JFRocks Ear Training 101 Answer page

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Answer Title

Answer to Problem #3

Category

Single note patterns

Jeff's Guitar's tuning

Flat Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb

Guitar Jeff used

Humbucking pickup style (Kramer)

Key of

A minor (intended key)

Effects Jeff was using if any

light Reverb, Chorus Click for settings

Solution notes

For this one I gave you a lot of hints on purpose on the problem audio. Some of you I can tell are not listening to the whole audio problem. There is always a small lesson or some tips with the audio problem, so it's worth checking out usually.

No biggie either way. I was extremely impressed that 90% or so of the tabs that were submitted for this were either dead on or so close that it would have been a close enough situation.

This problem as with all of the problems on the ear training page are intentional. I don't do anything by mistake. I don't pick up a guitar that's not tuned perfectly flat by mistake. I don't forget the slide ins or grace notes in the slowed down version of something by accident.

Granted I never script anything but I do get plenty of time to stop while I'm recording and think about what I want to do.

I could do this ear training stuff a lot of different ways. I could make it so perfect, meaning, I could make everything a standard tuning with no reverb and easy to follow riffs or solos that stay in scale if I wanted to. But I ask you, is that the real world?? Is that how songs go in the real world on real CDs that you have in your real collection?? The answer is NO it's not how things go. There are Led Zep tunes where Jimmy page is tuned 30 cents off of standard tuning. If you can't deduce the tuning of a song then you will play songs that have these off tunings in the wrong key and using positions that don't allow for open strings. And in some case in keys and positions that make the song impossible to perform based on the laws of physics allotted to us here in this universe that we live in. lol

The point of this lesson was to give you a chance to pick out single notes and get the pitches right and the direction they were going in correct. Also to deduce the tuning, and also to use a process called association to figure things out quickly.

The hint that I gave for this example was that the opening first few notes are the same as or similar sounding to a certain V.H. song. That song of course was Ain't Talkin' Bout Love from V.H.'s debut CD.

Association is a fast way to at least get part of a song. I will go into more detail on this topic on the video lesson for this problem answer.

I enjoyed all the submissions that came in for this, all I ask is that people remember that of course I'm trying to trick you. But I'm not doing it to be a jerk or to be cute or anything. I'm doing it to put you in and give you real world situations and not sugar coat how to learn songs and figure out solos and riffs.

Video Lesson

"Actual" TABS for the problem

Main Riff

Palm mute slightly

E____________________________________________
B_________0-1________________________________
G______2_________2________0_2~~_--1--0________
D____2_________2___2__2--3___________________
A__0________________________________________
E___________________________________________

On the bend 1/2 step or 1 step was more than acceptable. I did just shy of 1 step but then if I played it 10 times some might be 1 step and some might be a half step. How ever you want to slice it most of you got that it was a slow or lazy kind of creeping bend. I call them creepers in my own head when I want to throw one in.

E____________________________0________________________
B_________0-1___________________3^^gradual bend^3/4~_________
G______2_________2_______2____________________________
D____2_________2___2__1_______________________________
A__0__________________________________________________
E_____________________________________________________

E____________________________0________________________
B_________0-1___________________3^^gradual bend^1/2^^1~______
G______2_________2_______2____________________________
D____2_________2___2__1_______________________________
A__0__________________________________________________
E_____________________________________________________