Originally Posted By: Joe V
Yes - downloaded Earmaster Pro over a year ago, and it is sitting there laughing at me. I will try to wipe the smile off its little face by allowing your reminder and encouragement to open it up and start using it. My problem is I 'buy' the things I want to eventually use, while taking years to use them. It should really be the other way around, but I've got this American disease of wanting 'things' I like regardless of if I have an immediate need for them - or maybe there is a better way to describe the condition. (don't be disrespectful on opening I've provided - you know who you are).

Double-Zero, my music teacher and I just had an incredibly passionate discussion about just how much one needs to memorize the things you mention in order to be a good player - and his point was that I'm over-memorizing some things (included in your list) that are overkill and actually counterproductive to your goal, given other things you could be practicing instead. Yours are great goals, but if every player put themselves through such rigor - they may not have become the good players they are. The hard part of getting good at something is learning from the 'greats' at what point you are spinning your wheels with respect to your goal - and this is usually something you don't know you "dont' know". Many of the people that insist you must know these things inside out and consciously are not themselves half the players that actually CAN'T do the things you mention.



Good luck with Earmaster, ten minutes a day with no results for at least a month, was my start.

My aim is different to many, I consciously intend to make all 12 notes available, in all keys, at all times. I am currently about two thirds there IMO. I am not really interested in playing like the 'greats', not that these studies are not absolutely legit. I do have a teacher, do learn some jazz standards, though. At present I am focussing whole on technique, but that's ok for now, for me.

Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k