Songs by Ear
- Thread starter Tremolo95
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still_fiddlin
Senior Stratmaster
Keep at it. Easier for some folks than others. I remember it was really hard at first, but now it's pretty easy for me. Learn the notes that are in chords and pick them out one at a time if you have to; i.e., just play a single note that you *can* hear is being played, write it down, find another note. Sometimes that's all you need to figure out the chords, sometimes you'll need 3 notes, and always try to get the base line, since that's often the root of the chord.
Bit of chicken-egg thing - the more time you have playing and sounds you have in your head, the easier it is to hear them in a recording. At a year and a half, unless you've got 10 years on another instrument, you're not working with the biggest collection of stuff you can immediately connect with what you hear. That will come in time.
Bit of chicken-egg thing - the more time you have playing and sounds you have in your head, the easier it is to hear them in a recording. At a year and a half, unless you've got 10 years on another instrument, you're not working with the biggest collection of stuff you can immediately connect with what you hear. That will come in time.
guitargeekaz
Senior Stratmaster
Trem, I have the same issue. At my current stage of learning it is still hard for me to listen to something and pick it up. I know it is important to be able to do this so I can continue to grow as a player. Thanks for the input fiddlin, I will try your advice!
CandyAppleHead
Strat-O-Master
Like still fidlin' says...listen to the bass line - most of the time the bass note you hear will be the root, so if you can find the note on your low E string that sounds the same then chances are that'll be the root of the chord. You then have to decide what type of chord it is - major, minor, 7th and power chords (just the root and 5th) are the most common, so experiment until you get the chord with the same "mood". You'll soon develop the skill of identifying what type of chord it is by ear.
Occasionally you will get deceived by the bass line as sometimes it'll play a sequence over chords where it doesn't always play the root, for instance A, G, F#, F in while My Guitar Gently Weeps. You might be led into thinking that the chord sequence is Am, G, F#, F but the actual chords are Am, Am7/G (an open Am7 chord with a G as the bass note), D (a chord which contains the note of F#, so Paul McCartney decided it sounded good to play that note over it) and F. Learning through things like this is all part of the fun though.
It's worth bearing in mind that rock guitarists are a pretty lazy bunch so most of the time a song will be in one of the "open" chord keys - C, G, D, E or A, so try one of them first. You can learn to identify these chords by ear as they all have a disctinctive sound.
Occasionally you will get deceived by the bass line as sometimes it'll play a sequence over chords where it doesn't always play the root, for instance A, G, F#, F in while My Guitar Gently Weeps. You might be led into thinking that the chord sequence is Am, G, F#, F but the actual chords are Am, Am7/G (an open Am7 chord with a G as the bass note), D (a chord which contains the note of F#, so Paul McCartney decided it sounded good to play that note over it) and F. Learning through things like this is all part of the fun though.
It's worth bearing in mind that rock guitarists are a pretty lazy bunch so most of the time a song will be in one of the "open" chord keys - C, G, D, E or A, so try one of them first. You can learn to identify these chords by ear as they all have a disctinctive sound.
OldFartRocker
Strat-O-Master
Take lessons, learn to read music! Good luck.
liscio
New Member!
When I started out trying to learn stuff by ear, I found it really challenging.
As I did it more, I got better. Then, I started to develop my own tools for learning by ear. (See the link to Capo in my sig.)
I find that the combination of slowing something down, plus some tight looping, to be really valuable for sharpening your hearing skills. Playing something over and over again as you pick the notes on your guitar to find the pitch is very powerful.
However, technology's always getting better and making it even easier for us. Check out this teaser from the Capo 2 intro video series: http://capo-podcast.s3.amazonaws.com/intro-video-5.mov
It's gonna be like having all the cheat codes!
Cheers,
Chris
As I did it more, I got better. Then, I started to develop my own tools for learning by ear. (See the link to Capo in my sig.)
I find that the combination of slowing something down, plus some tight looping, to be really valuable for sharpening your hearing skills. Playing something over and over again as you pick the notes on your guitar to find the pitch is very powerful.
However, technology's always getting better and making it even easier for us. Check out this teaser from the Capo 2 intro video series: http://capo-podcast.s3.amazonaws.com/intro-video-5.mov
It's gonna be like having all the cheat codes!
Cheers,
Chris
stratmanchu
Senior Stratmaster
i used to just listen to the music and hit pause right at the chord/note i wanted to learn or couldnt figure out. i'd rewind and do it again and again till i got it, then on to the next one, sometimes one note at a time. prbably "guitarded" but it worked. i nailed alot of solos like that. nowdays you can get tabs online!
Be patient and have a positive attitude. Developing a good ear takes time. A year and a half is not really that long. There's a number of things you can do to help your development. Always take a good shot at trying to figure something out by ear first. Then look at the tab or sheet music or whatever to fill in the gaps. After a while (a long while) you will find yourself using the tabs less and less and eventually realize that most of them are wrong anyway.
For figuring out chord changes, a little bit of theory goes a long way. You should know what the I, IV, and V chords are in every key. Use the E and A strings of your guitar as your "computer". The notes corresponding to the roots of the I, IV, and V chords lay out in a very simple pattern on these two strings. If you know all the notes on these two strings, then you'll easily know what the chords are. For a lot of non-jazz songs, the I, IV, and V chords happen frequently enough that you'll increase your odds of finding the right chord by trying these first. Also learn where the minor chrods at vii and iii are. The I, IV, V, vii, and iii chords will cover a lot of bases.
For figuring out chord changes, a little bit of theory goes a long way. You should know what the I, IV, and V chords are in every key. Use the E and A strings of your guitar as your "computer". The notes corresponding to the roots of the I, IV, and V chords lay out in a very simple pattern on these two strings. If you know all the notes on these two strings, then you'll easily know what the chords are. For a lot of non-jazz songs, the I, IV, and V chords happen frequently enough that you'll increase your odds of finding the right chord by trying these first. Also learn where the minor chrods at vii and iii are. The I, IV, V, vii, and iii chords will cover a lot of bases.
GuitarSmithTN
Strat-Talker
1. Make sure you're in tune with the recording (I had fun as a teen learning Hendrix and Van Halen songs...nice tuning, Eddie!)
2. Work on the bass root notes -- so you can figure out the chords/harmonic base of the song. Basically, rhythm guitar part first.
3. Then you can move to the solo -- try to find the first few notes so you can figure out approximately where the solo is being played -- and connect this to step #2.
4. Make sure you LISTEN carefully (over and over again) to rhythm and lead parts. In the video age, I make sure I have an mp3 that I can listen to (usually with my eyes closed). I also usually use some slow down aids when necessary. Again, listening to the slowed-down version, the regular-speed version, and almost "singing" the melodies in my head. Try to catch important details about bends and especially hammer ons/pull offs.
5. Practice the parts. Use a metronome to find the tempo. You could also record your own "jam track." I usually pretty quickly moving ideas to other keys or using the rhythm of the melodies to create my own lines.
6. Work on correct/ideal/simplified fingerings and picking/right hand (pay attention to up/down strokes, string popping). There will usually be several different ways to play a passage, and usually experience + trial/error seems to help.
(at any point, you may want to check some different online tabs...and/or some "this is how you play xyz videos...)
7. Have fun thinking about the tones the guitarist used and perhaps try to come close to the tone. Here's where studying about all the different ways guitarists produce tones can be fun. You may want to fool with some of your own sounds. If something is heavily distorted try playing it (for fun) with a clean sound, and vice versa; if something was played on a Strat, try it with a humbucker. Most younger players use too much distortion/saturation.
Summary: this is called EAR TRAINING and will produce a much higher level of musicianship. It is difficult/challenging and will take HOURS of sweat and dogged determination, but it will pay off.
2. Work on the bass root notes -- so you can figure out the chords/harmonic base of the song. Basically, rhythm guitar part first.
3. Then you can move to the solo -- try to find the first few notes so you can figure out approximately where the solo is being played -- and connect this to step #2.
4. Make sure you LISTEN carefully (over and over again) to rhythm and lead parts. In the video age, I make sure I have an mp3 that I can listen to (usually with my eyes closed). I also usually use some slow down aids when necessary. Again, listening to the slowed-down version, the regular-speed version, and almost "singing" the melodies in my head. Try to catch important details about bends and especially hammer ons/pull offs.
5. Practice the parts. Use a metronome to find the tempo. You could also record your own "jam track." I usually pretty quickly moving ideas to other keys or using the rhythm of the melodies to create my own lines.
6. Work on correct/ideal/simplified fingerings and picking/right hand (pay attention to up/down strokes, string popping). There will usually be several different ways to play a passage, and usually experience + trial/error seems to help.
(at any point, you may want to check some different online tabs...and/or some "this is how you play xyz videos...)
7. Have fun thinking about the tones the guitarist used and perhaps try to come close to the tone. Here's where studying about all the different ways guitarists produce tones can be fun. You may want to fool with some of your own sounds. If something is heavily distorted try playing it (for fun) with a clean sound, and vice versa; if something was played on a Strat, try it with a humbucker. Most younger players use too much distortion/saturation.
Summary: this is called EAR TRAINING and will produce a much higher level of musicianship. It is difficult/challenging and will take HOURS of sweat and dogged determination, but it will pay off.
srvwannab
Senior Stratmaster
I've been having trouble with it too...
johnreardon
Senior Stratmaster
Just stick at it.
When I started, we had to learn by ear as there was no internet and the only things available were sheet music and listening to vinyl records.
Playing with others helps a lot. Try and get out to any local jams and take part. Even if it's just 12 bar blues, your ear begins to get better at picking up keys and whether major, minor etc.
Good luck
strat.tenor
Strat-Talker
Depends what you're trying to find by ear. I have one method for finding the chords, another for leads.
For leads, I memorize the recording, then sit down in front of a piano and sing it over and over again until I find the notes. Often, after the first two or three notes, the key becomes obvious and it doesn't take long to finish. These are 8/12 bar solos - not Freebird. I'm lucky I have good pitch. If I had to find these leads by just pulling notes off of a guitar neck I don't think I would ever ...
Andrew
Strat-Talk Member
Hi, all!
What slowing down tools you use or heard about? And what it is the best from your point of view?
What slowing down tools you use or heard about? And what it is the best from your point of view?
CandyAppleHead
Strat-O-Master
You can slow things down in Windows Media Player.
ledet
Strat-O-Master
Most of the time, chords are simple to get by ear, so you'll wanna start practicing the chords. Start out with a song that doesn't have too many "weird chords" like a C6maj7sus2 or anything like that.
If you just grab your guitar and try to play the bass notes with the song, you'll get far. When you have the bass notes, it won't be too hard to figure out if it's a major or a minor chord, if it's maybe a maj7 etc. If you are just a bit into the theory of a chords anatomy, you'll soon be able to learn the more advanced chords by ear.
When you know the chords to the song, you won't have a hard time figuring out the key of the song. And with a pretty standard song in G major, for example, the lead/melody will often be notes right out of the G major scale. When you've narrowed it down to a specific scale, it won't take a lot of time before you get it.
Good luck!
If you just grab your guitar and try to play the bass notes with the song, you'll get far. When you have the bass notes, it won't be too hard to figure out if it's a major or a minor chord, if it's maybe a maj7 etc. If you are just a bit into the theory of a chords anatomy, you'll soon be able to learn the more advanced chords by ear.
When you know the chords to the song, you won't have a hard time figuring out the key of the song. And with a pretty standard song in G major, for example, the lead/melody will often be notes right out of the G major scale. When you've narrowed it down to a specific scale, it won't take a lot of time before you get it.
Good luck!
Andrew
Strat-Talk Member
Really? I did not know about it. And how to do it? (where in the WMP?)
Andrew
Strat-Talk Member
Thanks. You are right with the subscribing techniques. But i was interested in the soft (tools) which may slow down the track without changing the pitch. I now several but not happy with their quality actually. So when you want to subscribe something fast it may be sometimes useful to slow it down.
By the way, does anybody know is it possible to split a track from CD somehow? Foe instance, if i want to hear only guitar or only bass. Is it possible? Maybe some soft available?
Andrew
Strat-Talk Member
I found it. Thanks
Right click the play button and a list should appear: "Slow, Normal or Fast Playback". Click "Slow Playback" and it slows it right down. When you want it back to actual speed, just hit "Normal Playback".
Andrew
Strat-Talk Member
Thank you