusic]

Hmmm, I've been thinking about this for a while (2 weeks I guess). I believe you have two interconnected problems (1) a problem with basic rhythms and counting and (2) not understanding much about song form. This can be overcome but it will take some work (but then again, few things in music can be learned without a lot of work). Okay, 1) First, get yourself a cheap metronome. They do nothing but click in time and you can carry them anywhere. For now, there are apps (and you can find KZbin channels that have 10 min of clicks on this tempo or that tempo) and learn to count beats "1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3 4" and learn to clap or sing numbers, solfege or "dooba dooba" on the beats and then later, on the "offbeats". I have a pair of drum sticks I used to bang on a thick book - just to work on my timing (I'm a bass player). There are lots of books, apps and webpages that can help you start to learn basic rhythms and to count. Figure out what the different pulses are (and what that means). For example: strong, weak, medium, weak for 4/4 time and learn to hear and feel them in a song (or other form of music). That will help you with the rhythms and then you can count the bars and figure out what beat the vocal starts on. By that time you can start to follow the drums or the bass-line for a certain amount of bars and then you'll know stuff like "I have to come in on beat two after four bars of the bass riff". 2) Song form is how the different sections of the song are put together. If you can hear where the different divisions are and how many bars they are in length, that that helps with knowing where you are in the tune - and if the choruses start differently than the verses, or what the main difference in feel there is between the two. In general, the more you know about a tune the easier it is to play it. Try learning the basic drum beat and beat box it, learn the bass line and "mouth it" (like singing but you try to make a guitarish sound, if you know what I mean). That way you can use the other parts to help guide you to how your vocal part fits in to the whole. Hope this helps a little.

[@ameliatang7938]

@@spocksmusic Hi Michel! Greetings from Sydney! I think is working for me!!! Even though progress slowly but I am absolutely over the moon that I can see that progression. You know what? What you said was precisely right. "basic rhythms & song form" so true, especially song form progression that is what I confused in most of the time. I did a few weeks practice as what you suggested(basically I counting every new song I learned and to find the offbeat try to get the feel in the song)It seems going well on me. Although is still really hard to work with others musicians and band as my little musical background( I am kind of Karaoke singer before haha always memorize the same backing track melodies over and over again that was who I am)until I got in music school and all my weakness was exposed completely. I see most of the students or teachers here could learn a new song just few minutes, for me gonna take a few days. Regarding that "metronome" practice ideas, seems not work well with me sometimes. While I singing a song and if playing metronome at same time, I will always got distracted easily and hard to sing on pitch. How to feel the pulse and steady still a working progress for me. Anyway, I guess I did some improvements. I wanna thank you for your time and your wisdom(obviously) to wrote me back in such details! I really appreciated it! Absolutely love you and wishing you all well! Hope could chat with you like this sometimes :)

[@emilyshen7559]

Thanks so much this helped a lot!

[@spocksmusic]

You are welcome. I have a few videos on triads and will be putting up more in a couple of months.

[@veronicasolercascales7586]

Genial!

[@spocksmusic]

Thank you.

[@JAdrew]

How to recognize what key a triad starts with? Like for example, a A minor, or C# aug, how you recognize?

[@spocksmusic]

What key it starts in? Recognize by ear or recognize on paper or in theory? By ear, the augmented and diminished triads sound weird and the major and minor don't (because they both have a perfect 5th). In simplest terms, the augmented triad is bright and the diminished is dark. If you hear an "odd triad" and you can sing "do, re, mi" over it then it is the augmented. . . if the "mi" doesn't sound right and you have to lower it then the triad is diminished. I think I'm going to do a video on what to listen for.

[@JAdrew]

@@spocksmusic by ear

[@sophias8382]

Nice intro

[@spocksmusic]

Thank you.

[@drobertbaker]

Why do all these guys think that testing constitutes training??? Give me examples and TEACH me what the sounds are, then test me to see how I'm doing. Just telling me I'm wrong over and over does no good whatsoever!

[@spocksmusic]

How to train your ears: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eprbqGaMiZp2aMU

[@spocksmusic]

The reason "these guys" use tests is because that is how it is traditionally done. A teacher will show you what to listen for and then you go through hundreds of tests to train yourself.