Developing An Ear Just Like Chet's
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 4:50 pm
I've often heard it said, and I know it's a fact, that Chet had the best ear in Nashville. Actually, I beg to differ, but personally I think he had one of the best (most well developed ) ears in the entire music industry. I really believe the evidence would bear this out. The evidence is beyond ample.
And of course, he was able to perfectly apply what his ear heard onto the guitar, which is key.
That being said, I want to make a point: As guitar pickers, I think we all naturally work very hard to develop what our fingers can do, which is all well and good, but we need to keep in mind that the fingers can't excel past what the "inner ear" can hear. As in many things in life, there has to be a BALANCE.
So we need to spend some time developing that ear, and surely that will 100% translate into more beautiful, expressive music streaming out of our amplifier.
You can take that to the bank.
Technique is great and indispensable, but Chet once said in an interview that the public doesn't give a d____ about technique. They just want to hear beautiful music. (Last part paraphrased).
I wish I could remember where I read that interview.
Anyway, I sometimes think "Where did Mr. Guitar get such a highly developed ear?" It was so good, that I recall Loudermilk telling about the first time he played "Windy and Warm" for Chet. As the story goes, he got through the first few bars, and Chet took his guitar and COMPLETED the tune, having never heard it before! His ear was SO GOOD, that he could actually hear the entire song in his head and exactly where the chords were going instantly. Boys, now THAT is an incredible ear!
So how did he get that way? And how can we approach that in our own abilities?
Well, I think Chet gave us some clues. I've read a lot of interviews, and sponge Doug, here, has absorbed a few tidbits here and there. For one thing, I think Chet once said to expose yourself to ALL KINDS OF MUSIC. I think he was saying we need to round out our music education. Isn't it great? We don't need to attend music college. If we are determined and passionate enough about it, we can obtain a very FINE music education on our own by doing our due diligence. The more eclectic, the better. We have to be resourceful, as Chet was. And boy was he resourceful! In my opinion, he was one of the most resourceful people to ever walk the planet.
I know for a fact he listened to all styles of music, and it appears he absorbed his lessons well. I think I heard (can somebody here confirm this for me?) that when he was starting out he sat down in a room at a radio station and just took hours to listen to bunches of records just to learn the tunes. If I can get confirmation on that, I would appreciate it.
But the point is, he opened himself up to all genres of music and expanded his repertoire and developed his ear, and we all know where it took him. The rest, as they say, is history.
I think we here have a good start. I know that a lot of you guys, like me, listen to Chet's records over and over and have done so for years. Maybe decades in some cases. Just his entire repertoire, in itself, is a bona fide musical education equal to a bachelors degree in music! Heck, maybe even a masters.
I know that in my case Chet's tunes introduced me to tunes I never knew existed.
But there is a lot more we can do. It's a lifetime endeavor, and in the end I think there is great satisfaction in playing guitar when you don't need to depend on written scores, (although they are good and necessary) but being able to HEAR where the melody or the chord progression is leading, and being able to improvise those notes on the fingerboard and do things and variations with a basic melody that are a true expression of the music inside you is the ultimate.
To me the most amazing thing about Chet's playing was his ability to play the same tune several different ways. That is the mark of a true music man. For instance, I believe I have four or five different recordings of "Laura's Theme" and every single time he has a different arrangement or feel to the tune. He was a MELODY man. The melody was SO important to him, and he was able to take a SIMPLE melody, like "On Top Of Old Smokey", and make it elegant. Or play it a dozen different ways. There are SEVERAL tunes that Chet recorded where he did that. Amazing. Simply amazing. When he picked up the guitar, you knew the MASTER
was playing.
And of course, he was able to perfectly apply what his ear heard onto the guitar, which is key.
That being said, I want to make a point: As guitar pickers, I think we all naturally work very hard to develop what our fingers can do, which is all well and good, but we need to keep in mind that the fingers can't excel past what the "inner ear" can hear. As in many things in life, there has to be a BALANCE.
So we need to spend some time developing that ear, and surely that will 100% translate into more beautiful, expressive music streaming out of our amplifier.
You can take that to the bank.
Technique is great and indispensable, but Chet once said in an interview that the public doesn't give a d____ about technique. They just want to hear beautiful music. (Last part paraphrased).
I wish I could remember where I read that interview.
Anyway, I sometimes think "Where did Mr. Guitar get such a highly developed ear?" It was so good, that I recall Loudermilk telling about the first time he played "Windy and Warm" for Chet. As the story goes, he got through the first few bars, and Chet took his guitar and COMPLETED the tune, having never heard it before! His ear was SO GOOD, that he could actually hear the entire song in his head and exactly where the chords were going instantly. Boys, now THAT is an incredible ear!
So how did he get that way? And how can we approach that in our own abilities?
Well, I think Chet gave us some clues. I've read a lot of interviews, and sponge Doug, here, has absorbed a few tidbits here and there. For one thing, I think Chet once said to expose yourself to ALL KINDS OF MUSIC. I think he was saying we need to round out our music education. Isn't it great? We don't need to attend music college. If we are determined and passionate enough about it, we can obtain a very FINE music education on our own by doing our due diligence. The more eclectic, the better. We have to be resourceful, as Chet was. And boy was he resourceful! In my opinion, he was one of the most resourceful people to ever walk the planet.
I know for a fact he listened to all styles of music, and it appears he absorbed his lessons well. I think I heard (can somebody here confirm this for me?) that when he was starting out he sat down in a room at a radio station and just took hours to listen to bunches of records just to learn the tunes. If I can get confirmation on that, I would appreciate it.
But the point is, he opened himself up to all genres of music and expanded his repertoire and developed his ear, and we all know where it took him. The rest, as they say, is history.
I think we here have a good start. I know that a lot of you guys, like me, listen to Chet's records over and over and have done so for years. Maybe decades in some cases. Just his entire repertoire, in itself, is a bona fide musical education equal to a bachelors degree in music! Heck, maybe even a masters.
I know that in my case Chet's tunes introduced me to tunes I never knew existed.
But there is a lot more we can do. It's a lifetime endeavor, and in the end I think there is great satisfaction in playing guitar when you don't need to depend on written scores, (although they are good and necessary) but being able to HEAR where the melody or the chord progression is leading, and being able to improvise those notes on the fingerboard and do things and variations with a basic melody that are a true expression of the music inside you is the ultimate.
To me the most amazing thing about Chet's playing was his ability to play the same tune several different ways. That is the mark of a true music man. For instance, I believe I have four or five different recordings of "Laura's Theme" and every single time he has a different arrangement or feel to the tune. He was a MELODY man. The melody was SO important to him, and he was able to take a SIMPLE melody, like "On Top Of Old Smokey", and make it elegant. Or play it a dozen different ways. There are SEVERAL tunes that Chet recorded where he did that. Amazing. Simply amazing. When he picked up the guitar, you knew the MASTER
was playing.