Ear Training and Chord Changes
I'm a beginner with no musical background or ability and have progressed heaps on counting through a 12 bar blues, timing, tapping my heel. But i am struggling on really working out the chords by listening to a backing track. Some I can pick up and there is one at the moment where i know what chord I'm in by counting and I still cannot differentiate between a IV chord and a V chord. Also unless I have the backing track really loud whilst playing the harmonica, I cannot hear it.???
I've tried to just listen to the backing track to pick up the changes without counting; as was suggested by an expert(cannot remember who)
Can you suggest how I approach this?
I'm currently on LOA 1; trying to work on TB as I have been LP beforehand.
Loving your course and material. Very professional and comprehensive
Search facility on forum would be a fantastic improvement
Thanks
Tom
Tom:
Being mostly deaf in my right ear, I couldn't hear the metronome or the backing track while playing.
I discovered that the single ear bud supplied with the Wittner MT-60 Metronome is the ticket:
I plug the ear bud into my deaf ear, adjust volume of Metronome or backing track so that I can hear it and --
Hear myself playing harp in my left ear and hear the beat or backing track in my right ear.
Hello Tom, I'm glad that you're enjoying your studies.
This is a skill that will grow better as your training continues. Because you're not actually creating the chords on your instrument (like a guitarist), this is an area that is more vague and challenging to hear (this is why many harmonica players, at some point in their journey, learn to play another instrument of the band).
With this said, yes, you can improve this skill with practice.
I recommend you dig into the Accompaniment series of lessons now. As an accompanist, you'll be responsible for the form.
Also...
When starting a new song, listen to the entire song focused on the drums...listen many times until you can beatbox what you're hearing.
Then listen to the bass (good headphones, or speakers with good bass, will help)...again, until you can vocallize in a basic way what you're hearing.
Do the same for the guitar.
Do the same for the piano.
By focusing on each voice of the band, you then create a summed mental image of where the chord changes are, and how the instruments commonly pay pickups to help you out (sometimes this is very subtle, and other times very obvious).
In regards to hearing the difference between a IV or V chord... this wil be down the road. When you learn how to play arpeggiated chords on the harmonica (your bends have to be good... this is LOA-L6 level), then you can play what you KNOW to be a IV or V over the band to check what chord it is.
Make sense?