How to test a child's ear for music. How to determine if a child has an ear for music
“The elephant stepped on the ear ...” - people usually say who are sure that they have no ear for music. And they decided so because they don’t hit the notes while singing, or when learning to play the piano, they can’t pick up a melody by ear. They don't even know how wrong they are!
How to check musical ear? How do you know whether to get upset right away or wait a little? How to understand what needs to be worked on more and more intensively?
If you decide to take up music, but are afraid that you will not succeed due to a lack of hearing, and you will not be able to hear where you played correctly and where not, do not rush to get upset.
Hearing test methods
There are several proven ways to determine if you have ear for music or it just needs to be developed.
For example, ask someone to play one note. After listening to it, remember it, and then let them press the keys randomly until you hear the one that was played first. Repeat this several times. If you managed to guess the note by its sound, then everything is in order with your hearing. Or let them press the notes, but in different octaves, and you need to name them. Just do not hack, do not call at random. Otherwise, what's the point? Or you can try another option. For example, pick up a pencil and sit down at the table. The assistant silently taps some rhythm with a pencil, about 5-7 seconds, and you try to reproduce this rhythm as accurately as possible, maintaining all the pauses and duration. Repeat this 5-10 times, gradually complicating the pattern.
If you already know the basics of playing the piano, then a musical dictation will be useful to you. For starters, you can do this. You are played in turn single sounds in the octave where it will be convenient for you to sing. And you are trying to get your voice in unison with the sounds that you hear.
Once you've practiced this for a while, you'll move on to the most accurate way to test your ear for music. We open the notes for the first class and ask the assistant (it is especially good if this person owns the instrument) slowly, maintaining all the pauses and the duration of the notes, play a couple of measures. At this time, you write down what you hear in your notebook. After writing, checking and, seeing errors, if any, do your best to correct them in the future.
Don't give up if something doesn't work the first or second time. Everyone starts somewhere somewhere. Believe in yourself and in your abilities, more practice and training, and then success will definitely await you!
Hello dear readers. On this page you can test your ear for music using the "Online Solfeggio" block. Let's see how it works. In order to test your musical ear - click "Start". You can pre-select one of the five presented keys, as well as a mode. By default, the "note" mode and the key will be in C major.
You can guess one note - the "note" mode, guess five notes - the "test" mode, guess the interval - the "intervals" mode.
rice. 1
By clicking on the "Start" button, either a note or an interval will be played, in accordance with the mode that you have selected. Next, you need to select from the list which note/interval sounded (n) and click on the "Check" button.
If you guessed correctly, the sun sign will be displayed. If you select the test mode, you will be shown how many notes you guessed out of the proposed ones. By pressing the "Again" button, you can take the test again, select a different tone or mode.
You can also enable or disable the display of the correct note or interval in case you guessed wrong (by default - disabled) by clicking on the green square with the note in the lower left corner:
rice. 2
And here is the test itself - good luck.
Note Test Intervals Chords
About intervals
You will hear that the sound of all intervals is different, but you can divide them into several groups - some sound harsh and dissonant - this group is called sharp or dissonances, these include seconds (m2, b2), sevenths (m7, b7) , as well as a tritone (which is called a reduced fifth - mind5 or an increased fourth - uv4). All other intervals are harmonious.
But the latter can also be divided into large-small and clean. Large and small harmonious intervals are thirds and sixths, pure quarts, fifths, octaves (pure ones are also called "empty", since they have a sound neither major nor minor). Large and small, as you remember, differ in their sound - a major third (b3), for example - sounds major (fun) and is the main indicator of the major chord, small (m3) - minor (sad), with sixths also - major (b6 ) - has a major sound small (m6) - minor.
Now that you know how the intervals are distributed by sound, it will be easier for you to navigate in the process of recognizing them by ear.
By itself, the concept of "musical ear" should be considered as the ability to quickly capture, identify, remember and reproduce the sounds heard. In order to artificially develop an ear for music, it will be necessary to use systematic methods with which you can achieve the maximum result.
With a correct and high-quality test of musical ear, it is possible to identify potential abilities that can be further developed in both children and adults.
When is the best time to test for musical hearing?
By and large - at any time, at any age. Some experts have an opinion that we acquire an ear for music at the genetic level, although this is only half true. To achieve musical heights and become a professional musician, you do not need any special talents. After all, having even some “rudiments” of musical abilities available, one can hope to receive a high result in the future with regular classes. Such activities can be compared with sports training. You do it - you get results.
How does a musical ear test work?
Such a check must be carried out by a professional music teacher, or a specialist musician with a pedagogical education. A music school teacher is the best option. The verification takes place in several stages. After that, some conclusions can be drawn. Each teacher knows about the excitement of a person at the exam and must take this fact into account when checking those who want to study music. After all, his answer can become a kind of “sentence” for the “subject”. He may not cope with the tasks, even because of the usual excitement or shyness. Hearing is tested according to three main criteria:
- Having a sense of rhythm
- Pure voice intonation (singing sounds);
- musical memory.
Rhythmic hearing test
The sense of rhythm is usually tested in this way: the teacher knocks on the table or claps a certain rhythm (most often these are familiar rhythms from songs), after which he offers to repeat it to the subject. With the exact repetition of the rhythm, we can talk about the presence of a sense of rhythm (rhythmic hearing).
Further, rhythmic patterns become a little more complicated. It is during the complication of simple rhythms that the presence of a sense of rhythm is revealed. After all, it is the sense of rhythm, while checking the presence of an ear for music, that is the main and accurate criterion for the subsequent assessment.
Purity of intonation
This is not the most important criterion for assessing musical ability, but a very important procedure. All candidates for the title of "listener" pass it. For such a test, the teacher sings or plays a familiar melody, and the subject repeats it. Thus, the purity of the voice and a possible perspective for vocal lessons are revealed. The timbre beauty of the voice is tested only in adults.
If a child does not have a very strong, clear voice, but his sense of rhythmic hearing is normal, he will be able to freely study a musical instrument. Do not confuse with checking vocal data, this is completely different. Only musical ear matters here. And most importantly, if the subject does not sing at all or sings "dirty" - this does not mean at all that he also has no hearing.
Guessing musical sounds
The most interesting. The testee turns his back to the piano, and the teacher presses any key. After that, the subject must find it, based on their feelings and musical memory. Basically, notes are pressed in the middle of the keyboard (middle register), but with good results, the teacher can press both low enough and high enough sounds on the keyboard. A potential "hearer" will definitely be able to find these sounds.
In such a simple way, you can check a person for a musical ear. Such a test is passed by everyone, without exception, who wants to study at a music school. So knowing this, you will be able to practice on your own at home, after which you can safely go to the music school for a test!
Often we ask ourselves the question: “Do I have hearing”? Looking into the blue TV screens, we see a variety of vocal competitions. And sometimes the winners of these competitions do not even have a musical education, they just have an ear and a voice, and the rest is attached.
Usually those people who cannot distinguish a false note from a real one are considered mediocre musically. Those who can not pick up a melody by ear. The very first thing is to sing any melody into a recorder and ask a couple of friends to listen to it. Your friends should be extremely honest. If they say that you "miss" the notes, then most likely you have no hearing. But that's not a problem. Remember that hearing can always be developed.
The next step is to go to a professional. This person should sing and play himself. It is he who can give you the first answers to questions and help you understand what exactly you need to work on in order to develop your ear.
The big problem is that hearing is needed in order to play musical instruments. You just need to hear where you are playing correctly and where you are wrong.
Determine if there is a rumor
To date, there are several ways to check whether there is an ear for music or not.
- Ask someone who can play the piano to play one note for you. In this case, you do not see which key the person played. Memorize this note by ear. After pressing the piano keys yourself, find this key. If you manage to find the same note, then you have a hearing.
- How to check if a child has hearing? Children are tested for hearing by clapping their hands. Clap the melody with your hands, but not the simplest one, and ask the child to repeat it.
- Pick up a pencil or pen. Your friend should tap out any rhythm with an interval of five to eight seconds. You must repeat this rhythm with great precision. Pauses and duration should be the same.
How to find out if there is a rumor, in a more accurate way?
If you can already play the piano yourself, then the "music test" will suit you. You are played alternately one sound after another in the octave where it is convenient for you to sing. And you have to "get" in unison with the sounds that you hear.
After the tasks described above, you can complicate your task. Notes are played for you, and you must write them down in a music book. This is the most accurate way to determine the degree of development of your hearing. But don't worry, over time there won't be a single mistake in your notebook.
The most important thing is not to get upset if your ear for music is not perfect now.
Always work on your improvement. You should always remember that almost all vocal stars developed their abilities through long and hard work.
The concept of "ear of music" should be considered from the point of view of the ability to quickly capture, identify, remember and reproduce the sounds heard. For artificial development, cultivation of musical ear, the use of systematic methods is required, with the help of which the best result can be achieved.
Proper qualitative testing of musical ear will reveal in the child, and not only in the child, the abilities that should be developed.
When is it necessary to conduct an ear test?
Basically, anytime! In general, there is an opinion that a person acquires a musical ear at the genetic level, but this is only half true. In order to become a professional musician, no special talent is required, and even the presence of some “rudiments” of such talent guarantees the possibility of obtaining high results in the process of regular practice. Here, as in sports, everything is decided by training.
How is a musical ear tested?
In particular, only a professional music teacher should conduct and test musical hearing. The process itself consists of several stages, as a result of which it becomes possible to draw certain conclusions (although you don’t have to rely on the reliability of the findings - often, often they turn out to be erroneous simply because the child perceives the test situation as an exam and is worried). It is important to diagnose hearing according to three main criteria:
- having a sense of rhythm;
- assessment of voice intonation;
- musical memory abilities.
Rhythmic hearing test
Usually checked like this. The teacher first taps a certain rhythm on the table with a pencil or other object (or slaps it in the palm of his hand) (best of all, a melody from a famous cartoon). Then he asks the subject to repeat it. If it accurately reproduces the real rhythm, we can talk about the presence of hearing.
The test continues: examples of rhythmic patterns become more complicated. Thus, it is possible to check the musical ear for a sense of rhythm. It should be noted that it is the sense of rhythm - in the matter of the presence or absence of hearing - that is the main and accurate criterion for evaluation.
Voice intonation: is it sung cleanly?
This is not the main criterion for "sentencing", but the procedure to which all candidates for the title of "listener" are subjected without exception. To identify the correct intonation of the voice, the teacher sings a familiar simple melody, which the child repeats. In this case, the purity of the voice and the prospect for vocal lessons are revealed (timbre beauty - this applies only to adults).
If the child does not have a very strong, melodic and clear voice, but the presence of hearing is detected, he may well attend lessons in playing an instrument. In this case, it is the test of musical ear that matters, and not the presence of excellent vocal data. Yes, and one more thing: if a person sings dirty or does not sing at all, then it is a mistake to think that he has no hearing!
Guessing the notes on the instrument: hide and seek
The one who is being tested turns his back to the instrument (piano), the teacher presses any of the keys and then asks to find it on the keyboard. The test is carried out in the same way with the other keys. A potential "hearer" must accurately guess the notes by pressing the keys and listening to the sounds. This is somewhat reminiscent of the well-known children's game of hide and seek, only in this case it is hide and seek.
