Keep an Ear on the Road

Rockers!

You know I'm always railing on and on about the importance of ear training...It's like chefs knowing what's in the soup by tasting it. "I say, Pierre, this must be rosemary." That's an important skill to have!

Lately, some of my clients have been knockin' my socks off with their superior command of the skill of listening. I've got one dude who's just rockin' away figuring out Avenged Sevenfold songs and even some classical stuff by ear.

However much we'd all like to practice, or for that matter, know we should, time is at a premium. Driving along today, I invented a new way to practice ear training. It's bound to be world famous! Maybe.

I was rumblin' along in the Camaro, and...I heard the tires meeting the street. Haha, not the usual muscle car sounds of "screeeeeeeeeee vrooooooom!", but just 'em rolling along at 4o miles per hour, saying "Hello, Street, my name is Michelin."

I've always been a paranoid mechanic, and have listened incessantly to random engine noises..."Dude - think that's the engine pinging?"

Well - I thought - what a great way to practice both ear training, and awareness. Music is really about both. The more aware one is, the better the results.

So - listen to your car, and learn all the sounds! Not only is it good practice, it's good mechanics. And the cool thing is - the more you listen, the more you hear. Quick story for y'all (unfortunately, my student isn't showing up, so I'm rambling...)

A student gave me a cool alarm clock once...It was a drumset, and it would play a swing/big band song that went "Come on, wake up, daaa daaa da da da da daaaa da da, da da da da...." One morning, I was just so tired, and I dozed for a long time just listening to the darn thing. After about twenty minutes, through a groggy alpha state, I said to myself...."Hey man, there's a xlyphone part in there!" And so there was.

See! The more you listen, the more you hear.

But do get up on time.


- Josh