I have no musical knowledge so bear with me.
How can people hear a note played or a word sung and this to themselves “oh that’s an A flat” or something along those lines. Or how can they identify that they are not singing the right note and know how to modify it to get to the correct one?
What about tuning instruments. How can someone do that by ear and just know that it’s in tune?
The mind boggles!
In: 10
The same way you might know “bright orangy-red” i know “A-flat”. It’s a place in my brain that has a name. It’s an address.
The same way you might know “bright orangy-red” i know “A-flat”. It’s a place in my brain that has a name. It’s an address.
Focusing on one specific part of your question:
> how can they identify that they are not singing the right note and know how to modify it to get to the correct one?
This is similar to how we learn to speak. When we make a sound with our voice, we are also listening to examples from others and also ourselves, and adjusting what we’re doing until what we hear matches what what we expected to hear (the sound we wanted to make). With singing along it’s just that you do it at the same time instead of taking turns.
Becoming a good visual artist is about learning to see in a detailed way—not just a tree but the shapes, shades, colors, textures. Similarly, becoming a good musician is about learning to hear in a detailed way.
People who are good at singing have just done this cycle enough times that they can have a very specific intention about the sound they want to make, and usually make it correctly on the first try, similar to an athlete kicking or throwing a ball in a very precise way.
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