Learning by Ear

[Bill Beckner]

This may sound stupid to many of you but I have a question about the ability to hear the notes in the tune. I am asking this because I don't believe I hear the same as some other, perhaps as most others. I cannot tell the relative position of notes. I am not even talking about picking out keys or other similar actions. If I am tuning the guitar (using 5th fret to 5th fret technique) I can only tell if it is in tune when the wavelengths are not in conflict. If I am using a tuner I cannot tell whether the note played is above or below the desired note until it is a long way one way or the other. If I am picking out simple melodies (we're talking Mountain Dew or Cindy here) I find the notes by playing up and down the strings until I hit something that sounds close. I have been doing this for ten years and not gotten any better at it. I get by because my significant other is an award winning singer song writer and I can ask her to tell me the key, chord progression and notes. She can play the song better after one listening than I can after one month.

So is this reasonably normal? Do all people hear the relative pitch if not the perfect pitch? I know I stood too long at the end of runway in the USAF and had some hearing loss, but I don't think I ever had the "ear" that others have. I'd be interested in any feedback anyone cares to give me about this. I know Dan counsels walking away from the tabs but I'm not sure its possible.

[Dan Miller]

Bill,

I've been playing the guitar for 30 years and it is probably not until the last 8 to 10 years that I've really improved my ear. For the first 20 years I convinced myself that it was too hard and I couldn't do it. But, since I've been publishing Flatpicking Guitar Magazine I've worked hard at it and it has gotten better. I'm still not as good at it as many of the guys who I hang out with. I'm in a band with Brad Davis and Tim May and their abilities are far beyond mine when it comes to hearing chord changes and pitches. But, I've worked at it everyday and it has slowly improved.

My philosophy is that if you believe you can do it, and then work on it, it will get better. I recommend that you sit with your guitar and try to pick out melodies that you hum in your head. They can be songs, or fiddle tunes, or TV ad jingles, or whatever. This will help your relative pitch skills. You can also work with a tuner. Use the tuner to get one note correct. Then tune the next string by ear. Then check back with the tuner and see how you did.

Keep working at it and don't give up! The progress with stuff like this doesn't come in large leaps, it builds very slowly over time with very small steps.

Good luck!

Dan