5 Important Tips to Improve Note Recognition

Ears are needed to perceive and play music. Therefore, a good musician needs to have a fantastic ear. The better your ear gets, the better musician you become. Here are five things that every musician should practice to improve note recognition.

Learn and Sing solfege of Your Favorite Tunes.

We all have our favorite music and songs we have loved since childhood. If you listen carefully, many of these songs have relatively simple melodies that can be hummed easily. Instead of humming them, I recommend sitting with any piece and figuring out the solfege. Once you know the solfege, sing it as you hum any other song. You can do this while walking on the street, bathing, driving, etc., anywhere. Soon, you will find out your interval and note recognition will improve, and you will start noticing similarities in the tunes of various songs. This will, in turn, increase your transcribing and playing ability as well.

Practice Singing at Random Intervals

While walking, driving, or bathing, there is a lot of ideal time when your mind is on automatic mode. Singing random intervals like Do-So, Mi-Le, etc., while doing such activities can significantly enhance your note-recognition ability. Doing this for an extended period will form strong interval relationships in your subconscious mind. This will, in turn, make you consciously hear these intervals while listening to songs. You are thus achieving better ears.

Singing Without Solfege

Singing tunes without solfege is good practice once you start getting the notes in your head. Using solfege gets your brain to think about intervals, and you slowly begin recognizing letters internally. After this, when you try to sing notes using 'la la la' or 'a', you internally know what messages and intervals you are singing. Hence making you more aware of the gaps and note relationships.

Develop Internal Hearing

Internal hearing is a critical practice that almost everyone in the musician's community strives to achieve. Listening to notes and intervals in your head is an ability that comes with practice. One thing you can do is to 'think before you sing.' This means that while practicing ear training, especially intervals, you should always hear the note in your head first and then try to get it out through your voice. This forces your brain to think hard and get it right. This will not come in one day; it will take a few years or months, depending upon your ability and practice time, but once it happens, it will be natural and effortless.

Transcribe

Solfege, internal hearing, singing without solfege; all these things will come in handy if you start transcribing. Transcribing music will help you understand note relationships better and push your mind to understand quick notes. The more you transcribe, the more you start recognizing patterns, and the stronger your note recognition will become.

Conclusion

Note recognition is a skill that takes time and effort. There are no shortcuts. Perseverance is the key. Daily giving small chunks of time can drastically improve your skill level and yield excellent results. Good luck, and keep listening :)