Ear Training for Singers and Songwriters

Every major scale has the same pattern of whole steps and half steps (major and minor seconds). Understanding these patterns will help to understand chords and harmony.

In this video students will learn how to read and sing the interval of a major and minor second. They will also begin to listen to, read and sing the bass line/chords/harmony. I will show the chords on the piano for those interested in playing and singing. It is not required but gently encouraged if students do have a keyboard, as playing the chords can further develop the ear for hearing harmony. Print out the sheet music and practice singing the melody (and playing/singing the harmony) with the backing track.

Practice reading thirds by going up the lines and spaces, and hearing and singing harmony with the major chords on the piano. We will also briefly go over the time signature. Use the backing track to practice singing on numbers, solfege and the names of the notes. PLEASE NOTE, there was a typo in the video (measure 8 should read a 2, not a 1). I corrected it in the downloadable pdf! Apologies if you were confused, and well done for noticing the typo if you did!!

In this brief warmup, practice the order of the major, minor and perfect intervals as you sing up and down the major scale.

In these two sight reading exercises we will go over reading by step (line to space) and thirds (skipping from a line to a line or a space to a space). There is a backing track for "reading seconds and thirds" without guide notes for when students feel ready to try it.

This tune will help students to understand the interval of a perfect fourth,  syncopation, close and open chords, and how melody notes work with the harmony beneath.

In this lesson we will talk about beat, both simple and compound, and read in a new time signature. We will also learn to hear some minor chords in the harmony, and practice hearing, singing, reading and playing a perfect fifth. Print out the sheet music and practice with the two backing tracks, first slow, then fast.

We read in waltz time (3) and learn how to hear major and minor sixths. We will also go over harmonizing tips. Print the music out and practice with the backing track at your own pace.

We learn a piece based on the interval of a seventh. The harmony is filled with major and minor seven chords. There is a lower version of the song in the video for those who find the leap a little too high! Also practice hearing and recognizing the 7 chords in the bass clef.

We do a quick warmup before we tackle the "Interval Practice Octaves" piece. I'm attaching pdfs of the sheet music in two keys for you to practice a capella! The C major version has two versions, one with just melody, and one with chords for those interested in playing along.

We learn a piece that is based on the interval of an octave. Remember, you don't have to sing the high notes (in the beginning, or at all if it is out of your range). You could just listen (audiate)! This means to hear the notes on the inside, which is also a highly effective way of training the ear. We will sing the bass harmony and a few new chords, and then we will sing the melody on solfege. Print out the music and practice with the backing track at your own pace. 

We will move through a series of different intervals, major and minor, and see if you can recognize them by first listening, then seeing them on the keyboard,  and finally in the music. Have a piece of paper and pencil ready so that you can keep track of your answers. Watch the video every few days to test your ear and track of your improvement! Good luck, and have fun testing your brain with these "sound" puzzles.

In our final lesson we will work on a challenging warmup based on many of the intervals we have covered. The notes will move between arpeggios (broken chords) and scales. We will read it in three different keys. Students are encouraged to practice with the backing tracks which are all in C major. There is a slow one with guide notes, one without guide notes, and a faster version without guide notes which should be attempted when students are familiar with the exercise. Keep practicing all of the pieces you have learned and you should be well on your way to identifying intervals and harmony! Well done!!