The BIGGEST skill you are NOT learning/practicing!
Would you like to be able to play any song you wanted to? How about be able to diagnose what’s wrong with your own guitar playing? Or even be able to know what part of song you’re messing up on?
Well if you would like to have that (and I’m sure all of us do) continue reading..
The skill that we need to learn is SO CRUCIAL to our guitar playing, it literally separates a good guitar player from a mediocre guitarist. And no it’s not music theory, it’s not learning how to read music notation, scales, developing amazing guitar technique, none of that! This skill is so important to your guitar playing, but so many guitar players don’t practice it at all. Many don’t practice it simply because they are unaware of it. Others think this is a skill that has to come naturally, either you have it or you don’t. But by reading this article you are on the right track to discovering the skill and developing it. And it’s not a skill that you must be born with. Yes SOME do have it naturally, but even people who haven’t developed it naturally can obtain this skill.
So what is the skill that we need to learn in order to learn any song we want, diagnose our playing problems and mistakes? The skill is called AURAL skills! Also known as ear training! Some people also know it as solfege. This skill is INCREDIBLY crucial to your guitar playing! When you hear of some of your favorite guitar players not knowing any music theory; Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, they didn’t know their music theory at all. They might not even be able to tell you the name of the chords they’re playing. But their aural skills are amazing!
In a biography I read about Jimi Hendrix, when Hendrix got his first guitar, he was obsessed with it. He would sit next to the radio and try and imitate everything he heard. He would eventually be able to play along to songs. And this was to radio. There was no rewinding, pausing, non of that. He heard it, remembered the way it sounded, and figured it out. And once it came back on he’d play it again.
Now one of the quickest ways to develop your hearing is just by listening to songs and trying to figure them out. But if you’re anything like me, it can also be the most frustrating way to develop you ear training.
So here are a few other ways you can develop your aural skills.
Match notes with your voice - If you can learn how to match a note with your voice, you’re on your way to developing great aural skills!
Learn a vocal melody on guitar, and sing along to it while playing it
Play scales on guitar and sing along with it
Sing along with your favorite artist, while making sure you’re singing on key
Make up your own melodies on guitar and sing along to them.
So there you have it! At least FIVE ways to develop your aural skills and take another huge step forward on your way to achieving success in your guitar playing! If you’d like to be guided on how you can learn to play guitar and achieve success in your guitar playing click here.