Why do unison and octave intervals sound the same?
Harmonic unison and octave intervals are difficult to distinguish. It can be frustrating when taking a quiz, but it does reflect a real musical challenge. The problem is that two notes an octave apart share the vast majority of the ‘overtones’ from which...
The Choir Who Can’t Sing (George Bevan)
Read the inspiring story of the choir who “couldn’t sing”. Learn how George Bevan got their ears tuned up and voices singing, then watch them in action!
Music Production Listening Skills: Timbre, Frequency, and Bass Drums
Do some audio frequency ear training and you’ll find it easier to mix percussion, choose the perfect drum kits for your tracks, and adjust their EQ in the mix.
How many octaves are there from 20Hz-20kHz?
The human hearing range is generally taken as being 20 Hertz to 20kHz, and so musicians might wonder: How many octaves is that? The answer: 10. Sound frequency doubles with each octave, so if we start from the lowest audible C note, “C0”, that’s at...
Solfeggio and Ear Training (Shelle Soelberg)
Solfeggio (do re mi) is a powerful tool but many musicians find it a confusing subject at first. Find out all about it and how it can improve your musical ear.
Melodic Dictation for the rest of us
Working out tunes by ear (“melodic dictation”) doesn’t need to be difficult or scary. These tips will help you conquer your fears and master melodic dictation.
How can I learn to recognize intervals?
Step One: Get up to speed on the basics Make sure you understand what intervals are and what you want to achieve. Step Two: Choose a method There are three popular approaches: Reference songs, solfege, and the “Nike method”. Reference Songs: Using tunes...
How to Learn Intervals
Interval ear training builds your relative pitch, one of the core skills of musicianship. There are three main approaches to how to learn intervals.
Open Your Ears to 60×60
In the Open Your Ears series we cover a wide range of music: from opera to electronica, from Björk to Tuvan throat singing. (seriously, if you haven’t heard about throat singing, you’re missing out!) But if you want to have your mind blown away minute-by-minute...
Fix The Mix: Don’t let a muddy sound ruin your tracks
A muddy sound can absolutely ruin a mix. But with the right kind of audio ear training and some tips and tricks, you can take your mix from average to awesome.
Life After Ear Training: A Drummer’s Tale
I would be lying if I said that ear training came easily to me. Like most percussionists I knew in college, rhythm exercises and sight singing were a breeze, but trying to transpose Mozart after three listens seemed like a torture specifically designed to punish those...
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