How to develop an ear for music – for self-taught people and more!

Music learning, especially for adults, can be difficult if a person has an underdeveloped ear for music. That is why most music teachers do not recommend ignoring solfeggio classes, the main task of which is to develop an ear for music in all directions.

What does the concept of “musical ear” actually mean? First, you need to decide what kind of hearing you need to develop. If you are learning to play, you need harmonic hearing, that is, the ability to hear harmony, mode – major or minor, the color of sound. If you are a vocal student, your goal is to develop an ear for melody that will help you easily remember a melody consisting of individual intervals.

True, these are local tasks; in life, musicians have to be generalists – to sing, to play several instruments, and to teach this to others (playing an instrument through singing and, conversely, singing through playing an instrument). Therefore, most methodologists who talk about how to develop an ear for music agree that both melodic and harmonic hearing should develop simultaneously.

It also happens that a person hears and distinguishes intervals, even notices mistakes in other singers, but he himself cannot sing cleanly and correctly. This happens because there is hearing (melodic in this case), but there is no coordination between it and the voice. In this case, regular vocal exercises will help, helping to establish a connection between the voice and hearing.

What determines the purity of singing?

It happens that a person seems to sing purely and according to the notes, but when he starts singing into the microphone, out of nowhere, mistakes and incorrect notes appear. What’s the matter? It turns out that simply singing according to the notes is not everything. To sing cleanly, you need to consider some other parameters. Here they are:

1. Vocal position (or vocal yawn or singing yawn) is the position of the palate when singing. If it is not raised enough, it feels like the person is singing uncleanly or, more precisely, “lowering.” In order to eliminate this defect, it is useful to yawn for a few minutes before practicing vocals. If you find it difficult to do this, lift your tongue vertically and push the roof of your mouth until you yawn.
2. Sound direction. Each person has his own unique voice timbre. About what types of voices there are, read the article “Male and female singing voices.” But the sound (or color of your voice) can be changed depending on the content of the song. For example, no one will sing a lullaby with a dark and strict sound. For such a song to sound better, it needs to be sung in a light, gentle sound.
3. Moving the melody down. There is another feature in music: when the melody moves downward, it must be sung as if its direction is completely opposite. For example, let’s take the famous song “Little Christmas Tree.” Sing the line from this song “…it’s cold in winter…”. The melody moves down. The intonation falls; falsehood is possible at this point. Now try to sing the same line, while performing a smooth upward movement with your hand. Has the color of the sound changed? It became lighter and the intonation was cleaner.
4. Emotional attunement – another important factor. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically sing for the audience. At least for your family. Stage fright will gradually go away.

What hinders the development of hearing and clear singing?

There are some things that can negatively affect hearing development. You can’t play an out-of-tune instrument and practice with two people in the same room at the same time. Music such as hard rock and rap is unlikely to help you develop your hearing, since it does not contain an expressive melody, and the harmony is most often primitive.

Methods and exercises for hearing development

There are many effective exercises for developing hearing. Here are just a few of them:

1. Singing scales. We play the instrument do – re – mi – fa – sol – la – si – do and sing. Then without tools. Then from top to bottom. Again without a tool. Let’s check the last sound. If we hit it, very good; if not, we train further.
2. Singing intervals. The simplest option is intervals based on the same C major scale (see previous exercise). We play and sing: do-re, do-mi, do-fa, etc. Then without tools. Then do the same from top to bottom.
3. “Echo”. If you don’t know how to play, you can develop your hearing just like in kindergarten. Play your favorite song on your phone. Let’s listen to one line. Press “pause” and repeat. And so the whole song. By the way, a telephone can be an excellent assistant: you can record intervals and scales on it (or ask them to play it for you if you don’t know how to do it yourself), and then listen to it throughout the day.
4. Studying musical notation. An ear for music is a thought, an intellectual process, so acquiring even the most basic knowledge about music in itself automatically contributes to the development of hearing. To help you – a book of musical notation as a gift from our website!
5. Study of classical music. If you are thinking about how to develop your musical ear, then do not forget that classical music is most conducive to ear development due to its expressive melody, rich harmony and orchestral sound. So, start studying this art more actively!

THAT’S NOT ALL!

Do you really want to sing, but don’t sleep at night because you don’t know how to develop an ear for music? Now you know how to get what you’ve been thinking about these nights! In addition, get a good video lesson on vocals from Elizaveta Bokova – she talks about the “three pillars” of vocals, the basics!