Training your ears

[ReWolf]

Is there any way to train yr years properly? Until now i couldnt really hear much difference between a alder strat and ash strat unless i play one after the other yeah. I see alot people could tune their guitar without any tuner and could notice it once if the intonation is slightly off. And on the EQ, i seen pp that actually move the knobs so little that i can barely hear any differences, but they claim that there are difference (the gap difference i could't hear is probably 1/8 of a round before i can hear any differences). How do you guys train that? Just plainly by playing a guitar and experince and u can do that (lesh say a guy struck in his room for 7 years with his tgm guitar can he do that)? Seriously until now i couldnt really differentiate a lousy sounding guitar and a great sounding, sometimes i even find some lousier pickups more attracting to me. For example powersound vs infinite, i rather find powersound more attractive (yes i own 2 models, 2 s470, one 2004, one 2005).

[wallie!]

tuning without a tuner?

pretty simple, play a chord and its easy to pick up with one is out, as long as you have at least 1 string tuned

[Pleuvra]

You just learn through experience, the more you hear the notes that your guitar gives when you play a chord or all of the open strings when it's in tune, the more you will be able to recognise when the strings are out of tune. It just develops with your playing, but remember never to practice with an out of tune guitar. As for guitar tone, it's the same thing.

Try to imagine the sound in your head like when you remember a sond, and that helps significantly, I think.

[vette6600]

Originally Posted by Pleuvra

never to practice with an out of tune guitar

very very true. i second that. try to sing whatever you play also. i think there was just a thread about this same topic. check back to some earlier threads.

[gu1tar]

It just comes with experience. There is no secret or rushing it. And it depends a lot on how much you play/practice. The people you see doing what you describe are likely professional musicians or have many years of experience to do that.

If you just play once in a while for recreation, it's going to be a long time coming to get there if at all. I used to wonder how it was done as well; not that I'm good at it either, I'm just better than I used to be. There are tuning tricks though that you should learn. Many pros can tune the strings to each other quite easily so you only need to know that one or more strings is already in tune. And a pro could hear another instrument or the radio or a CD and tune one note/string to that and go from there. I've never seen a pro who didn't have a tuner but if you know one or more strings are in tune, it's not hard to get the others close to dead-on.

As far as pickups/amps go, everyone's hearing is different. Don't feel that you have to or should like something because a lot of other people do. Keep in mind that your tastes will also change as you get older as will your discernment for different sounds. I see kids in the music store who listen to some noisy horrible amp (to my ears) and they think it's great. And I liked amps when I was younger and look back and go "what was I thinking?". I think that in a given age group the opinions won't vary that much but I've never taken an official poll.

Let's say someone worships Zakk Wylde or a metal band and loves their sound and thinks that EMG active pickups are the greatest things ever. For the sound they are going for they are right. But a professional musician who usually has to play a variety of things or may not be into that style of music will out of necessicy have much different tastes in pickups and amps. This is why pros usually have different guitars and amps as well.

Remember, if it sounds good to you, it is good until you decide differently. I can guarantee that your tastes will change over time though.