play by ear

MSP · Post by **MSP** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 7:50 am

So I'm not all that great at playing by ear, which is a pain if I want to learn a song but can't find any music. Anyway does anyone know of excercises to work on it?

twisted99 · Post by **twisted99** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 7:55 am

The way I do it is I listen to the song with my guitar and just strum along to the beat trying to feel for the changes. Most songs that are a lot of power chords it is pretty easy but I am no good when it comes to complex songs with different chord variations or tunings.

JXG · Post by **JXG** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:23 am

I came across a site a while back that had free ear training excersises, I'll see if I can find it again...

JXG · Post by **JXG** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:24 am

That was too easy...
http://www.good-ear.com/

MSP · Post by **MSP** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:55 am

JXG - thanks for the link I'll give it a look
Twisted - I don't listen to a lot of songs with power chords.

I can pick out single notes but chords, other than power chords I'm hopeless with.

Bentfinger · Post by **Bentfinger** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:50 am

I'll jump in here with a comment. I'm 51, and started playing when I was 14. Never had any lessons, but wish that I had. I learned by begging guys that knew how to play to show me how, and watching.. I sucked for many. many years. I taught myself to read tab about 10 years ago, but I don't do it often. Anyway, I'm not a great technical guitarist, but I can hold my own usually. In the late 80's, I started playing more often, and also started paying more attention to what I was playing. Several things happened because of that. I developed my own style / found out how to get the tone that makes me smile / and developed the ability to hear, and see in my mind how to play a song by listening to it. IE / "Dude, that goes from Am to C, and then to G" Here's a good exercise.. Detune your gtr, and try to tune it back to a440 without a tuner.. Think of a tune that you know is in E, hear it in your mind, and tune to it. Then ck it on a tuner.. I use "Thank You" by led Zep, and tune my D 1st...When you hear a song, and can hear the changes in your mind, playing it is easier..... Sorry to ramble on... Good Luck

irish_admiral · Post by **irish_admiral** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:20 am

Just practise mate - listen to some songs and see if you can remember them first, then work out what the chords were and play them back to yourself.

You'll need a bit of theory knowledge to know the chords, but other than that, it's just practise, practise, practise...

paul watts · Post by **paul watts** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:33 am

Keep at it, some skills come easy, but the skills that are harder to do, take a bit longer..

When you listen to a record/mp3/wma.. whatever... try and separate the parts, bass ,rhythm, lead.Then when you listen to another track, just listen to the bass, that will give you the root notes for the chords,only do a chunk at a time...

kungfu · Post by **kungfu** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:23 pm

Begin with the songs which you have the tabs of. Try to play by ear and then control with tab whether you've played right.

Meole · Post by **Meole** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:22 pm

Close your eyes and play stuff you already know.

Dunky · Post by **Dunky** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 2:21 pm

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by irish_admiral
 Just practise mate - listen to some songs and see if you can remember them first, then work out what the chords were and play them back to yourself.

You'll need a bit of theory knowledge to know the chords, but other than that, it's just practise, practise, practise...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yeah practice is the key... way back when I was in a couple of bands I used to sit around with a friend of mine and we dissected songs by ear all the time ( no tinternet with tabs back then). After a while we got really good at it... now that I've stopped it has become more difficult.
You'll know your hearing skills have improved if after a few months you go back to the songs you first learned by ear and work them out again but find lots of differences. Finally don't be too worried with being exactly the same as the record the little variations that you have will eventually become unique to you.... that's when you wake up one day and realise that you have your own style.

mr_william · Post by **mr_william** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:04 pm

if you can work out what key it is.. (find out some of the notes.. try and jam a solo over it using a pentatonic scale.. then find the route of the scale, it'll be the key).. then when u know what key it is.. use ur music theory knowledge to help...

1 major, 2 minor, 3 minor 4 major, 5 major, 6 minor, 7 diminished, 8 major.. try it out in c to begin with (like a rolling stone bob dylan might help..).. 1 being c, then Dm, em, f, g, etc...

when uve done that.. try practicing transposision.. s'what ive been doing lately.. found a song in f, didnt wanna play it in f.. so i used a capo and played it in c up the neck.. a lot easier to play, gave it a more subtle feel too, with the higher notes!

and the 6th degree(submediant) of the major scale is the relitive minor.. c being am.. (good to know if u play the harmonica!)

i hope it didnt go over ur head.. somethin to try.. instead of playing the major scales in single notes.. try it with chords.. (then u'll know what chords it could be)

Bluz57 · Post by **Bluz57** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:07 pm

Play modes and scales for hours and years on end.That is what I did.

mr_william · Post by **mr_william** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:31 pm

rrrajo · Post by **rrrajo** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:33 pm

There are Copy Bands and Cover Bands. You can play the song wrong and call it your cover.

play by ear

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