I'm about to start doing probably the hardest thing i've done on guitar: learn a song by ear. I was wondering if any of you have any tips to make this a little easier. I don't even know where to begin. And should i try to pick a song with chords or single line stuff??? Any advice would be appreciated. THanks a lot!!!
Try some 12 bar stuff with a basic I-IV-V pattern and variations. That's probably the best way to start. (And it's about all I ever really feel halfway comfortable with! So if I can do it under duress, so can you!)
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Put it on an MP3 player with an A/B loop feature so you can loop one part over and over. Use Audacity to slow down fast parts. Listen for the bass notes as they often relate to the chords played. When trying to find a chord, try to find the lowest note in it, then start adding notes to the chord until it starts to sound right.
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Hmmm... ear training.........
Might be a tip or two of value on this page:
https://www.guitarnoise.com/ear.php
Hope that helps.
Peace
this is a great way to learn a song.
I start with a CD playing. I find the chords by just playing the low sixth string for awhile.
once that is found then I play the full chords.
within the chords is the melody, so I pick that out.
with that knowledge I bring everything up to tempo until its nailed.
from there I work out the lead licks...after all they are found in the scale of the key of the song.
then its a matter of knowing the sonmg well to add the dynamics...loud, soft, faster, slower.etc.
I play along with the CD again and again.
what a great way to learn songs.
good for you!
Pick a simple song with easy guitar that you can hear clearly in the mix. Some recordings have multiple guitar tracks which can be confusing.
Follow the bass.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I have a question in regards to this also: what would a few good songs be to start learning this skill from?
An ideal song to start with would be (a) one you're fairly familiar with but haven't learned to play (b) one you have reliable sheet music and/or tab for. That way you check out how well you did! :wink: And seriously, it helps tremendously if it's a song you like.
Most pop songs, especially from the sixties and seventies are good in that they are not (usually) too complex. A slow ballad with minimal chord changes isn't a bad way to start out.
One other thing that helps tremendously is being able to hear just about all the parts fairly clearly. In order to "follow the bass," as Wes says, you've got to be able to hear it. And don't listen only to the guitar. Songs with good vocal harmonies can also help you establish chords as well as well defined keyboard parts.
Things to avoid if you're just beginning ear training -
Songs that are mostly (or all) power chords. It's not that you won't be able to figure them out as much as you'll spend a lot of time second guessing yourself.
Songs that have a lot of chord changes or very quick chord changes.
Hope that gets you going!
Peace
Apart from the advice above you might want to consider using software eartrainers like http://www.musictheory.net . If you don't have the ability yet to hear minor from major chords for example them you might want to try that before doing anything else. If you can discern simple triads and know the diatonic intervals then most pop songs should, after some practice, come pretty quickly.
