Is singing the tonal numbers a crutch?

Student’s question:

Hey David,

Good morning! I’ve been having a great time practicing. I have a question for you. I play the guitar and in order to avoid getting lost on the fretboard I say the numbers of the scale out loud. So I literally say “1, 2, 3” etc out loud as I’m playing.

So my question is whether or not saying the note numbers out loud would be like a crutch in the future where I would only be able to move around if I count the notes. How will I eventually learn to move freely without counting the notes? I’m sure you don’t count notes anymore as you play. So I just need to know if I’m going in the right direction.

Thanks much!
Mike

David’s response:

Hi Mike,

Right now you should absolutely be singing the tonal numbers out loud with every note that you play. It’s not a crutch at all. It’s one of the most powerful things you can do to develop your ear and your understanding of harmony.

You are right that I don’t consciously say the tonal numbers to myself when I’m playing. But the tonal numbers are inseparable from my thinking. I might not be thinking about the numbers consciously, but if you stop and ask me what note I just played I will tell you without hesitation, “I just played note 3”. So the awareness is there even though I don’t think about it consciously.

This awareness isn’t about “counting notes” though. It’s about understanding the sounds and knowing where they are located. So for example it even applies to the sounds that someone ELSE plays. If we’re listening to a jazz album and suddenly you stop the music and ask me what note the soloist just played, again I will tell you without hesitation, “He just played note 6”.

The point is that we don’t even need to think consciously about the tonal numbers because we can HEAR them. Every sound you have ever heard is one of those tonal numbers. So just as soon as you truly clarify for yourself which sound is which, you no longer need to “count” anything because the sounds themselves become synonymous with their tonal numbers.

Singing the tonal numbers out loud is the very best way for you to develop this ability yourself. Don’t think of it as a crutch. Think of it as a powerful discipline that accelerates your learning. Whenever you are trying to learn something, repeating it to yourself is never a crutch. No matter how many times you repeat it to yourself, it always helps to drive that knowledge deeper into your mind.

A great way to accelerate this ability is with our audio course Sing the Numbers, which is included in the IFR Membership. This course will help you make the connection between each sound and its tonal number, which is the key to both recognizing melodies by ear and playing the sounds we imagine.

Thanks for the great question!

David

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