What are the common problems when it comes to ear training and how do I fix it?

Question

I can think of a few, first in formost, there is 2 different type of struggles transcribing in real time which requires you to hear and identify chords and melody and improvising, which requires you to be able to know and hear what notes you want to play before you play it. I think most people either can do this but can't do that or can do that but can't do this but another problem is that beginners like me cannot even identify scale degrees/function in the context of music, heck I'm having trouble identifying or singing 2 intervals in a row. here is my thought process from this example: sing a major interval from C then sing a major interval from E I first play C then sing up a third no problem, then I repeat the note E and sing a major third to G#? what's the problem with that? I just changed keys, basically, I didn't hear if as a function functioning in the key but rather changed the key in my mind in order to sing that major third. anyways learning ear training is super hard for me. my end goal is to be able to transcribe songs in real time and compose but I don't know what I'm really suppose to know then there's out of key notes like modes modal mixture secondary dominants modulation swaying extended chords etc

Answer 1

What is common with early guitar learners is that they are walking into a mysterious world of

chords notes and sounds and are having to adjust to the physical, academic and sensory challenges.

Knowing the student's baseline music knowledge can help drive the learning process. As they learn notes and chords, the student can sound them out. With chords, work these in to songs and have them sing the melodies. This will also help to help establish sound recognition of various progressions.

An additional tool for ear training is to consider recording the work and let the student hear any off key issues. Target those areas and work to correct.

Answer 2

I think one of the most common problems in any academic subject is that we tend to over intellectualize the process of learning at onset. In my experience, both from learning to sight sing/read and teaching, is that it should be paired with ear training. Through my experience in the professional world both are used simultaneously throughout orchestral and choral settings. I also believe any relevance the learning has to our everyday lives only speeds the process of understanding; even my former elementary aged students progressed in their ear training once I tied it to what they hear in their environment. Improvisation is a skill I would only practice after mastering sight singing/reading and ear training. It relies on the foundation of these two skills so that a musician can hear/play their melodies and harmonies in the context of what is actually prescribed in the music. This doesn't mean 'never improvise' without the skills, but simply that it shouldn't be a primary area of focus; at least in my opinion. It can be an exercise to increase awareness and can be given parameters.

The quickest way to ear train is to take small steps and work to understand to the most popularly used scales and the progression that each scales requires. From there, interval based relationships can be extracted not necessarily based on the name of each note such as 'C' to 'E' or 'Eb' to 'Bb', but from 'Do' to 'Mi' or 'Fa' to 'Do'. Any recognition of note name early on only complicates the process and lends itself more to theory rather than ear training and sight reading. It is my belief that sight singing improves once the prior is mastered. Student who struggle with these skills must learn to not complicate the process and understand their environment. Our world is full of noise and sound. Silence is a rarity and the aforementioned skills can be practiced anytime. Television, radio ads, and mobile phones all provide moments for our skills to be practiced and mastered. Personally, I used church hymnals to practice my sight singing constantly. The variation of melodies really helped me solidify my skills so that I also hear what I've practiced, in other mediums such as the radio and tv.

With all education, there must be a connection in order to solidify and understanding, and just like any other subject, when we first learn, it is the connection to that subject that pulls us closer to understanding. It is fine to simply say 2 + 2 = 4, but isn't it more meaningful to then count it with money or objects. Mathematics in the modern classroom relies on manipulative so students interact with math outside of pencil and paper. Ear training and sight singing/reading should function in the same manner. When understanding a major scale, you should look and listen for examples in music that employ a major scale, exclusively and if it doesn't fit, move it to the side. Create a small focus and then expand the focus as comprehension is increased. Major and Minor Scales (Natural, Harmonic, Melodic) should be the primary tunnel of focus and will take care of the vast majority of popular music that we hear on the radio. The rest of the modes should matter most after such mastery as they will entail small variations on the prior mentioned scales and make your life easier in terms of recognition.