Ear Training: I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes

First, print out this page so you can write the scale degrees in the blanks above the notes as you go:
Get Ear Training Sheet for Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes

Start by listening to the full melody below and use it to find the tonal center (do, or 1) of the song. Sing that note, then check yourself by clicking on the Tonal Center text to the right below.

Melody, Chords and Tonal Center

Answer

Once you are sure you're singing the right pitch, find that note on your guitar by singing it as you play a single string, moving up fret by fret. When the pitch you're playing matches the one you're singing, stop and name the note. When you think you've got it, roll your mouse over the X to the right for the answer. That's the tonal center of this melody, the first scale degree.

 

Audio
Notes to Identify
Rollover X for Answer
First note of the phrase
First three notes (include the first)
Next three notes
Last four notes of the phrase

 

Audio
Notes to Identify
Rollover X for Answer
First note of the phrase
First three notes (include the first)
Next three notes
Last three notes of the phrase

 

Audio
Notes to Identify
Rollover X for Answer
First note (played 3 times)
First four notes (include the first)
Next four notes
Last three notes of the phrase

 

Once you've got either or both of these melodies sketched out in scale degrees, the next step is to translate it onto the guitar, based on your understanding of the C major scale. (The most common major scales are in the answers to Exercise 11 in the Theory Primer, located at the end of the primer.) Remember not to "feel" your way through the melody at this point. Use the work you've done to nail it, first time through.

Below is an audio track devoted to the melody and rhythm guitar part to this song played at a moderate tempo. Use it to do two things:

  • Play the melody you've just learned using these tracks as backup.
  • Learn the rhythm guitar part by ear. Maybe you can just "hear" the chords with no effort. If not, use the scale degrees you've sketched out to inform your search for the right chords.
Audio: Melody and Rhythm guitar for Thinking Tonight @ 120bpm