Q. Hi I can hear a few intervals from time to time and don't have perfect pitch I am trying to develop these but its really hard. It's nothing you can practice hands on... So Ya if you could just put what instrument you and if have perfect pitch or relative pitch and what your job is with music whether it's a hobby, band, etc. Also do most guitarist have perfect pitch or relative or none?
A. I am a guitar and bass teacher. I also play keyboards and mandolin. I have been playing for about 35 years. I have studied music since middle school and I am a graduate of Guitar Institute of Technology in L.A. I play with several bands and as a solo artist.
I have excellent relative pitch that I developed from years of practice. I do NOT have perfect pitch. If you were to go up to a piano and play a random note, I could guess it within a few semitones (on a good day!)
There are many guitar related pitches that I can identify immediately, such as the open strings, etc. And I can pretty much identify any E note when I hear it. I can do this because I have trained myself to do it. I was not born with perfect pitch, and even though some say it can be taught or learned, I do not believe that is the case. I think the odds are something like 1 in 10,000 that are born with it. (maybe more or less)
You can use hands on training to help yourself get better at this. Take a one octave major scale and play every interval within it. Do this over and over until you can readily distinguish the different intervals. Be sure to include minor and diminished intervals.
Obviously some are very easy to identify. Intervals like 4ths, 5ths, and octaves are easy. Major 3rds and major 7ths are pretty easy too. Once you can easily hear these than the rest become much easier to discern.
One thing that can help is to play AND sing the interval simultaneously. For some reason this helps to "burn" the sound of these intervals into your head.
The more you practice this the better you will get. You should also practice identifying chord qualities. Start with major, minor, and seventh chords initially, and then add major 7ths and minor 7ths and diminished and half diminished voicings. The actual letter name is not necessary, but try to discern the quality of the chord. Do this all over the neck because it is important to hear these sounds in different ranges.
Most guitarists have very good relative pitch, but they do not know how to express it correctly. As guitarists we learn the majority of what we know by listening and trying to figure it out. This is a great way to develop relative pitch. I would venture to say that most guitarists have a better sense of relative pitch than other musicians, because we rely on it much more than a musician who relies on sheet music to learn a piece of music.
Unfortunately, most guitarists do not put forth the effort to learn about intervals and ear training and basic musicianship. There are many self taught guitarists who have great ears, but cannot tell you the difference between a major and minor scale.
You seem to be doing your part in learning more about music and musicianship. Keep up the good work and try the practice techniques that I have told you about. You too will eventually develop a great sense of relative pitch and maybe go on to cultivate that elusive perfect pitch!
Good Luck!
How can I write romantic piano music?
Q. I want to write a song for someone special so...
I want to write the kind of music Yiruma and Chopin make... What kind of scale is used?
Major? Minor (Natural Harmonic or Melodic...). And are there specific chord/chord progressions?
Interval that pertain to romantic type music?
Is dissonance useful to romantic music?
What other elements make for romantic music?
A. there's no formula for writing any certain kind of music. (except maybe pop music given the number of "four chord songs" haha)
but the best way to learn how is to study the music of others. romantic music, however, typically contains modulations to keys related by 3rds. it also features a lot more chromatic submediants and mode mixture than previous time periods, and just more chromaticism in general (especially in russian romantic music)
also romantic piano music more often features voices moving in parallel octaves than previous piano/keyboard music. this is usually seen when the bass voice is doubled, and/or in right hand chords where the pinky and thumb double the melody. here, the other fingers typically fill in the rest of the notes of the chord (this can sometimes be seen in left hand parts too, but not as often as it sounds muddier in lower voices)
Is it possible to learn to play the piano by ear?
Q. I've been taking piano lessons for 12 yrs... since 1st grade. Would it be possible to learn to play by ear or is that just something some people can do and some can't? And if so, then how can I learn to play by ear?
A. You need to develop a sense of relative pitch, something we are all born with but most of us begin to lose by 5-6 years of age because we develop a different sense of learning at that point. Relative pitch is being able to hear each note as a specific color rather than just being higher or lower and heard as a different shade. This ability can be developed with ear training. Try listening to a catchy melody and then plinking it out on the keyboard. Also learn to play a learned melody in different keys. There are free programs available on the net that test your ability to identify important intervals like major and minor 3rds and 5ths that make up chords. Eventually the ear training will develop enough to make you comfortable to play by ear.
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Title : How many people who play instruments hear intervals and have perfect pitch?
Description : Q. Hi I can hear a few intervals from time to time and don't have perfect pitch I am trying to develop these but its really hard. It...