Most musicians can read notes, play scales, and pass ear training exams… but still can’t really hear music in their minds.In this episode, we’re talking about audiation – the inner ear skill almost no one teaches you. If you’ve ever thought, “I should be better by now,” or you freeze when someone says “just play something,” this is the missing piece.You’ll learn:What audiation actually is (not just “having a song stuck in your head”)Why traditional ear training and aural skills classes rarely build real inner hearing
Most musicians can read notes, play scales, and pass ear training exams… but still can’t really hear music in their minds.
In this episode, we’re talking about audiation – the inner ear skill almost no one teaches you. If you’ve ever thought, “I should be better by now,” or you freeze when someone says “just play something,” this is the missing piece.
You’ll learn:
What audiation actually is (not just “having a song stuck in your head”)
Why traditional ear training and aural skills classes rarely build real inner hearing
A simple audiation test you can do right now with “Happy Birthday”
How to find the edge of your inner ear with transposition and mental practice
Why you can have strong technique and theory but still feel “deaf” away from your instrument
The difference between training fingers and training your inner ear
How audiation transforms practice, sight‑reading, improvisation, and composition
If you’re a composer, improviser, or serious student who wants to hear music before you touch your instrument, this series will walk you through how to build that skill step by step.
🎧 Free Ear Training Resource Guide (with Practice Plan)
If you want a structured starting point, download my free Resource Guide.
It includes a clear ear training plan designed to strengthen your audiation and ear‑to‑instrument connection:
https://www.uremusic.com/resource-guide
🎹 Flawless Ear Training YouTube Playlist
F
or more focused training on audiation and inner ear development, watch the Flawless Ear Training playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoSeDrmcZDEv0CCfl1vJMzu-tjOifC8Gg
This playlist will help you:
--Hear intervals, chords, and harmony internally
--Connect what you hear in your head to what you play
--Build reliable, real‑time inner hearing for composing and improvising
Topics in This Video
--Why most musicians never develop strong audiation
--Inner ear vs. technique: why “more practice” hasn’t fixed the problem
--Mental transposition and inner hearing exercises
--Hearing major vs. minor triads in your head
--How audiation changes the way you practice every piece
--Why this matters so much for composition and improvisation
🎧 Ear Training, Audiation & Creative Theory for Musicians | Kevin Ure 🎶
Learn music from the inside out. This channel explores ear training, music theory, and composition using audiation-based methods—designed for beginners, professionals, and even babies building tonal awareness.
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• Resource Guide → https://www.uremusic.com/resource-guide
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🔔 Subscribe for new videos every week and start sharpening your inner ear today.
📌 Topics Covered
#Audiation #EarTraining #MusicTheory #MusicComposition
#ComposerTutorials #VoiceLeading #Counterpoint
#FormAndAnalysis #AspiringComposer #MusicEducation
📬 Affiliate Disclosure
Some of the links below may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. This helps support the channel and keeps the educational content flowing. Thank you!
📚 My Books on Music Composition
Available on Amazon or UreMusic: https://www.uremusic.com/books
🎼 Composition Series
• Elements of Music Composition → https://amzn.to/44O2OIi
• Music Composition Technique Builder → https://amzn.to/40FwgOa
• Technique Builder Workbook → https://amzn.to/40FwgOa
🎻 Orchestration
• The Study of Orchestration → https://amzn.to/3U0jkyI
📝 Composition Foundations
• Fundamentals of Music Composition → https://amzn.to/3H5h8Tu
📘 Music Theory
• Style and Idea → https://amzn.to/471BdVm
• Theory and Harmony → https://amzn.to/3TWT4oT
• Structural Functions of Harmony → https://amzn.to/4kZYaM6
🎵 Schenkerian Analysis
• Analysis of Tonal Music (Schenkerian Approach) → https://amzn.to/4ffGgUu
• Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis → https://amzn.to/4o6ZmQw
• Structural Hearing: Tonal Coherence in Music → https://amzn.to/4o9Rs94
🎶 Counterpoint
• The Study of Counterpoint → https://amzn.to/457BXpg
• Counterpoint (Kennan) → https://amzn.to/44TtA24
• Counterpoint in Composition → https://amzn.to/40ze6h6
📎 Bonus Reading
• Gustav Mahler: Letters to His Wife → https://amzn.to/4lU03LI
