Musicality

The phrase “ear training” comes with a lot of baggage for most musicians, and even those who’ve studied the topic at university or conservatory level and passed all the requirements still typically report dissatisfaction and disappointment with what they’re actually able to do with their musical ear.

In this chapter we present the Integrated Ear Training™️ approach which not only lets you develop concrete skills faster and more enjoyably, it also ensures that every step forwards you take in ear training results in real, practical abilities you can benefit from in your everyday musical life.

Relative Pitch is an approach to pitch based entirely on the relationships between different pitches - from note to note, or relating to the key. Everything pitch-related that you might want to do by ear can be done by developing your sense of Relative Pitch, including naming or playing notes and chords by ear, choosing notes when improvising, transcribing music by ear, and more.

In this chapter we cover the difference between Relative Pitch and Absolute (or “Perfect”) Pitch and how Relative Pitch enables you to accomplish anything pitch-related you want to. We introduce the idea of a “pitch contour” and explore how the three building blocks covered in subsequent chapters allow you to refine this contour by recognising notes and chords by ear. Finally we explain a step-by-step process for finding the key of any song or piece of music by ear.

Solfa, also known as “solfege” or the do-re-mi system for naming notes isn’t just some cute idea from The Sound of Music! In fact, it’s a way of thinking about the notes of the scale which perfectly matches how the ear naturally hears musical pitches.

In this chapter we explore the benefits of solfa, how it works, and provide a learning sequence and set of exercises you can use to gradually develop a robust ability to recognise notes by ear and produce them with your voice or on your instrument.

Although intervals are often where musicians start with ear training, they are in fact one of the most challenging and confusing topics, when taught in the traditional way.

In this chapter we’ll introduce a simple and natural way to approach learning interval recognition, explore how it relates to and can be combined with solfa, and present a learning sequence and set of exercises you can use to gradually develop a robust ability to recognise different intervals in music.

Intervals and Solfa can both be used directly to help you recognise chords and chord progressions by ear, but dedicating some attention specifically to developing your ear for harmony will produce much faster progress.

In this chapter we’ll explore the topic of chord progressions from a Relative Pitch perspective, relating it to our Solfa and Interval building blocks, and covering the most common chord progressions and how to start recognising and playing them by ear.

Underlying all musical rhythm is the beat, or pulse of the music. Musicians tend to take this for granted, but that frequently results in a weak connection to the beat, or an inaccurate ability to keep the beat.

In this chapter we’ll explore different ways of connecting with the beat, so that you have a reliable “inner metronome” and accurate ability to synchronise with, or create your own, musical beat.

A musician’s ear for rhythm is typically more capable by default than their pitch skills. For example, more musicians can clap back a rhythm they hear than could sing back or name a series of note pitches they heard. However, rhythmic accuracy, and an ability to deeply understand and be creative with rhythm is a significant part of what sets a great performance apart from a mediocre one.

In this chapter we’ll explore both the “beat counting” and “rhythm syllables” approaches to developing your rhythmic abilities, enabling you to sight-read rhythmic notation easily, transcribe rhythmic patterns you hear, and tune in to your instinct for rhythmic creativity.

Musical creativity is mysterious to many, and often over-romanticised, making it hard to know whether you have “what it takes” to be creative, or how to develop your musical creativity. Perhaps the epitome of this is improvisation, being able to conjure up your own great-sounding music on-the-fly. The traditional methods of teaching improvisation based on strict rules and patterns, or memorised “vocabulary” provide the illusion of creativity but result in same-y sounding solos and little of the self-expression and fulfilment that truly free improvisation can provide.

In this chapter you’ll be introduced to the Expansive Creativity™️ framework for unlocking your natural creativity. Through the concepts of “Constraints and Dimensions” and musical “Playgrounds” you’ll be able to gradually start expressing your own musical ideas, sounding great and feeling creative from day one, and leading to total musical freedom. With the “Play-Listen / Listen-Play” feedback loop you’ll become your own best teacher, letting you have fun improving your improvising day by day.

Relative Pitch is an approach to pitch based entirely on the relationships between different pitches - from note to note, or relating to the key. Everything pitch-related that you might want to do by ear can be done by developing your sense of Relative Pitch, including naming or playing notes and chords by ear, choosing notes when improvising, transcribing music by ear, and more.

In this chapter we cover the difference between Relative Pitch and Absolute (or “Perfect”) Pitch and how Relative Pitch enables you to accomplish anything pitch-related you want to. We introduce the idea of a “pitch contour” and explore how the three building blocks covered in subsequent chapters allow you to refine this contour by recognising notes and chords by ear. Finally we explain a step-by-step process for finding the key of any song or piece of music by ear.

To write a song that stands the test of time - or even something you wouldn’t mind letting other people hear - can seem out of reach to the average music learner. Our love and reverence for the great songwriters and composers of history can make it seem futile to even try to write something ourselves. And yet, if you’ve ever dreamed of writing your own music, you’ll know it’s a dream that is hard to ever let go of!

Building on the same Expansive Creativity™️ framework introduced for improvisation, and introducing song-specific concepts such as lyrics and musical form, in this chapter you’ll be led step-by-step through writing your first music and learn to gradually develop and refine your creations into something uniquely yours and which you’re proud to share.

We all know the difference between a dry, robotic, lifeless performance, and music that’s played truly expressively, moving the listener with each and every note. Or do we? What exactly does it mean to “play with expression” - and how can you learn to do it?

In this chapter we’ll use the same 4-Dimensional framework introduced for Active Listening to practice shaping a note and series of notes in each of the possible ways. You’ll develop your ear’s sophistication for appreciating and understanding the expressive choices being made in music you hear. And you’ll also develop your own instinctive ability to make those same choices on-the-fly any time you play or perform. You will learn to understand and speak the “language of emotion” in music, empowering you to play with deep, moving, personal expressiveness.

What does it take to put on a truly memorable and moving musical performance? We know it’s more than just overcoming stage fright and managing to play “the right notes”, but it can be hard to get further than that.

In this chapter you’ll be introduced to the “3 C’s” of the Performance Free-Flow™️ framework which enable you to connect deeply with the music, with your instrument, with other musicians and with your audience. All spellbinding performances are making use of each of these three C’s: Connection, Conversation and Creativity. Through simple ideas and exercises, you will develop your own skills with each of these, and discover how to put on spellbinding performances of your own, each and every time.​

We wrap things up with a recap of what’s been covered, and suggest a process you can use to continually review and improve your musicality going forwards, moving you closer and closer to your musical dreams each day.