Melodic Ear Training For Guitarists

Melodic Ear Training
For Guitarists
How to Recognize Melodies by Ear
and Play Them Instantly on the Guitar
By Jared Borkowski
www.soundguitarlessons.com
Melodic Ear Training for Guitarists
Introduction
Do you want to be able to hear melodies, know exactly what notes they are in a
key, AND know exactly how to play them on the guitar?
Do you want to be able to hear melodies in your head and play them instantly on
the guitar?
I remember thinking that these kinds of abilities were mysterious, seeming al-
most magical. But after years of searching for a way to acquire them and teach
them, I’ve discovered that they are actually quite simple to learn.
Absolutely anybody can do these things if they practice precisely this curriculum.
Guitarists NEED to work on deliberate ear training.
Playing a fretted instrument means that our ears will never get trained automati-
cally. We must supplement our practice using the voice.
Only by following very specific and intentional exercise parameters can we tru-
ly unlock our ears and finally be able to play anything we hear (from out in the
world or in our heads) on the fretboard.
The exercises in this method book will train you to be able to hear any melo-
dy, figure it out in your head (or by using your voice), and know exactly how it
would be played on the guitar without needing to touch the instrument.
If you’ve always wondered how to do this, then I’m very excited for you to expe-
rience first hand how it works.
Requirements: If you are capable of physically playing a scale on the guitar, and able to match
pitches using your voice within the range of an octave and a half, then you have everything you
need to be able to learn this method.
© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

The Three Paths to a Good Ear on the Guitar: Path 1
Path 1: The Only Guitar Scale Form Your Ears Need
For this ear training method, we must thoroughly know the physical scale form
shown below on the fretboard.
Some people would call this the ‘G’ form, thinking of it as part of the CAGED sys-
tem. But it doesn’t matter what we call it—just that we know it on our instrument.
We’re using this scale form because it’s the only one (out of the five common
scale forms) that has the relative major and minor roots both on the 6th string. It
also happens to encompass the most popular guitar scale form of all time within it
(which we’ll cover soon).
This is the scale form you will imagine on the fretboard of your mind’s eye (your
mental fretboard) for decoding and understanding all melodic material. It doesn’t
matter where on the fretboard you play it or think of it. It only matters that you
know the relative structure.
We must also be able to identify what the scale degree numbers are within this
scale form in both the major and relative-minor keys.
The following “Path 1” exercises are all about practicing this scale form on the gui-
tar before worrying about using our ears or our voice.

Knowing Four Scales Within One Scale Form

There are four scale types that we are going to know extremely well, and they all
exist within our one scale form. Scale degree number labels differentiate each scale
type.
These are the scale types that most melodies come from. If we practice playing
them and hearing them in the right way, we’ll be able to easily recognize by ear—
and play on the guitar—most melodies.
6 7 1
Major Diatonic Scale
3 4 5
7 1 2
“Diatonic” means it includes
5 6 all the notes that exist in
the key. ‘1’ = the root of
2 3 4 the scale or key.
6 7 1
1 2 b
3
Minor Diatonic Scale
5 b
6 b
7
This scale has all the same
2 b
3 4
notes, but is called minor
b
7 1 because a different note is
labeled as ‘1’, which shifts
4 5 b
6 all the other numbers and
makes it sound different.
1 2 b
3
6 1
Major Pentatonic Scale
3 5
1 2
Pentatonic means there are
5 6 only five notes being used
from the key.
2 3
6 1
1 b
3
Minor Pentatonic Scale
5 b
7
b
3 4
This is THE most common
b
7 1 and popular guitar scale
form of all time.
4 5
1 b
3

Path 1 Exercises: 1.1, Melodic Home-Base Pattern #1
In order to know the scale form thoroughly, we must practice it with a variety of
melodic patterns. If we only practiced the scale up and down then that would be
the only way we’d be able to hear it or improvise with it.
1.1: Melodic Home-Base Pattern #1
Ascending:
• play the root ...... 1
• play up to 2 and back . . . . . . 1 2 1
• play up to 3 and back . . . . . . 1 2 3 2 1
• play up to 4 and back . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 3 2 1
• play up to 5 and back . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1
• full scale up and back down . . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 7654321
Descending:
Same thing, starting on the high ‘1’ and building the scale downward
Exercise 1.1 (out of 5 exercises in Path 1)
Be able to play the “Melodic Home-Base Pattern #1” in two octaves, ascend-
ing and descending, with each of the four scale types. The grid below shows
all 16 versions numbered in the order that I recommend. Cross off the appli-
cable box in the grid once you’ve successfully done each version.
Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

lower octave higher octave higher octave lower octave
Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Pentatonic 9 10 11 12
Minor

The next pattern is just the first part of the previous pattern, going one direction
and not returning. It seems simpler, but it’s actually slightly more challenging
because it no longer only moves by step. It now includes large interval leaps.

Ascending:
• play the root . . . . . . . . . . 1
• play up to 2 . . . . . . . . . . 1 2
• play up to 3 . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3
• play up to 4 . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4
• play up to 5 . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 5
• play up to 6 . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 56
• play up to 7 . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 567
• full scale up . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 5671
Descending:
Same thing, starting on the high ‘1’ and building the scale downward
Exercise 1.2

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor
Penatonic 13 14 15 16

This pattern jumps from the root (the “home base”) to every other note in the
scale and back.
Ascending:
• play 1 to 2 . . . . . . . . . . 1 2
• jump 1 to 3 . . . . . . . . . . 1 3
• jump 1 to 4 . . . . . . . . . . 1 4
• jump 1 to 5 . . . . . . . . . . 1 5
• jump 1 to 6 . . . . . . . . . . 1 6
• jump 1 to 7 . . . . . . . . . . 1 7
• jump octave . . . . . . . . . . 1 1
Descending:
Same thing, starting on the high ‘1’ and building the scale downward in reverse
Exercise 1.3

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor

Path 1 Exercises: 1.4, Melodic Thirds Pattern
This pattern skips a note then comes back, playing an every-other-note sound-
ing pattern.
1.4: Melodic Thirds Pattern
Ascending:
13,24,35,46,57,61,72,1
Descending:
1 6 , 7 5 , 6 4 , 5 3 , 4 2 , 3 1 , 2 7, 1
Exercise 1.4
Be able to play the “Melodic Thirds Pattern” in two octaves, ascending and
descending, with the major and minor diatonic scales.
We do not need to do this pattern with the pentatonic scales.

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8

Path 1 Exercises: 1.5, Improvising Melodies
1.5: Improvising Melodies
Now that you know the four versions of the scale within this physical scale form
so well on the guitar (because you’ve played them up and down and broken
them into melodic patterns), practice improvising any order of notes you want.
Don’t let the word “improvise” intimidate you. It doesn’t matter if it sounds
“cool”, or if you like it. It’s not supposed to be a guitar solo or a song you’re
writing, and it doesn’t even have to be in time. The goal is simply to be able to
play any notes from the scale form, in any order or direction you desire.
Exercise 1.5
1. Improvise within the scale form as major (focus on the major root as ‘1’)
2. Improvise within the scale form as minor (focus on the minor root as ‘1’)

Path 2: Sing and Play Together (5 exercises)
Now that we’ve made it all the way through Path 1, Path 2 will be simple to under-
stand.
We need to be able to play precisely the same exercises from Path 1 while also
singing each scale degree number label as we play them on the guitar.
Singing is crucial for ear training. There’s a reason all college music programs re-
quire singing. If you resist singing your ears will not improve easily. The philosophy
here is that if you can sing something, knowing the scale degree theory label as
you sing it, you can hear it and be able to identify it.
Singing is the fretless instrument that requires us to listen, hear the quality of a
pitch within a key, and intonate—something we never have to do on the guitar.
Do not worry about the quality of your singing voice. For the sake of ear training,
all we care about is whether we’re singing the correct pitch.
We must sing with scale degree labels in order to guarantee that we know where
we are in the scale, and therefore where a note would be played within our scale
form on the guitar.
Solfeg (do re mi, etc...) exists for this reason and is an excellent way to track what
you’re singing and hearing intentionally. In this course we will be singing numbers,
but if you’re familiar with solfeg feel free to use it instead.
When singing number syllables say “sen” (or “sev”) for scale degree seven to
shorten it to one singable syllable.
Ideally we would be able to identify alterations like “flat 3” in the minor scale, but
to keep the syllable singular for singing purposes we will just say “three” for b3,
“six” for b6, and “sen” for b7. We still must be aware that they are flat, and we
must be thinking of where they exist within the scale form on the guitar.
Use the grids below to check off when you’ve successfully played and sung through
each pattern and exercise. Refer to the descriptions of each melodic pattern in the
previous section if needed.

Path 2 Exercises: Singing and Playing
Important note on vocal range: You only need to be able to sing a little more than
one octave. Find a position on the guitar where you can sing from the lowest note of
the scale form to the note that lines up with the ‘2’ of the major scale. When playing
the higher octave of the scale form you can sing it down an octave.
2.1: Melodic Home-Base Pattern #1, singing scale numbers and playing

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor

Path 2 Exercises: Singing and Playing

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor
2.4: Melodic Thirds Pattern, singing scale numbers and playing

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
2.5: Improvising Melodies, singing scale numbers and playing
1. Improvise as major (focus on the major root as ‘1’)
2. Improvise as minor (focus on the minor root as ‘1’)

Path 3: Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root (5 exercises)
Be able to sing through the same five exercises in the previous paths...
While playing only the root of the scale as a drone on guitar (instead of playing the
same notes you’re singing)...
And while imagining where the scale notes you’re singing exist on the fretboard
within the scale form.
Imagining, as you sing, where the exact scale degree you’re singing exists on the
fretboard is critical. This is the bridge between knowing what something sounds
like and where it would be played on the guitar.
You’re basically playing two guitars at once: the real guitar in your hands (play-
ing the root drone note) and your mental fretboard guitar that is tracking the note
you’re singing.
When thinking of the higher octave on the guitar, sing the lower octave where it
suites your voice. It will sound like you’re doing the exact same exercise or pattern
twice in a row, but in your mind’s eye you will be thinking of different note loca-
tions within the scale form on your mental fretboard.
Use the grids below to check off when you’ve successfully sang through each pat-
tern and exercise.

Path 3 Exercises: Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root
3.1: Melodic Home-Base Pattern #1, Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor

Path 3 Exercises: Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
Major
Minor
3.4: Melodic Thirds Pattern, Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root

Major
Diatonic 1 2 3 4
Minor
Diatonic 5 6 7 8
3.5: Improvising Melodies, Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root
1. Improvise as major (focus on the major root as ‘1’)
2. Improvise as minor (focus on the minor root as ‘1’)

Application and Additional Ear Training
Sing Then Play Exercise
Be able to sing a note first without the guitar, then play that note on the gui-
tar as a check-in.
Let the guitar overlap with the voice when you check it so you can hear pos-
sible subtle intonation differences.
Make sure to sing each note first without the help of the guitar at all.
Improvise in this way moving through the scale however you like.
After you can do this with single notes, try singing groups of multiple notes
as melodic phrases and then checking them.
DO NOT give yourself a note ahead of time, or you will wipe away all of the
mental processing needed to find the note by ear.
(You can give yourself the very first note only.)
You do not have to sing in the exact register or octave that you are imagin-
ing on the mental fretboard, as long as you are thinking of the correct scale
degree and singing the correct pitch.

Song Learning Totally by Ear
Play a recording of any song or melody.
Choose a little chunk of melody from anything happening in the music.
Learn it by repeating the recording and singing it until you can sing it back.
Identify what those notes are in your scale structure just by singing (without
using your instrument!).
If you’ve done the previous exercises, then this should be possible.
Imagine where those notes fit on the guitar within our scale form.
Sing it several times thinking of where you’d play it in the scale form on the
guitar.
Don’t worry about what key it’s in or what fret position your scale form will
be in. You’ll find that easily later.
Once you’re certain you have it, play it on the guitar. Match the pitch you
were singing to the guitar to find the actual key.
You can now practice in your head this way all the time.
To start hearing and learning chord progressions by ear, follow this exact
same process but with the bass lines of songs. Sing the bass notes of a song
by ear and figure out what scale degrees those notes are—they will very of-
ten be the roots of a chord progression.
The difficulty of this exercise will vary depending on the melodic material
you select. I recommend using Top 40 style pop music, or simple songwriter
genre music at first because the melodies are usually very straightforward
and singable.

Filling In Gaps With Additional Ear Training
Of course we haven’t covered everything possible. This is just the beginning. But it’s
a foundation in exactly how to continue refining your ear over time.
Things to Do if You Still Can’t Hear and Identify Some Melodies By Ear:
• Make Your Own Melodic Patterns
We can only hear what we can sing. If you do these patterns that I’ve given you, you
should be fine. But if you feel like you’re not hearing everything you need to hear,
then additional patterns will fill in the gaps. Make up your own melodic patterns. Try
creating at least one new melodic pattern and go through all the paths with it using
each scale type within our scale form.
• Learn Other Scale Types
You can do the same exercises from this course with any other scales, modes, or
scale forms. It shouldn’t be necessary to go through every possibility in order to hear
and identify most melodies, but any additional practice will only help.
• Sing Chromatic Notes
Chromatic notes are notes that are not in the key. In order to hear these accurately,
you can practice singing the scale and adding notes that are in-between other notes.
They will be dissonant, so just pass through them quickly between singing scale
tones.
• Sing Over Chords in a Key
The same melodic structure will sound different over different chords. The way har-
mony affects melody is one of the most challenging aspects of ear training, and it
takes a long time to get used to. If you’re thinking of your melody with the major
scale key center as the root, but the chord supporting the melody is the third chord
in the key, then it’s going to sound very different than how it does when you sing it
over the ‘1’ of the scale.
You can practice singing the scale (still thinking of where the notes are on the fret-
board) while playing different chords within the same key. This is an amazing ex-
ercise and is especially helpful for songwriting and composing. It’s fun to recognize
how the “good” sounding melody notes line up with notes that are in the chord you’re
holding on the fretboard.

Conclusion and Reminders
Reminders About Ear Training on the Guitar
1. For finding melodies by ear (either from what you hear or what’s
in your head), don’t give yourself the notes—ever! Don’t fish for
them on the guitar. They’re all within the context of the scale.
Everything is. If you can’t find a melody by ear, it means you need
to sing the scale more and in various ways. Be patient. Giving
yourself notes or searching for them with your instrument elimi-
nates your brain’s need to find them on its own.
2. This WILL unlock your ears. There’s no way it can’t if you do ex-
actly what is described here. But it does take time and work.
3. Be patient. This is more like watering a plant and waiting for it

to grow than it is like building a brick house. You can’t just stack
more bricks and watch your ability get built faster. You have to
feed it little bits at a time and let it grow in the background.
Congratulations on making it through this method!
Good luck on the journey of developing your ear,
Check out other courses of mine here
and happy practicing! :)
- Jared

Melodic Ear Training For Guitarists

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Melodic Ear Training

Guitarists NEED to work on deliberate ear training.

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

The Three Paths to a Good Ear on the Guitar: Path 1

Path 1: The Only Guitar Scale Form Your Ears Need

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Knowing Four Scales Within One Scale Form

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 1 Exercises: 1.1, Melodic Home-Base Pattern #1

Exercise 1.1 (out of 5 exercises in Path 1)

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 1 Exercises: 1.2, Melodic Home-Base Pattern #2

1.2: Melodic Home-Base Pattern #2

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 1 Exercises: 1.3, Melodic Home-Base Pattern #3

1.3: Melodic Home-Base Pattern #3

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 1 Exercises: 1.4, Melodic Thirds Pattern

1.4: Melodic Thirds Pattern

We do not need to do this pattern with the pentatonic scales.

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 1 Exercises: 1.5, Improvising Melodies

1.5: Improvising Melodies

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

The Three Paths to a Good Ear on the Guitar: Path 2

Path 2: Sing and Play Together (5 exercises)

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 2 Exercises: Singing and Playing

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 2 Exercises: Singing and Playing

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

2.4: Melodic Thirds Pattern, singing scale numbers and playing

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

2.5: Improvising Melodies, singing scale numbers and playing

1. Improvise as major (focus on the major root as ‘1’)

2. Improvise as minor (focus on the minor root as ‘1’)

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

The Three Paths to a Good Ear on the Guitar: Path 3

Path 3: Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root (5 exercises)

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 3 Exercises: Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Path 3 Exercises: Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

Ascending Ascending Descending Descending

3.5: Improvising Melodies, Sing With Mental Fretboard Over Root

1. Improvise as major (focus on the major root as ‘1’)

2. Improvise as minor (focus on the minor root as ‘1’)

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Application and Additional Ear Training

Sing Then Play Exercise

(You can give yourself the very first note only.)

© 2021 Jared Borkowski soundguitarlessons.com

Application and Additional Ear Training

Song Learning Totally by Ear