Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2000-01-28 08:56
Well, the good news is that you CAN play by ear. You proved that with the simple tunes that you did from the web page.
As for more complicated tunes, can you give me some examples? America the Beautiful, for example, has only one accidental, but it's a sharp 'one' and that's hard for beginners to hear.
Let's look at a couple of quick points...
1. It's okay to make mistakes. (the sooner you get them out of the way, the better!) This is something we hack at.
2. Even if you are experienced at this, you have to be familiar enough with the song to be comfortable singing it. (I don't mean that you have to sing it beautifully--just able to hit the pitches...kinda like Rosanne Barr singing the Star Spangled Banner <g>)
3. Guessing at what buttons to push can be a major distraction. When you keep hitting the deadly clam, try the following: Play what you know, and sing the note that you need. Then just match the pitch on your instrument.
You'll go through several stages of ability. You're already well into the first stage if you can play the really simple stuff in multiple keys. Knowing your scales is a major advantage. Then, you'll be able to sing the song to yourself, and think of what scale elements the notes are. In the final stage (I can only presune it's final) you're very comfortable with basic scale skills in all 12 keys. Each scale element has a 'feel' to it, and you are able to apply what you hear to your fingers with a minimum of thought.
Be patient. I doubt that your kids did it overnight. I know I didn't.
Allen
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The Clarinet BBoard
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