Music matters.

If you’re visiting this site, you probably don’t need to be convinced of that! But how often do we give music the attention it deserves?

Today, find a moment and choose a song.

Close your eyes.

And just… listen.




Whether you’re a musician or music-fan, music is undoubtedly around you for a large part of every day.

How much of it do you really hear?

When you play that piano sonata for the 57th time this week, do you hear the music – or do you just hear the mistakes made and the room for improvement? Deliberate practice is wonderful for improving your skills – but rarely musical.

When you hear your favourite song on the radio or on your iPod, do you really listen to it – or do you just hear the top layer of sound? The melody, the lyrics, the driving beat… And your mind wanders to whatever it is inside you that made this song a favourite. The song is barely heard at all because you know it so well.

Or do you?

Active listening is a core part of musicianship training and aural skills development, but even more importantly it increases your potential to enjoy music. Partly this comes from developing your ability to hear detail in songs, but equally importantly it develops the habit and the mindset of truly listening to music instead of just hearing it.

So, choose a track.

Choose a song you know, or a song you don’t. That song that’s been on your “to listen” playlist for weeks now. The song that just came on the radio and caught your ear.

Take a few minutes.

It won’t take long, but you’ll experience more in these few minutes than the countless minutes of unfocused attention before them.

Put on headphones or turn up your speakers.

They each have their advantages. The key thing is have privacy from interruption and clarity of sound.

Turn up the volume.

Find a level that lets the sound encompass your senses.

But don’t damage your hearing!

And let the thoughts of the day disappear for a moment.

Let the song be all that you pay attention to.



Allow your attention to wander through the sound.

Try to listen in to different instruments, different timbres, different textures in the sound.

Listen out for a melody or harmony line and follow it until it disappears again.

Feel the rhythm and how it intertwines with the other elements of the song.



Breathe slowly.



Hear more.



And savour the sound.

With over 150 articles here at EasyEarTraining.com it would be easy to miss out on some that might be useful for your aural skills training.

Today we’re going to take a look at the 9 Training Series we have here on the site, and what each of them can offer you as a musician or audio professional.

Pitch & Harmony

Pitch & Harmony by Thomas Evdokimoff introduces some fundamental concepts in musical ear training, teaching you to recognise and sing intervals and chords. You’ll learn about the solfege system for ear training, and how major and minor scales can be used as the basis for all relative pitch skills.

Listen Close

Brad T. Bush chooses stand-out examples of songs to examine how they’re put together and what can make a track amazing instead of run-of-the-mill. Along the way he’ll point out the techniques used by song-writers, musicians and producers which you need to know for your own music. If you’re keen to hear and understand more in the music you love, Listen Close is a great place to start.

Music & Life

Sabrina Peña Young takes a broad look at all the wonderful ways music influences our lives at every age, and how specific ear training can benefit us, as musicians and simply as people. Of particular interest for parents, Music & Life teaches you how best to nurture a child’s inner musician.

Open Your Ears

Looking for some new musical avenues to explore? Part of being a great musician is having wide experience of musical styles and techniques, and being open to new sounds. Open Your Ears provides some interesting and unusual pointers to new musical experiences.

Bass Tone

If you’re a bass player, or (inspired by Open Your Ears) simply want to expand your knowledge of that low-down instrument, check out Nick Long‘s series Bass Tone. The series covers the different types of bass, from the original double bass through to modern electric bass, and all the other essential topics for crafting (or appreciating) a unique bass tone, including amplifiers and effects. There’s also a free 6-part Bass Tone Podcast if you prefer to learn by listening.

Frequency Fundamentals

Professional audio engineer and studio-owner Fotios Koulakos takes you from zero knowledge to being a master of the audio spectrum with his series Frequency Fundamentals. If you’ve ever wondered what “kilohertz” are, how studio engineers know which knobs to tweak, or struggled to get your recordings to sound professional, get stuck into this series on all things frequency.

Hearing Effects

Picking up where Frequency Fundamentals left off, Hearing Effects dives into the wild world of audio effects, covering all the essential types of sound-processor, including delay, compression and modulation effects. All you guitarists and audio pros should not miss this one!

Wired for Sound

Sometimes ear training can be hard work, and if your sound system’s not up to scratch you’re only making life harder for yourself! Don’t make silly mistakes with your hi-fi setup, learn the right way with Nick Long‘s Wired for Sound.

Listen to Les

Of all the musicians who’ve furthered the art of recorded music, probably none has contributed as much as Les Paul. From his iconic guitar, the Gibson Les Paul, to his innovation in recording techniques, to the audio effects he pioneered, Les Paul’s gift to the world of music has been remarkable, and the Listen to Les series will help you understand why.

Well, did any of those whet your appetite? Hopefully you’ve found something new to dive into. Remember, a topic doesn’t have to be central to your musical world for it to help open your eyes (and ears) to new possibilities, so don’t be afraid to branch out – especially from the music side to the audio side, or vice-versa.

We’re always keen to hear from our readers, so if there are any topics not covered above, or you have a great idea for a new series please do get in touch by email or leave a comment below.

Creating a zany science fiction retro feel in your music involves more than hiring a handful of cyborgs to man your Nord Modulator. Using the right synthesizers, Halloween sound effects, and melodic material can make your music sound straight out of the next millennium and spook even the Borg.

Use the new Unravelling Music ear training track Halloween Horror 3000 and the samples below to set you on your next space music voyage.

Click to download “Halloween Horror 3000″ Unravelling Music pack (or right-click and “Save as…”)

Contents

• 13-page liner notes PDF with track-by-track info
• 1 full-length MP3 file, “Halloween Horror 3000″
• 5 supporting MP3 files revealing details of the track

Spacey Halloween Sounds

Halloween sound effects can enhance any sci-fi track. For the ear training track HH3K I used a combo of freaky sounds, including creepy female whispers created through EW Symphonic Choirs, alien murmurs from Logic, and a royalty-free scream sample.

Make your own horrific Halloween effects easily with a good set of vocal chords and a mic, or explore your synth banks for some hidden sound gems. Instead of placing them randomly through the track, use the most distinctive sounds for the intro, ending, and transitions in the track. For Halloween Horror 3000, I used UFO takeoff sound effects for the music introduction but saved the freaky whispers for ambience.

• Listen to the MP3 for “Space Whispers”

Ambient effects with a sci-fi flair make way for freaky whispers using EW Symphonic Choirs.

Instrument Choices

Click to read the rest…