Great questions.

Initially, back in my college years when I first was introduced to ear training, I actually had the feeling that it made my improvising worse. But just because my listening skills in fact did improve and I started to recognize the crap I was playing.

Seriously though, it has helped me tremendously. I noticed that it made my phrasing more melodic. Instead of having to rely on (visually oriented) fingering patterns, I started to rely on my ears instead and savor each individual note for its own flavor, character and sound.

Listening to oneself while playing — what a concept, huh?

The hardest part about ear training is just to get started with a regular routine. Long sessions just tire the ears and are counterproductive. 5–10 minutes of dedicated practice is plenty and even such short sessions do add up over time.

Once the basics are ingrained, pretty much all musical activities turn into ear training. Listening to recordings, the radio, live bands, or even yourself playing — you’ll notice things and constantly make musical discoveries.

I think that the biggest benefit of developing one’s ears is the confidence. When you don’t stumble around anymore searching for the sounds, but when you are able to play what you hear in your mind’s ear.

I have to confess, I’m not 100% there yet — and that’s exactly why I do the Functional Ear Trainer exercises I’ve described.

Thanks for stopping by.

I’d be interested to know if you feel your ear-training work has helped you in your improvising and if so, how specifically?

What would you say the main benefits of ear-training are and how much would you recommend beginning players focus on this area?

I’m really interested in other musicians’ opinions on this so anybody else please feel free to reply with answers too.

Thanks

It really is a quality piece of software that I actually would pay for because of the tremendous results it can give you.

Despite the perceived simplicity you can tailor the settings according to your needs and your current ear level.

Any questions or help needed, just let me know.

Thanks for the comment.

Marko

To me ear training really is in the middle of art and science. The frequencies and intervals represent the scientific side, but how you develop your personal access to quickly recognize those sounds and interval colors is the art.

Unfortunately, I can’t give you a time frame for that. But you’ve already found the solution: patience and focusing on the basics first.

I can promise you that with regular practice of just a few minutes/day you’ll quickly see measurable improvements, both indicated by your FET scores as well as how you perceive music in everyday life.

And that’s what counts, anyways.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Take care,
Marko

You’ve scored more than 97% with all the chromatic notes?? That’s impressive. After reading your 2 articles about functional ear training I’ve downloaded the software and got my a§$ kicked.

I guess I just need patience and follow the steps by focusing on the 7 diatonic notes first.

Any estimate on how long it takes to master the diatonic notes?

Thanks,
Jeff