Here are a few great ear training resources on the web which you might not have come across:

Arranging Music for A Cappella

“This guide should get you started arranging music for your a cappella group if you have musical ideas but don’t know how to put them down on paper. It’s no substitute for really learning music theory, but if your primary concern is just arranging your favorite song, this will help get you there.”

A fantastic introductory guide to arranging music for close harmony groups (a.k.a. a cappella or the sub-genre barbershop). I’m a big fan of a cappella music, and listening carefully to it can be a tremendous way to develop your ear.

It may sound like an intimidating topic, but you’ll learn a lot even if you don’t ever start arranging yourself, and it really is taken at a gentle pace. For example, Click to read the rest…

What if Axl and Slash had hung out with Fats Domino? Or Metallica met Miles Davis? A new music processor called The Swinger is looking to find out, by adding a swing to any song you throw at it. Get ready to hear those classics in a whole new way – and as the Duke once put it: “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!”

Music Hack Day

At the cutting edge of digital music research, young developers get together periodically for a ‘Music Hack Day‘ – an intense 24 hour hackathon to create a new, cool music technology project, and show it off to everyone. There are always some incredible and fascinating demos which emerge, and last week’s hack day in San Francisco was no exception.

This blog post over at the Yahoo! Developer Network Blog gives a great overview of several of the projects. One which stood out for me was The Swinger – simple concept, fantastic demonstration of how far music tech has come in the last 10 years, and a wonderful way to illustrate the concept of swung beats to all you ear trainers out there!

First a quick reminder of what it means to have that swing… Click to read the rest…

You might like to check out the guest post I just wrote over at MusicLessons4YouOnline.com, entitled “Want to play it? Hear it first!”

It’s about how you need to hear music in your head to be able to really bring life to your playing, and create new compositions or improvisations. I outline the steps to doing this, and how you can use ear training to help you hear more complex music in your head and connect it with your instrument. Here’s an excerpt:

“It may sound like a contradiction, but if you want to create music when you play you must be able to hear the music first – in your head. This goes doubly if you want to improvise, compose or play by ear!

Ever noticed how great jazz improvisers often sing along with their own solo? Or how rock guitarists’ mouths move as if they’re singing out each note they play? These players know exactly what sounds their instruments will make before they move their fingers to make it happen. It’s no coincidence that this is a habit shared by many of the greats!”
Read more…

Make sure you check out all the other great posts on MusicLessons4YouOnline.com too, there’s an incredible wealth of information, tutorials, and videos to help you learn music and instruments. Here’s a few starting points:

• How to Play Piano By Ear
• Guitar Practice Tip for Success (Most of these are helpful hints for any instrument, or indeed ear training!)
• 7 Reasons to Learn Music Theory

There’s also an associated site at MusicLessonsOnDVD.com which sells some great instrumental lesson DVDs.

So, take a look at the guest post and let me know what you think – in the comments here or there!