Learning songs by ear

Stevepage · January 2015

Over the years I've mainly learnt songs by using tablature to get the meat of the song in my head and then working out the rest by ear. This worked out quite well for me for a long time but, I'm starting to get a bit fed up with relying on tab.

So for the past few months I took to learning whatever I could by ear which worked out better than I thought. It seems I can pick things out quicker than I thought I could.

How do you guys, especially those who have been playing years, learn songs?

Any tips for any one?

Danny1969 · January 2015

I'm old, we never had any tab when I was learning so you either learnt to read piano and adjust it to suit guitar or learn by ear. Everybody tended to learn by ear which normally meant tuning your guitar to the record or tape deck as nothing played at exactly the right speed.... so nothing was the right pitch on every device like it is now

Then you drop the needle, play along, lift the needle and go back and do it again

Learning your intervals is the easiest way to instantly be able to play by ear without working it out first. The jump from one note or chord to another is the interval and by instantly recognizing the interval you become able to play what you hear (obviously the faster it is the harder it is)

Note A to Note C is a minor 3rd, note A to D is a fourth etc. Teachers often use songs that feature the first notes using the intervals to help pupils learn em. Here's a few off the top of my head

One tone, Happy Birthday

Minor third, Smoke on the water

Major third, Dallas theme

And so one

DulcetJones · January 2015

Danny1969 said:

I'm old, we never had any tab when I was learning so you either learnt to read piano and adjust it to suit guitar or learn by ear. Everybody tended to learn by ear which normally meant tuning your guitar to the record or tape deck as nothing played at exactly the right speed.... so nothing was the right pitch on every device like it is now Then you drop the needle, play along, lift the needle and go back and do it again

Been there done that. Me and my buddy used to call the radio station several times disguising our voices to repeatedly request the latest hit we were trying to learn because we couldn't afford to buy the record! When the song came on we grabbed our guitars and got as much of it as we could. Doing it that way sharpened our skills immensely, your brain knew it had to really work at it because you didn't know when you would hear the song again. Of course, these were fairly basic 3 or 4 chord pop songs with predictable arrangements, 1960's music.

Bogwhoppit · January 2015

Record player.

After using a strobe so the platter spun at the correct RPM, and hoping the band played to concert pitch (many didn't). Lift arm, drop arm - repeat around a thousand times. Throw away knackered vinyl, and borrow a friends copy , then start again.

That's how we did it in the 70's until tape players came along. It took many years before contemporary music of that period was transcribed into notation or tab. Aural learning was key, a good sense of pitch and patience. I remember a keyboard player and myself trying to transcribe YES's album Relayer using only a cheap 70s 'music centre' (Radio, Record player and Cassette unit).

It was fun, and a major learning experience, but I wouldn't give up modern technology to go back !!

koneguitarist · January 2015

Bogwhoppit said:

Record player.

After using a strobe so the platter spun at the correct RPM, and hoping the band played to concert pitch (many didn't). Lift arm, drop arm - repeat around a thousand times. Throw away knackered vinyl, and borrow a friends copy , then start again.

That's how we did it in the 70's until tape players came along. It took many years before contemporary music of that period was transcribed into notation or tab. Aural learning was key, a good sense of pitch and patience. I remember a keyboard player and myself trying to transcribe YES's album Relayer using only a cheap 70s 'music centre' (Radio, Record player and Cassette unit).

It was fun, and a major learning experience, but I wouldn't give up modern technology to go back !!

That's pretty much how I did it for years. Though I have my own way now. Can't quite write it down how I do it now, but will do a vid to show later.

All the correct teachers and players will tell me it's awful way of doing it I suppose, but mates who have struggled learning, love it.

bingefeller · January 2015

I find it really hard sometimes.

I usually get an MP3, import it into Audacity, split stereo tracks to mono, select bottom track, go to effects and invert, then export under a different name so as you don't overwrite your original song. This will sometimes give you a version of the song with the vocals pushed into the background. It can help a lot for learning rhythm parts, although the lead guitar will sometimes also be pushed into the back of the track.

thomasross20 · January 2015

I just tabbed out "Hymn to Her" by ear - took forever as although it's just a bunch of chords, I wanted to play it just like the record and there are so many ways to play each chord just "that" way and to hit all the notes they hit on the record. I always find lead chordal parts tricky to get.

JAYJO · February 2015

Riffstation. I got it for £16 after a 30 day free trial. Highly recommend it.

You can also Google Beta Riffstation and get a free version that links to youtube

thomasross20 · February 2015

Wow, riffstation actually looks ok! Do you use it on your computer or phone or...?

Transcribe also sounds interesting.

Problem for me is... there are just TOO MANY options!!I can do it by ear but it can take some time. My first port of call is definitely to check for existing tabs and look for live vids. All this software... it's akin to the FX pedal/GAS problem - too much time faffing around not actually playing!

thomasross20 · February 2015

Once you guys have transcribed something, do you write it out?

Here's a good resource:

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PA-000-BlankPaper.php

EDIT - all these sites look good - anybody tried them?

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/AA-100-SpecialGuitarOffers.php

GuyBoden · February 2015

I agree, the best procedure is learning songs by ear, this has the BIG advantage of improving your ears, the process of listening intensely to each note is Ear Training.

1.) Put the song on repeat, and listen to it very intensely. (This could take a while.)
2.) Sing along to the song, until you're in perfect unison. (This could take a while.)
3.) Then find the notes on your instrument. (This could take a while.)
4.) Play along to the song in unison on your instrument. (This could take a while.)

Slow the song down, if it helps, but eventually you will need to play it at normal tempo.

Danny1969 · February 2015

thomasross20 said:

Once you guys have transcribed something, do you write it out?
Here's a good resource:
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PA-000-BlankPaper.php

EDIT - all these sites look good - anybody tried them?
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/AA-100-SpecialGuitarOffers.php

If you work it out by ear it's generally in the old grey matter so no need to write anything down. I don't think I've ever written anything down for myself except lyrics ...... and that was a waste of time as under typical rock band lighting you can't really read anything unless you got bionic eyes anyway

thomasross20 · February 2015

That's fair enough and I do agree, however I tend to forget things if I don't keep doing them... I wrote a bunch of songs yonks back and really wish I'd tabbed them out..

Teetonetal · February 2015

I learn by ear as much as possible - the key I think is to write it down as you go, I find that saves a lot of time as you can do it bar by bar and check yourself as you go, easily... some slow down software can help too (depending on who you are transcribing). Hoewever I also use tab, especially for those time when I just want to pick up something quickly.

Usual rules apply I guess .- do what ever works for you and there is no right or wrong way. But they don't have to be mutualy exclusive either.

Sambostar · February 2015

If you listen to it enough times it plays itself through your fingers. Got to get it in your head first. Tab is no good for that.

If it was particularly complicated solo or picking I would have to pause the CD player, but these days I would rather wing it or do it my own way anyway which is usually similar to the original.

To get a particular sound on an artist's technique or a new genre of music I might consult the internet once, then it's banked, but this is mainly so I can expand my own mental vocabulary.

For a song, the most important part is learning the words and vocal melody, you can work out the song from that anyway.

For a rhythm you have to get it in your head and feel it against the beat before it'll translate through your fingers.

I really haven't the patience for tab or tab software or pausing CD players and I think you kind of miss the point if you use tab. Better to play along a thousand times, by then you have every part and every solo nailed if you so want it to be a replica, but more importantly you feel the syncopation and rhythm and the melody so you don't really ever play any bum notes, nor get phased if you do and can expand upon the original.

paul_xt · February 2015

I make backing tracks for various companies, and when I'm learning stuff for them all I use is Cubase, a good EQ and my ears. It's hard at first using EQ to pick out bass/guitar/keyboard parts but gets easier the more you do it. Using some sort of sequencer is brilliant for looping sections when learning too.

hobbio · February 2015

RiffMaster Pro is a good, cheap, simple to use app on iOS that allows you to alter the tempo of the music whilst maintaining pitch (or alter the pitch whilst maintaining the tempo), as well as looping sections. It's brilliant for learning tracks.

BigLicks67 · February 2015

You tube is full of decent quality covers of songs ( not the lessons that's cheating) but you can use the eye to confirm what you think you are hearing. It's probably a good way to increase confidence in your ability to transcribe.

For instance I used these 2 videos to work out this arrangement of Love and Peace by Duke Levine.

Fazer4 · March 2015

I usually do it by ear, and maybe use some tab now and again, although I used tab a lot more when I started out. I think you have to have the song firmly in your head first. I don't write anything down once I've learned it, and even after a very long break from playing (years) most if it came back pretty quickly. The muscle memory still seemed to be there. But I composed a couple of celtic-style tunes on the acoustic, and wish I had written those down, cos damned if I can remember the first thing about them now

Phil_aka_Pip · March 2015

thomasross20 said:

I just tabbed out "Hymn to Her" by ear - took forever as although it's just a bunch of chords, I wanted to play it just like the record and there are so many ways to play each chord just "that" way and to hit all the notes they hit on the record. I always find lead chordal parts tricky to get.

Camel or Pretenders? (I prefer the former!)

thomasross20 · March 2015

Pretenders

streethawk · March 2015

Learned by ear when I was a kid and am grateful for it, but it had its limitations.

Castles made of sand - impossible and really pissed me off. Not helped by Jimi playing a (not quite) semitone down (who knew??).

Most stuff by Johnny Marr during his Smiths phase, luckily had an REM fetish and they were pretty straight forward.

Loads of technique problems too. Was glad for guitar mag TAB and instruction.

Nowadays, Youtube is an immense resource.

Mkjackary · March 2015

I used to think of songs to memorise intervals, but now I find it too much hassle as I forget how the songs go.

For me when I'm on the bus I like to listen to chill songs and just have a guitar solo in my head, and I move my fingers along with it too, I can imagine what the notes will sound like in respect to my fingers. Dorky I know, but sitting on the bus or wherever and just miming playing a simple bluesey solo is a good workout for me brain at least.

I also like to think of a melody, like Ba da da da baa, then play it without thinking about it, paul gilbert is great at that. And then after doing that and the bus thing, (it isn't just on the bus it is whenever I am not doing something I would be either doing that or tapping a rhythm) doing that, now I know all the intervals and most chords without thinking about it. I might not hear something and say "that is a maj3rd then back to root and down an octave..." But If I hear a melody I know how to imagine myself playing it.

If I am learning a song in depth however, like I recently did with "Morning star", I like to watch live videos; I could pick out the notes and their positions on the neck by ear, but the technique, nuances and other little things you might not pick up on with your wear, you will see when the play live.

Guitar pro 6 helped me alot before I could learn by ear, so sooo much better than tabs, you can slow it down, see the note durations and timings which is vital. Numbers on a line give you no indication of timing at all.

Ché · March 2015

Ears, the only thing better is watching some-one play it and noting the hand patterns and movements. Probably why I'm always in the front row for gigs, that and to geek at pedal and amp set ups.

Notate it and in the time it takes me to figure out the first chord I could have it down if you'd have just played it to me. This only works if you're working with musicians, producers and those running sessions probably can't help you so you need to be able to sight read.

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Learning songs by ear

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