In keeping with the use of this blog as a motivational tool for myself, i'm going to attempt to document my journey as an improving guitarist. I'm already familiar with the theory and practical knowledge of improvising, this is just the documenting of where I am at currently, moving forward.

 

Looking back over the years on my guitar playing, I can easily say that my focus on what I wanted of myself as a musician has shifted time and time again. But there is one thing that i've always wanted to improve on... my aural skills (ear training).

 

For those of you who may not know, the major benefit of aural skills is the ability to quickly identify or reproduce any music that your hear either in your head or being played around you. It is the simplest, most important skill for any musician.

 

I can testify that in all the years of playing guitar, I didn't quite feel like a "musician" until I got into practicing my ear. It was admittedly frustrating to work on at the start, but the day I realized I was beginning to figure out simple chords to songs without referencing a chord chart was the day it all changed for me.

 

I recently watched a vlog from a very talented fusion guitarist called Martin Miller. One thing he spoke about, is the need to consistently practice one's ear. And the constant practice of very fundamental concepts. As I write this blog i've only just finished downloading his "Improvisation Masterclass Vol 1" lesson that I purchased off of jamtrackcentral.com. I will see if I can use his ideas and exercises coupled with a few others from other lessons, to come up with a practice routine for myself.

 

Until I sort that out, the immediate goal is to build a practice habit. So my quota is to practice ear training every day for at least twenty minutes over the next four weeks.

 

Let's see how it goes.