Perfect Pitch? You need to be ACTIVELY AWARE...

The basics of music ear training is something supremely simple yet always overlooked......AWARENESS.

J. Krishnamurti said "there is an art to listening....when you are in a receptive state of mind, things can easily be understood".

To take the first step in developing your perfect pitch training you must first learn to actively listen. This is the best training and probably the most important lesson you will learn. You must become consciously aware of all that is around you.

Try these exercises to help you begin to develop you awareness in music and nature (sorry getting heavy here!).

Ex 1:

Where ever you are, outside, in a mall, at home watching TV? Take the time to sit quietly by yourself and allow all the sounds around you to flood in to your mind. Become consciously aware of where those sounds are close by, far away, high, low etc etc??

Next focus on one sound only really zoom in on that sound and focus on it for as long as possible. Then move to another sound and focus on that one. Move from one sound to the next localizing it's position.

Do the above in a Super Market I guarantee when you really lock into the sounds and open your inner ear you'll feel like your tripping!!

Ex 2:

Listen to the natural world focus on the sounds you can hear. Pick one sound that you feel could well be musical? What is the register of that sound? How might you create a musical line from the sound(s)? How might you go about orchestrating that sound? Try to see the music on the page and hear it in your mind.

The above is a very common technique and has been used by many great composers. Try it out and you will soon begin to develop ACTIVE LISTENING.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you try it out where and how you get on.