New to Jazz Guitar? re: Ear training

[P_Jay]

THE IMPORTANCE OF EAR TRAINING

Somewhere down the road you'll be realising you can't figure out how to play a line you want to learn because you can't figure out where to play it because you don't know the fretboard inside out or the sounds of the notes and intervals.

Jazz is ear music.

Try this: Fret a note say, C on the 8th, low E. Close your eyes and hum the note as you play it, quite strong so it rings out. Say, 'C' in your head. Then fret a Db on the A string 4th fret (stretchy is good) with the C and pluck them both alternately and together, and hum them each listening very carefully to the interval. In your head say 'C' and 'Db' and, 'minor second'.

Also take note of the dissonance and what that conjures up in your head (murder, chaos, casual violence). Recognise the emotional value to you of each interval.

Do this for each note and interval, humming and naming; C/Db, C/D, C/Eb, minor second, major second, minor third etc. keeping the C on the 8th and fretting the interval chromatically in the chosen key up the fretboard and then stop when you're done.

Things might get a bit hairy with the minor and major 7th on the A string so move to the D. Positioning the intervals is in the end up to you. In any case it should take no more than about ten minutes.

On the issue of duration per practice sub routine, don't overcook it. Give chord exercises their proper place and don't forget when you read a book you're not playing your instrument. You have a lot to learn and 'chunking' the information psychologists will tell you is more efficient for learning than long stints in one corner of the fretboard.

If you do the abovementioned exercise for 12 days (cycle of 5ths?) you can cover every key signature and significantly expand your knowledge of the fretboard, the names of the notes, the tones and the intervals and aid your future learning of tunes.

And it's completely free.