Technique, repertoire, tone, effects are all essential elements to being a good electric muscian. However the most important (in my opinion) yet most neglected is Ear Training and the skill of relative pitch. I don't pretend to be more than average in this area but have turned time to improving it, with both Band in a Box's ear training test facility and transcribing parts from cds. As soon as I became interested in the stick, I realised there would much less in the way of resources than for more common instruments so I would have to become much more adept at trascribing if I was to pick up ideas from listening to other players. The first song I worked on was Don Schiff's Ireland, and have done various bits of Rob's Jethro Tull covers, although with help from knowing the originals...

I suspected these thoughts might be pretty universal, but thought I'd see what everyone thought.
Has anyone figured out the riff that Greg does in the stick demo videos when he says "or your two hands could work together..." for some reason I just can't really hear whats going on, because of the sound or tone or something. It would be much appreciated if someone could shed some light on this powerful groove!

..Oh dear that was a long post...sorry

I am pretty hopeless at working any music out by listening to it, whatever instrument I am using. Especially bass playing. I just don't get how anyone can pick out bass lines from a song! I guess that solid theory an the ability to sing in tune helps a lot, but I have neither of those abilities. If I strum the intro to a song on guitar, I often struggle to come in on the right note!

Ear training is IMO pretty ... no VERY important. My mother is a classically trained pianist, use to give lessons. She can't play anything unless the sheet music is right in front of her though ... never trained her ear.
She would actually send me recordings of music she wanted to play in church so I could make simple charts for her. For me sight reading is a task because I'm so use to hearing - then playing that one or two times through a chart and I have it ... no more need for the chart. So my ear is trained but I'm a poor reader! And I'll admit my theory is weak. However in popular music I think the ear is more important because the sheet music you find for much of the popular music is a joke! You have to wonder who charted it!! In my experiences, as long as you can follow the Real Book you can pull off most gigs reading wise. .

Hi Thor
Great subject

The most powerful tool ever devised for "ear training" is solfege (do re mi...) I suggest that a sequential program of sight singing as well as harmonic and melodic siolfege is the best way to improve your ears. The reason why solfege is so powerful is because it teaches the "musical meaning" of note relationships as they relate to the resting tone or tonal center, In other word hot cross buns is recognizable in different keys because the Mi re Do relayionship to "Do" is always the same. each pitch has a particular sound within a tonality learn what those sounds are. There are many methods for ear training and sight singing I was trained with Edwin Gordon's "music learning theory" and there are some resourses for this at the GIML websight and at http://www.giamusic.com. There are many other merthods as well remember to study both major and minor tonalitys.

Brett

There is our friend Edwin Gordon popping up again. Absolutely great stuff. My children's piano teacher is even turned on to him now and in her Suzuki Method circles he is gaining rapid popularity. I heard he was recognized as one of the greatest influences of the last century musically (or something like that).

Of course, I learned of him for you Brett and am very thankful.

-Curtis

Good input guys! I reckon this could be a cool thread, as good aural skills are universally important unlike discussions of certain instrumental techniques which are always going to be synonymous with certain genres. I like to try various ways to improve how I 'hear' music. These may include transcribing (I spent my good friday morning annoying my parents who were off work by playing sections of ELP's Karnevil no. 9 over and over and over... but I got down a page's worth of music which I'm confident is pretty accurate. ) and singing intervals/arpeggios out loud - Thank heaven I walk in part through a quiet park area on my way into college. But speaking from experience don't do it when its cold....

Did we change subject here without me noticing??

Nope - strolling through the park singing major arpegios really brightens your day.....

Hi Thor,

It's not a verbatim transcription of it, but you can find the item in question here:
http://www.stickist.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&p=2891#p2891

I think I play a lot more low "F"s in the video version, but you should be able to get it from this.

And, no, the irony of that difference, in light of the thread subject, is NOT escaping me:)

Thanks alot Greg, I'll go through the audio footage I took from the video slowly with your notation and try and figure out the differences, that should be an exercise in itself. I'm really pleased, I think after getting into the idea of playing stick from seeing LTE/Dream Theater, it was that "powerful groove" that pushed me over the edge so to speak.
Now I know what its called, it begs the question: Is "Watchtower Groove" a reference to the death metal/jazz band of the same name that preceeded the band Cynic, as I know Sean Malone occassionally swops his basses for a stick.