Close your eyes and focus on the sound of the root.Step one is ingraining the distinct sound of the root in your ear. Since we are dealing with a blues, letвЂ™s start with the sound of the root on a V7 chord. This isnвЂ™t an intellectual exercise or a theory exercise, itвЂ™s a sound that you need to have ingrained in your ear. And if you focus on the right things your ear will improve faster than you think.ДЇor the test above, it all starts with knowing what the root sounds like on each chord. In the practice room you have as much time as you need. You may have only one chance to hear the chord progression or melody in a performance, but hereвЂ™s the good newsвЂ¦

You actually have to hear the note or chord tone in your head and you have be able to produce that sound with your voice. When youвЂ™re singing everything depends on your ears. You canвЂ™t press a button and have the note automatically come out or use a scale to ensure that youвЂ™re playing the right notes. You canвЂ™t hide behind your instrument and music theory. To be a successful soloist your ear has to be at the level where you can pick out the most important information right away. There are horn players playing the melody and soloingвЂ¦ In live performance there is a rhythm section with walking bass lines, moving chords and interactive time. However, thatвЂ™s not how you encounter these sounds in the real world. ItвЂ™s one thing to test an interval in the classroom or to listen to one chord at a time. It sounds like an easy exercise ( I mean itвЂ™s just the root!)вЂ¦Д«ut the truth is that many musicians struggling to improvise canвЂ™t do this exercise. Without knowing the key or using an instrument, you have to sing the root of each chord using just your ear.Д¬ould you do it? ItвЂ™s harder than it sounds

Listen to the melody until Miles solo starts (:20 sec).

Take the tune TraneвЂ™s Blues from the Miles Davis album WorkinвЂ™. So think about your own ears вЂ“ would they pass the test in live performance?ДonвЂ™t wait until itвЂ™s too late to find outвЂ¦ LetвЂ™s start with a test Most players have never asked themselves this question and they get the answer at the worst possible time: on stage in front of an audience. Sure, you might have an ear training class under your belt and you may be able to identify each interval on a quiz, but are you ready to start improvising with your ear alone? вЂ¦but itвЂ™s another thing entirely to get on stage with the confidence that you can hear anything that comes your way. ItвЂ™s one thing to talk about ear training and connecting your ears to your instrument. You keep thinking вЂњ Can I pull this off?вЂќ Well it all depends on one question: How good are your ears? All you know is that you need to start your solo as soon as the melody endsвЂ¦ But thereвЂ™s just one problem вЂ“ you donвЂ™t know the key of the song and you donвЂ™t know the chords. And your heart is beating a mile a minute. In a few moments itвЂ™ll be your turn to walk into the spotlight to take a solo.

Ear practice exam