Any jazz musician can tell you that much of the time spent in the practice room is devoted to ear training. To improvise requires being able to hear the harmony of a tune, and jazz harmony can get pretty complex and knotty. The best ear training takes place on the bandstand, but jazz education programs can teach basic skills to make the process easier. Now, thanks to certain podcasts and websites, you can develop these skills from the comfort of your own home.
Check out this podcast by New York-based drummer Dan Wolf (full disclosure: Dan is a friend of mine). It's one of the best online jazz ear training programs I've come across so far. It starts very simply, drilling basic intervals and chord qualities, and gradually increases in difficulty and complexity.
Please share links to more ear training podcasts or websites in the comments section of this post, so I can add them to the site's bank of jazz education resources.
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Comments
Hi,
Here’s an ear training tool that has several features for jazz musicians including jazz lick melodies, random chord progressions, and a rhythm section feature:
http://www.iwasdoingallright.com/tools/ear_training/main/
-Rick
Your welcome to listen to some of my jazz and blues tunes.
My mp3 compositions and gig recordings are free to download at http://www.linnebachmusic.net.tc/
Education pieces for the young pianist free to print
View my written scores, music articles and a couple of poems as well!
Some written works published here too. http://www.scribd.com/ronfranz
Interesting article about ear training.
Hi.. Cool article
There is another cool little free online ear training resource here:
http://www.earbeater.com/online-ear-training