The Missing Link
You know how sometimes you can hear a song or a lick really well in your head, but you can’t figure out how to put it on your guitar? It probably feels like there’s a missing link. There is, and (surprise!) it has to do with your ear. You’re just not hearing those notes as well as you think you are. It comes down to your ear—and you can connect to your ear through your voice.
When you start seeking the sounds with your voice, you’ll become aware of the specific parts of a song you’re not hearing accurately. It won’t take long to realize that those are the same parts you can’t seem to find on your guitar. Whether you’re looking for a chord progression or a melodic line, singing what you want to play is, without a doubt, the best way to identify those notes and rhythms—and then play them!
Is it Really Necessary?
It’s true that you can do a respectable job of playing chords to plenty of songs without having to sing, and you may even be able to succeed at jamming with friends. But if you don’t make a habit of giving voice to what you hear, you’ll limit how quickly and accurately you learn and play both melodies and accompaniment.
You don’t have to sing well or in the presence of others to benefit from using your voice when you learn something on your guitar. Qualities that you may consider integral to singing, such as tone, breath control, and range don’t matter. The important thing is to be able to accurately hear, analyze, and recreate pitches, and the best way to do that is to externalize them. In other words, sing!
In the lessons I teach, my students often watch me figure out the chords or a lead in a song that they’ve chosen. It seems like an unattainable skill to them. But there’s a method to what I do. It’s a process that becomes quick and seamless with time and practice. It’s a lot of fun to be so connected to the guitar—and I can show you how to do it, too!
But What If You Can’t?
Maybe you’ve never been able to sing in tune and you aren’t able to match a pitch that you hear. Relax! It’s not an uncommon problem and, regardless of what you may have been told, it’s something you can learn. Start by just matching one pitch that’s easily within your vocal range. If that’s challenging, try singing any note and then very slowly sliding it up or down until you hear it lock into the frequency or pitch you’re trying to match.
If you aren’t sure when you have it right (or you’re always sure you have it wrong!), you can always contact me for help. It won’t take long for you to start matching those pitches!
And What if You Can?
Going very slowly, choose a few notes (no more than a phrase), and sing the melody, one note at a time. Really tune your voice up to each and every note before going to the next one. Then, sing the same cluster of notes again, paying attention to what you are singing. You may need to repeat this slow motion exercise several times. As you do, you’ll begin to hone your awareness of the direction and distance from one note to the next. When you’re sure of both direction and distance, pick up your guitar and slowly find the notes.
You can do something similar with chord tones. Sing the notes that you hear in the chord, until you can put them in order and sing them as a root position arpeggio. Once you can do that, find the root of the chord on your guitar and you will know what the chord is! The more you practice, the easier it will come.
My Gift to You
Because ear training is so important, I’ve decided to make my ear training course available for FREE! I’ve put it in the Virtual Studio, so if you’re already a member, you don’t have to do anything extra to access it. Just jump in and get started! If you haven’t already joined, you can sign up here.
When you join, you’ll get a full month for free, and you can start training your ears immediately. Not only that, but you’ll also have access to all of the other lessons and courses in the Studio! When your free month expires, your membership will cost only $9.95/month, and you can easily cancel any time.
I’m always available to help members of the Virtual Studio, so you can feel free to email me with questions or to update me on your progress!
I hope you’ll bring ear training into your daily routine. You’ll be glad you did!
