In general, most guitarists do not understand the importance of ear training (also known as aural skills). Most of them usually jump into learning songs off tablatures or drilling themselves over and over again with speed exercises. As a result, they tend to neglect one of the most important aspects of being a great musician which is the ability to HEAR.

Ear training forms the foundation of proficient musicianship. It is important to build strong aural skills as it lays out the foundation for music development. After all, the purpose of playing music is to allow others or ourselves to enjoy hearing the music we play. How many of us can hear a piece of music and decipher it completely? I can make a bet with you that 90% of the guitarists in the world won't be able to do so. Can you imagine a painter who can't differentiate the different colours on his palette? How can a guitarist achieve mastery of the guitar when he can't even differentiate a C note from a D note?

Let me tell you a fact. The guitarist with better aural skills will be able to pick up techniques, rhythms, improvisation skills far better than a guitarist with weak hearing skills. On the other hand, a guitarist without good hearing skills may be able to play the most technical challenging solos in the world. But throw him a progression in a different key and he’ll be stumbled.

Here at GuitarPlayerWorld.com, ear training lessons are focused on 2 main areas : Relative pitch and Absolute pitch (perfect pitch). Relative pitch is the ability to identify intervals (major 2nd interval, minor 3rd intervals)  whereas absolute pitch is the ability to identify different pitches ( C note from D note).

Ear training lessons are provided to help you kickstart in training your ears in these 2 areas. The drills provided here can be repeated as much as possible to focus on getting your ear to hear. By taking the time to sit down and hear, you WILL see immediate improvements in your aural skills and overall guitar playing.

For those people who want to take ear training to very high levels, we would recommend you check out the review sections for the best solid and comprehensive education your ear will need.

Lesson 1: Open Your Ears - Intro to Ear Training

Lesson 2: Open Your Ears II - Intro to Ear Training