Yeah, that stuff works (albeit slowly), but you should memorize your intervals. I don't mean that bull**** of singing the first two notes of frosty the snowman; I mean really memorize your intervals.

The key to it is this: if you can recreate a specific sound (e.g., major 3rd) with no instrument cold (e.g, just got out of bed and sing a specific interval), you know how it sounds.

Start with perfect 5ths. Tune your geetar up, and go to the lowest note you can sing. Play it and sing it, and then play a 5th higher and sing that. Sing the words Perfect (low note) Fifth (high note), G (low note) D (high note). Like this:

Perfect(low note) fifth(high note)
perfect(low note) fifth(high note)
G(low note) D(high note)
G(low note) D(high note)

Then sing it backwards:

Perfect(high note) fifth(low note)
perfect(high note) fifth(low note)
D(high note) G(low note)
D(high note) G(low note)

Now move up chromatically up the neck (G# D#, A E, A# E#). Go all the way up an octave singing non-natural notes as sharps; then sing the entire exercise backwards, using flats for the note names.

This does a few things:
1) you memorize what notes comprise a perfect 5th interval, both as sharps and flats
2) singing the interval name solidifies the sound with the name of the interval (perfect 5th)
3) memorize what shapes sound like on the guitar

Spend 20 minutes a day on this. After a week, you should just be able to spring out of bed and sing a 5th. You should also be able to have someone play a pitch and immediately sing a 5th higher or lower from that pitch. If you can't, keep doing it until you can (i.e., everyone picks things up at a different pace).

Then do 4ths. Then 3rds. Start with that.

i agree that learning your intervals is key to great ear training, but don't agree that the use of songs to start is wrong. it gives you a familiar point of reference to begin that you would struggle to gain trying to learn the sound of the interval. i.e. the perfect 5th you are talking about is the first two notes of the top gun theme or twinkle twinkle little star. you do learn the sound of the interval, but it gives you a starting place your ear probably already knows.

My point is you don't need a point of reference if you practice your intervals properly. Sure, if you want to cram for an interval test at school songs are great, but short of someone having ears of stone, singing a fifth for 20 minutes a day (ascending and descending) would give total mastery of the interval.

The problem is many schools don't teach a system of how to practice intervals. They give you the wedding march and say it's a perfect 4th. Then kids donk around with a fourth a bit on the piano and think they have it memorized. Then they hear an interval and try to sing the pitches and identify a song - a crutch.

Anyone capable of singing top gun can sit down and sing a fifth 20 minutes a day in every key. After a while the ears will unlock. It's a longer process, but it's a complete one. If someone wants to use twinkle twinkle little star, so be it, but if they sing that song using the practice outline I gave, they will find themselves not relating to the song after a short while and probably deem it an unnecessary step after a few intervals are mastered. I'm not saying it doesn't work, though.

it is a starting point for sure. can't be relied on for long and one must actually hear the interval. think we are kind of arguing the same point though. a means to the same end if you will.

hurry. i HAVE to know what note a dial tone is. stat!!

This is Brett Papa. He taught me to play when I was a kid. He's got a lot of good videos that would help with lead guitar imo.

What about good warmups or exercises to improve my technical skills? I'm deficient in both theory and technique, and I think the best way for me to improve is to start hammering out the fundamentals.

I have been playing, but one of my problems is that the material is overwhelming. I need to carve out a schedule for myself, maybe something like this:

15 min warmup/finger exercises
15 min scales, note identification, ear exercises
30 min solo practice (I have a loop device that I can play over which is nice)

I also want to spend time on songwriting, learning covers, and messing around with chord progressions

has anyone tried messing with Rocksmith? - Thinking of giving it a try when it comes out on PC and I got $70

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocksmith

sorta like guitar hero with real instruments -

RB

i play this. not as much as i did when it first came out, but i love it. it doesn't do a whole lot for teaching technique (at least not for me), but is great for helping with some finger independence and coordination. plus it is just fun.

four note pattern, six strings. Four fingers. Index, middle, ring, pinky. Alternate picking. down up down up down up down up.


hiE ---------------------------------------1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2
B---------------------------------1-2-3-4-----------------5-4-3-2
G-------------------------1-2-3-4--------------------------------5-4-3-2
D-------------------1-2-3-4------------------------------------
A---------1-2-3-4
loE-1-2-3-4


hiE----
B--------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------.-.-.-.-.-.-.
D------------------------------------3-4-5-6
A-----5-4-3-2----------------3-4-5-6
loE-----------5-4-3-2-3-4-5-6



you start at the bottom and play four notes on each string, down up down up down up down up picking, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger, then when you get up to the high E, slide your pinky (and whole hand) up a fret and descend pinky, ring, middle, index, then get down to the low E and slide up, you get the jest ...



ease into this and the more you do it, you'll be able to go up and up and up the neck and then back down. This will give you good technical skills for lead guitar