THE MUSICAL EAR | Ear Training for Musicians, with Julian Bradley

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Welcome to Julian Bradley's ear training podcast for musicians! Learn to play music by ear using proven practice methods, while avoiding common mistakes that many musicians make. Episodes include ear training practice at the piano, college style ear training tests, and Q+A sessions to help you learn to play music by ear. Julian is a jazz pianist from the U.K. and has a masters degree in music. All episodes are based on Julian's 'Fixed Key Learning' method - where musicians transcribe all songs in the same key (we use C minor). This way you'll learn to spot the common melodic shapes and chord progressions that most songs use, without the distraction of changing keys for every song. Topics include: how to play piano by ear, relative pitch lessons, chord progression ear training, guitar ear training, how to play guitar by ear, and much more!

Julian Bradley


    • May 8, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 13m AVG DURATION
    • 8 EPISODES


    Latest episodes from THE MUSICAL EAR | Ear Training for Musicians, with Julian Bradley

    Common Chord Progressions Lesson (why playing music by ear is easier than you think)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2020 16:28


    Most songs you hear on the radio use the same chord progressions as each other. In fact there's just 4 chords that make up most song's chord progressions.In this episode I'll show you the most useful 'common chord progression' there is for playing music by ear. Once you know this progression, you'll start hearing it everyday in the songs you listen to.Topics include chord progression ear training, transcribing bass lines by ear, the 4 pop chords, and more.Watch Julian's free ear training video series (4 videos) here:https://www.themusicalear.com/podcast/

    Common Melodic Shapes Lesson (why playing music by ear is easier than you think)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2020 10:31


    Most songs you hear on the radio use the same melodic shapes and chord progressions as each other. In fact there's just 5 notes that make up most melodies.In this episode I'll show you the most useful 'common melodic shape' there is for playing music by ear. Once you know this shape, you'll start hearing it in the vast majority of songs you hear. Hearing this distinctive shape in a melody is an easy way to figure out which notes are being played - and then you just have to keep track of the melody wherever it moves next.Topics include the pentatonic scale, intervals, common melodic shapes, and more.Watch Julian's free ear training video series (4 videos) here:https://www.themusicalear.com/podcast/

    Ear Training Test at the Piano: 'Shape Of You' in C minor

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2020 17:08


    Put your ear to the test as we transcribe the song 'Shape Of You' by ear. I'll play an excerpt at the piano (played in the key of C minor). We'll transcribe the melody and chord progression together.Topics include the pentatonic scale, common melodic shapes, intervals, chord progressions, and more.Watch Julian's free ear training video series (4 videos) here:https://www.themusicalear.com/podcast/

    Ear Training Test at the Piano: 'The Terminator' Theme

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2020 15:33


    Put your ear to the test as we transcribe 'The Terminator' soundtrack. I'll play an excerpt at the piano (played in the key of C minor). We'll transcribe the melody and chord progression together.Topics include 'the melody / chord relationship', common chord progressions, interval recognition, and more.For more ear training tutorials, watch my free ear training video series (4 videos) here:https://www.themusicalear.com/podcast/

    Ear Training Test at the Piano: 'In The End' by Linkin Park

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2020 20:57


    Put your ear to the test as we transcribe 'In The End' by ear. I'll play you the melody and chords at the piano (played in the key of C minor).Topics include 'common melodic shapes', chord progression ear training, how to transcribe a bass line by ear, interval recognition, and more.Watch Julian's free ear training video series (4 videos) here:https://www.themusicalear.com/podcast/

    001. 'Fixed Key Learning' Explained (the secret to playing music by ear)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2020 8:58


    Discover why most musicians never learn to play music by ear, and the one tweak to your practice that makes all the difference.Julian shares how he learned to play music by ear by doing something counter intuitive - instead of 'practicing in all 12 keys' as we're often taught, he decided to double down on ONE key, which he focused on and studied for 2 years. During this time he learned to play music by ear very quickly, since he transcribed every song in the same key.Free Ear Training Videos:Watch Julian's 4 part ear training video series to learn more - Sign up here.

    002. How to Practice Playing by Ear (the secret to playing music by ear)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2020 6:55


    Most musicians fail at ear training because they practice it the wrong way. In this episode we outline a very clear effective method to practice ear training.Julian continues to share his own path to ear training success.This episode is ideal for piano players, guitarists, singers, and relevant to all instruments.Free Ear Training Videos: Watch Julian's 4 part ear training video series to learn more - Sign up here.

    003. Julian Bradley's Origin Story: How I went from struggling at music, to gaining my masters degree

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2020 10:18


    Julian shares how he went from being a shy, struggling music student - who lacked confidence in music classes, avoided putting his hand up in class, and even failed an end of year music exam...To completing his masters degree in music, and making a full time living teaching thousands of musicians world wide.Free Ear Training Video Series:For more ear training advice, watch Julian's 4-part ear training video course. Sign up here.

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