Ear Training - playing by ear articles

[nodehopper]

Just found a link on another board to a couple of great articles on how to learn to play by ear.

 

http://flatpick.ning.com/notes/Tips_on_Ear_Training

 

 

I think that we players of fretted instruments have a slight disadvantage over say fiddle and stand up bass players. We put our fingers here or there just like so and the chords work. Others like fiddle players are required to use their ears to get the right notes.

 

I have never felt that I was one of those lucky people who could play by ear or figure out songs by ear. I recently took about 8 months of vocal lessons and while a bit discouraged at my singing abilities ( still tense in the throat and not at the level I would like) there has been a side benefit to the ear training that comes as a part of singing. Just with in the last month or so a friend was playing from YouTube some songs that they thought were cool. I was sitting with my guitar and as he played them and after a few tries I quickly found the key and on 3 songs in a row I was playing along with songs I did not know! I could see his eyes widen as he was surprised at the ease with which I was able to get them (not as surprised as me!)....I am sure it is an improvement in my ear from the singing lessons.

 

But these are great articles and even though there is a bluegrass / flatpick POV ...the ideas are universal.

[onewilyfool]

When I started to play guitar, I didn't even know the names of the chords.......would just finger the board until it sounded good. Then someone showed me C, F, G......lol....and I learned a lot of songs with those three chords (cowboy chords I think they are called) and practiced until my hands were sore on that darned F chord. Eventually over time, I learned to play more and more chords, and as part of my practice, I use to "figure" out tunes on the phonograph by playing part of a song, then pressing the lever to raise the needle off the vinyl, then figure out the chords and words, then lower the needle for the next part....lol.....it is archaic now, but then that is all we could do. What it helped me do, is to develop and "ear" for listening and figuring out sounds and chords and melody lines. I can pretty much hear a song now on the radio and figure it out, or play along with it in a matter of seconds......My neighbor, is a PHD in music from Stanford, and can ONLY play, when he is reading music.....the exact opposite end of the stick. But still we play a little now and then and have fun, although we come at it from different directions. I can't really read music, can use and read TAB just as a record of play, and really enjoy playing guitar "my" way, however I am fully aware that it is not the ONLY way....lol