Ear Training For Jazz Musicians

Jazz is a musical style that encourages the development of advanced ear training skills in order for the musicians to navigate its sophisticated harmonic structures, extensive improvisational techniques, rhythmic variety, and stylistic nuances.

In this article you will gather insights into effective strategies, valuable exercises, and the right mindset to start developing valuable ear training skills with the specific goal of preparing yourself for the challenges jazz music will naturally present you with. Finally, you will learn how the Use Your Ear method can guide you through your ear training journey and help you reach your musical goals.

What is ear training?

Ear training is an area of musical studies that focuses on improving the ability to identify musical elements exclusively by ear. The musician who possesses great ear training skills is able to recognize notes, chords, chord progressions, scales, and other fundamental musical elements solely by ear. With proper training and consistent practice, anyone can develop a great ear and use it to reach higher levels of musicality and creativity.

The importance of ear training for jazz musicians

If you are an aspiring or intermediate jazz musician, developing your ear training skills should be of paramount importance. The more refined your ear is, the more you will find yourself at ease within the aesthetics of this music. Jazz is characterized by rich harmonies, elaborate melodies, complex rhythms, and many sub-genres. For these reasons, jazz requires musicians to display improvisational skills, deep knowledge of harmony, melodic creativity, and a great understanding of stylistic nuances. Ear training skills are at the foundation of all these musical and intellectual abilities.

One of the most exciting aspects of a jazz performance is the interplay among the musicians and their ability to create a collective and spontaneous flow of musical ideas while deeply listening to one another. In order to achieve such a level of conversational music-making, the players have to possess great relative pitch skills so that they can react to what is happening musically at any particular moment of the performance. Ear training for jazz musicians is one of the most important skill sets that aids the development of this incredible craft.

In addition, jazz has influenced many other musical genres, so the practice of ear training for jazz musicians will naturally be beneficial for any other genre you aspire to play and improve upon.

Effective vs ineffective types of ear training for Jazz musicians

A large portion of the standard jazz repertoire consists of compositions that are based on the framework of tonality. Although more advanced devices such as modulations, secondary dominants, modality, and borrowed chords are used, the core of the harmonic language in this music remains tonal. Therefore, the most effective way to train your ears to gradually excel in the styles of jazz is to work with an ear training method that is strongly grounded in tonality.

The advantage of working within the domain of tonality is that we accustom ourselves to the function each note or chord assumes within the tonality itself. In addition, we learn to recognize the distinct sensation or feeling each note/chord is characterized by. Over time and with proper training, we are able to intuitively identify the sound of notes and chords simply by hearing them because we have become familiar with their sound in relation to the context in which they are played. Immersing yourself in the framework of tonality is the most effective way to take your ear to the next level.

On the contrary, two of the most ineffective types of ear training for jazz musicians are interval ear training and ‘trial and error’. Although many apps and software make extensive use of interval recognition exercises as a valid ear training approach, the problem with this approach is that the intervals are presented outside of a tonal context.

Many scientific studies, including Krumhansl’s ‘The psychological representation of musical pitch in a tonal context’, have shown that our ability to identify pitch is entirely context-dependent. When we hear a series of intervals outside the tonal context, the process of identifying those pitches becomes much harder because they don’t sound musical to us. Other than inculcating cumbersome and inapplicable cognitive processes in musicians, interval-based ear training unintentionally demands students to perform excessively difficult tasks from the very beginning. This obviously does not produce the desired results, leaving musicians stuck and frustrated instead.

On the other hand, with the ‘trial and error’ approach, musicians go about identifying a pitch, melody, or chord by searching for that sound on their instrument. For example, after hearing a note, the musician will look for that note on a piano or guitar and, after several attempts, he or she will be able to pin down that specific sound. The problem with this approach is that musicians are actually depending 100% on their instrument to find a given sound rather than using their ears exclusively. The purpose of practicing ear training is to develop the ability to recognize musical fundamentals without the aid of an instrument. This is ultimately what allows musicians to enhance their musicality, creativity, and ability to interact with other musicians on the fly - essential skills for jazz musicians.

In conclusion, the ‘trial and error’ approach and the interval-based approach are not conducive to developing valuable and effective ear training skills for jazz musicians.

Ear training exercises for jazz musicians

The best way to tackle ear training for jazz musicians is to use a comprehensive method that will set solid foundations for developing the more advanced skills required to navigate the complexities of this musical style. It is important to focus on ear training exercises that will develop fundamental skills such as tonic retention, tonic recognition, identifying scale degrees, major and minor scales, and basic chord progressions. As these areas are gradually mastered, the student can progress to more advanced ear training skills such as recognizing complex harmonies, modulation, non-diatonic chords, symmetrical scales, chord substitutions, and the likes.

Most of the free material that is available online doesn’t take into consideration that ear training skills need to be developed in a step-by-step fashion and while focusing on the current level of the student. It is very common for students to be presented with challenging exercises from the very start, which creates confusion and a feeling of being overwhelmed. How is anyone supposed to recognize a complex chord structure with extensions and alterations without having previously mastered the recognition of basic diatonic triads? How is the student supposed to recognize and sing advanced modes of the melodic minor scale without being able to sing the major scale?

Before venturing into advanced ear training for jazz musicians, make sure to cover the basics by working with a method that is well grounded in tonal harmony. Once that is established. A great way to progress is to familiarize yourself with the sound of 7th chords and common chord progressions found in blues and jazz. Start by being able to sing the bass note of a given progression (such as the 12-bar blues or a classic jazz standard like Autumn Leaves) and work your way up to singing other chord tones such as thirds and sevenths. A tonal approach will guarantee that you will be able to identify such chord tones because of the previous groundwork that allowed you to learn the sensation or feeling of each scale degree in the first place. Gradually, you will be able to tackle more complex chord structures, chord sequences, and unusual bass movements.

Similarly, it is very important to have a strong understanding of the major scale and to be aware of the sensation of each note within the scale. So two very basic exercises to begin with are:

1. Learn to sing the major scale in ascending and descending order.
2. When you are comfortable singing the major scale, focus on learning to sing each degree of the major scale at will. For example, play a note on your instrument and consider it to be the tonic of a major scale, then sing the 5th degree of that scale, then sing the 2nd, then the 6th, etc. After singing each note, check on your instrument that you were actually singing the degrees you were supposed to be singing.

By doing so, you will lay the foundation to progress towards more advanced ear training for jazz musicians such as the ability to identify and sing the modes of the major scale, learning more complex scales such as diminished and altered scales, and becoming used to the application of chromaticism.

Key features of ear training for jazz musicians

A comprehensive ear training method for jazz musicians should foster the development of cognitive processes that are intuitive enough to be applicable in real-time when playing with other musicians.

The ultimate goal for a jazz musician is to develop a fluent improvisational style that is well rounded in melody, harmony, and rhythm. As we mentioned earlier, it is essential to learn the basic elements of traditional tonal harmony and focus on the progressive development of your ear training skills. Moreover, jazz musicians should follow a method that will expand their ability to transcribe music and to learn new material exclusively by ear.

Ear training tips for jazz musicians

One of the most important features found in accomplished jazz musicians is the very high level of relative pitch abilities they possess. Without a well-developed ear it is simply impossible to perform this style with competence, originality, and awareness of the individual’s contribution within the collective sound of the ensemble.

Jazz musicians keep working on the development of their ears throughout their life. Similarly, you should focus on making ear training an integral part of your daily practice schedule and focus on all musical areas that you need to master in a gradual manner.

The two most important tips for jazz musicians are:

1. Follow a tonal approach to ear training. Thus, avoid interval-based ear training and the “trial & error” approach, as already explained in this post.
2. Follow an ear training method that is truly step-by-step and clearly explains to you what next skill to develop based on your current level. A great musical ear is built one-step at a time, you can’t learn to run without being able to walk. Not taking that into account is a common mistake that we see a lot of jazz musicians fall into.

Are you a jazz musician? We can help you develop great ear training skills from scratch

Many aspiring jazz musicians struggle to find an ear training method that is built on truly progressive strategies and that is delivered with clear instructions. At Use Your Ear we have developed the ultimate ear training method that is based on insightful scientific research and that is going to guide you toward the accomplishment of your musical goals.

Thanks to exercises and strategies that are tailored to the student’s specific level of abilities, you will learn the essential ear training skills that are important in the development of your understanding and internalization of the musical elements included in western tonal music. Our step-by-step methodology offers a new approach to ear training for jazz musicians and fosters the development of the skills that will allow you to improve your ability to transcribe, improvise, learn songs by ear, compose original music, and jam with other musicians. This path will greatly and positively affect your musicality, confidence, and competence.

Relative Pitch Video-Course

At Use Your Ear we have carefully designed a comprehensive video course that will progressively take you through the different stages of reaching a competent level of ear training skills. You will have access to eight hours of video lessons that are organized in 14 sections of study, covering all ear training sub-skills. This includes tonic retention, tonic recognition, pitch matching, melodic dictation, melodic retention, chord progression recognition, short-term musical memory, and much more. The depth of our course is ideal for developing the ear training competence that you will need to jam with other musicians.

You will receive thousands of files including pdf’s and audio exercises that are specifically tailored to different levels of expertise, from beginners to advanced. The material has been meticulously organized to keep students engaged and with a clear purpose in mind. You will be able to test your skills, understand your current level, and have a clear path forward. This guarantees an efficient and effective way of studying ear training and is sure to deliver noticeable results on a weekly basis and with consistency.

Join the community of thousands of students we have helped over the years and unlock your full musical potential thanks to the guidance offered by the Use Your Ear method.

Free Use Your Ear Workshop

To get a sample of the amazing material our course consists of, we have put together a 3 hour long workshop that is accessible for free. This is an amazing opportunity to get insights into the teaching approach we have designed and get access to some of the exercises and techniques that are fully employed in our full-length video course. On top of this, you will also receive two gifts that will allow you to train your ears effectively and while enjoying yourself.

You will learn how to monitor your progress and avoid wasting time on counterproductive approaches and exercises. You will be guided through the science-based studies and findings that are at the core of our innovative method. At Use Your Ear, we offer a new approach to ear training for jazz musicians and players of all levels.

Individual online lessons

A great way to make the most out of the ground-breaking learning method we have designed is by booking an individual online lesson with one of our talented and experienced teachers. This session will offer you the opportunity to diagnose your current level of ear training skills, provide you with the best strategy to overcome the hurdles you are experiencing, and set you on the right path with real-time feedback from our teacher.

In addition, you will learn unique and progressive exercises that will be specifically tailored to your current level and, if practiced consistently, are going to generate noticeable improvements on a weekly basis.

How our students learn to recognize melodies and

chords by ear in just a few months

Check out how our students go from zero to recognizing melodies and chord progressions by ear in a few months, following the Use Your Ear method.