3 Ways to improve your Aural skills

This week, we will cover a topic that is a little complicated but will help you wonders in the future. It may sound easy but, it is the most complex technique or skill to have as an aspiring musician. It is one of the most important tools you need to have in your inventory. You must have heard about ear training, and as a student you must have done a lot of exercises but in this blog, we will look at few general skills you must have and understand.

Recognizing the Instrument

This is the most basic skill you need to inherit through hearing songs. When you listen to a song, can you differentiate the instruments? Every instrument has a part to play in the song. They all have a different role and yet, together it sounds so majestic. Listen to each instrument and recognize the different tones and different space in the song that they occupy. This will help you a lot in a band setting where you understand your peer's participation and weigh their contribution. This will also enable you to use your instrument in a much better way and sound unique yet one with everyone.

Finding out the key/pitch

Except for the drummers, others should be able to find the key of the song in their instrument just by listening to it. Once you do that it will help you find the melody line as well as chords that is been played in the song. Although, some of the songs make key changes, most of them follow the theoretical study you are doing now. As a drummer, your task is to understand where the beats are been played, for eg; where does the bass drum kicks in or where the snare is been played.

Understanding the Rhythm

As you get acquainted with the process of hearing the song and applying it to your instrument, try to understand the rhythm of the song and play it accordingly. The best way to test if you are doing it right is play along with the song and listen if it matches the groove of the song. Once you can get the rhythm, you can easily express the feel of the song and add texture to your playing. Drummers should now able to identify the rudiments and different pattern of beats that is going on in the song.

There are lot many aspects and traits that you have to understand and master through just hearing the song, however we will discuss those in detail another time. For now, just start with these basic approaches and try to learn as much as you can.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.

3 Tricks to get the Most out of Listening to Music

Now, we have so many tools that can help us play our favourite songs and artist However, in the midst of technology we should not forget about one of the main component in music which is Ear training A good musician has a good auditory skills To develop this skill you have to listen to a lot of music but to really hone the skill, you have to know how to effectively listen to music. How do you train your ears by listening to music?

1. Isolate the instruments

One of the very first exercise you should do is to be able to recognise different instrument in a song and understand how they are contributing to it. For example, start with bass, listen to the melody it is laying and then hear the drums, listen to the beat and tempo it is following. Once you got the beat and flow of the rhythm, listen to more complicated arts like the guitars and keys. Vocal should be the last thing you should concentrate. This will help you develop your musicianship and also understand different ways you can use your instrument to contribute in a song. This will make you a better musician as well as a better user of your instrument. However, it takes a little bit of time and sounds daunting when you are beginning with it, but once you have done it a couple of times, you will be able to segregate them in ease and understand each musical component in the song Yes, it will take out the leisure of listening to music as enjoyment but if you are looking to be a musician, you have to train your ears to differentiate different components of music.

2. Play what you hear

Now the next stage is to be able to interpret what you hear. Play a very small melody part of a song and then try to emulate on your guitar. You can do the same with chords, however it will be challenging for the first few months to exactly recognise the chord, but once you keep doing it and get familiar with the different sound of different chords and their relation between them, you will be able to figure out the basic chords that outlines the song. This exercise will help you even more if you know your theory and know the scales. Then you can relate the notes in reference to the scales which will help your own creativity and strengthen your understanding about the usage of scales. You can also keep some of the licks that you listen in a song for your own creativity. Also, in case of drummers, they will understand the way to use their rudiments in more practical and effective ways. Once you get used to it, it becomes easier to find the melody and chords you hear which is a great sign of a good musician.

3. Play what you see

Now that you are able to pick up melodies, chords and different rudiments, it is time to polish your techniques. For this, you will have to not just listen but also watch your favourite players play their lick or fills. Every technique has a different purpose to it and those techniques help you showcase different melodies with more dynamism Copy your idols or someone who has put up a video on that song Listen very carefully, what kind of musical sound each technique is making and try to emulate that in your playing. That way you will have a reference and also practicing to execute in the correct way. So along with your auditory skills, you have to also develop your comprehension ability to be able to take the most out of any song that you hear.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.

4 Reasons Why, Listening To Music, is an Important Part of Music Education

Is practice becoming constant or too monotonous? How can you break this monotony and yet improve your knowledge on music? The answer is quite simple. Listen to music. Discover as many artists as you can or listen to your favourite song again and again. Being connected with music motivates and inspires you which will make your practice sessions a little bit more exciting. You can even try to pick up some easy songs if you are a beginner which will give you a motive to practice. Here are the 4 reasons why listening to music is a must process in your learning.

1. Understanding Music Concepts

All the theory and techniques you are learning is useless if you can’t apply them in context. The best way to understand the use of them is to find songs that require you to apply the theory and technique you are practicing every day. It will give you the motivation to practice as you understand the importance of it and how it applies to making music. Also, try to understand the way they are using the theory in their playing which will help you to grow as a better musician.

2. Developing a habit

Yes, we all listen to music but as learners of musical instruments, are we doing enough of it. We should set a specific time which is assigned to listening music. You can even club it with some of your daily chores if you don’t have much free time. It is very important to develop a habit of listening to music , especially the young learners who can have the tendency to take up instruments as a daily chore. Yes, they should practice daily but should not be a mundane task which ends up with them losing interests. It should be fun, so parents should sit down with them and listen to music and have conversations about what they liked and what kind of music they would prefer to listen. You can even exchange your playlist with each other and discuss the differences in music of old and the music that comes out now. They should also be given freedom, though to discover their own music and develop their own taste for it.

3. Experiencing the Music Scene

The best way to experience the power of music is by attending live concerts. Try to attend as many live concerts as you can live the experience of performance and the joy that music brings. Listening and watching live shows can inspire you tremendously and you finally see what you are working for. Some of you might not be learning to take it up professionally but just the sight of being on stage or just being on a stage performing your instrument can boost your confidence which is very important to grow as a musician. Also, you meet people that are involved with music which can expand your knowledge of music immensely.

4. Ear Training

Ear training is a very important part of your music learning and there is nothing better than listening to songs. Train your ears to understand melodies and even try to identify the key or the chords they might be using. You won’t be accurate immediately but once you continue and keep at it, it will get better which will help you a long way if you choose to continue with music. There are times when you listen to songs just to enjoy and have a peace of mind but sometimes, sit down to break down the song with conscious concentration and see the depth of the music that is being played.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.