Fool proof method's

[Horizontalste]

This time last year my goal was to play bass more and get gigging, I've played almost everyday and I'm working on putting a set together with my new band. So all good there.
This next year my goal is to improve my musical ear. I am fine at working things out with the aid of the circle of fifths but what I really want to work towards is chord recognition without having an instrument in my hands to figure it out with.
Does anyone have any effective methods for training this? I'm not talking perfect pitch but more like identifying when a 7th's used etc.
How did you guy's do it or should I just be patient and see if it happens naturally?

Thanks in advance
Steve

[Bilbo]

There are several ear-training apps which can be fun but the best way is playing along with stuff where you don't know the changes and trying to 'find' them by ear. I have done whole gigs that way with appalling results

[Horizontalste]

Thanks, I have a couple of applications that I'll try. Appalling results are my specialty.

[ambient]

[url="http://www.teoria.com/exercises/"]http://www.teoria.com/exercises/[/url]

Chord/triad recognition exercises, interval exercises, a whole load of stuff here .

[Horizontalste]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1387920171' post='2317300']
[url="http://www.teoria.com/exercises/"]http://www.teoria.com/exercises/[/url]

Chord/triad recognition exercises, interval exercises, a whole load of stuff here .
[/quote]

Looks just the ticket, thank you for sharing

[XB26354]

Ear training is definitely an area where the playing field isn't level. Some people have more natural ability (I'm not talking about perfect pitch), but just about everyone can get better. Hearing chords, like learning to play, is about practice and familiarity. In very simple terms, the more complex the chord, the more complex the sound. A major triad only has three very clearly discernible notes, so is in general easier to hear. As the chords get more complex, I am generally looking out for those "extra" notes - first the type of 7th, then any extensions (9th, 11th, 13th).
However my number one piece of advice would be to play chords on a keyboard or piano and really get used to the sound, and/or record them. Start really slow - allow your ear to hear the sound of each note in the chord. It is usually easier to hear the bottom and top notes than the ones in between so I start there:

What's the bass or lowest note?
What's the top note?
What third does it have - Major, Minor or no 3rd?
Can I hear a 7th?
Can I hear anything else, and if so does it sound simple or unusual?
What is the melody or solo playing?

It starts very slowly but as you get more and more familiar you can "hear" chords quite quickly. The other very important point to mention is that chords are not in isolation, they're part if a sequence. Get familiar with the cycle of fourths, and common sequences (II-V-I major and minor, 12-bar blues for example) and extend to whole tunes.

[Horizontalste]

[quote name='XB26354' timestamp='1388922268' post='2327581']
Ear training is definitely an area where the playing field isn't level. Some people have more natural ability (I'm not talking about perfect pitch), but just about everyone can get better. Hearing chords, like learning to play, is about practice and familiarity. In very simple terms, the more complex the chord, the more complex the sound. A major triad only has three very clearly discernible notes, so is in general easier to hear. As the chords get more complex, I am generally looking out for those "extra" notes - first the type of 7th, then any extensions (9th, 11th, 13th).
However my number one piece of advice would be to play chords on a keyboard or piano and really get used to the sound, and/or record them. Start really slow - allow your ear to hear the sound of each note in the chord. It is usually easier to hear the bottom and top notes than the ones in between so I start there:

What's the bass or lowest note?
What's the top note?
What third does it have - Major, Minor or no 3rd?
Can I hear a 7th?
Can I hear anything else, and if so does it sound simple or unusual?
What is the melody or solo playing?

It starts very slowly but as you get more and more familiar you can "hear" chords quite quickly. The other very important point to mention is that chords are not in isolation, they're part if a sequence. Get familiar with the cycle of fourths, and common sequences (II-V-I major and minor, 12-bar blues for example) and extend to whole tunes.
[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. I'm familiar with the circle of fourths I always use it when working songs out. Been using an app on the phone too and it's helping but I think the keyboard is a good idea because I'll have a visual aid too and that's always helped when learning things in the past.

Cheers

[lobematt]

Loads of great articles about this (and other topics) here! [url="http://jazzadvice.com/category/ear/"]http://jazzadvice.com/category/ear/[/url]

[Horizontalste]

[quote name='lobematt' timestamp='1389020148' post='2328842']
Loads of great articles about this (and other topics) here! [url="http://jazzadvice.com/category/ear/"]http://jazzadvice.com/category/ear/[/url]
[/quote]

Site looks great, bookmarked. Thanks