How do you learn new songs?

[mcmurray]

Just interested in what the general consensus is for learning new tunes. What is your go-to method?

 

For me, now days I learn 100% by ear and maybe check a video of the artist if I want to nail the exact fingerings.

[Tman5293]

I listen to the song first, then what ever I can't figure out just by listening I learn from tabs. Normally I can get most of the song just by listening.

[Shnate McDuanus]

Well, first of all, I never rely on tabs. I had enough experience in my early days of playing with using tabs and realizing later that they were often completely wrong. So I no longer use tabs found on the internet, and I try to avoid using tabs from officially licensed and published resources, because I don't want to get into the habit of relying on tabs--it's my feeling that, as a musician, I should use the same standard notation that other musicians do...Even if, for a very complicated, arcane and historically involved reason, we play notes an octave below what we read in standard notation--the guitar does have quite a range, and in fact it's very good for chordal accompaniment because the first octave on the guitar is technically in the bass clef.

 

I try, more than anything, to learn by ear, but it seems as if I still have a lot of trouble with recognizing chord changes by ear--I've gotten pretty good at reproducing riffs by ear, but I struggle with the harmonic relationships between chords. At times I even struggle to recognize authentic cadences and plagal cadences. I seem to be pretty good with the dominant cadence (for what that's worth... .) My struggles to play songs by ear are a constant source of frustration for me. In fact, I think that's probably what upsets me most about my abilities.

 

Then there's watching the artist play...it's worked for Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold," Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?", Angel Witch's "Angel Witch," (except for the fast riff at the beginnings of the verses,) and Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" (I know, I know, it's a very simple song, but this was way at the beginning, when I was still just starting to putz around on it.) This works out pretty well at times, but occasionally ends up bearing absolutely no progress.

 

The fact is that, through weekly lessons, I've bizarrely enough become very good at sight reading, and at the same time I haven't truly developed a very good ear. It's the most frustrating thing in the world--that I can barely play any songs, and most of the ones I can play are country or folk tunes which I play when my dad wants to jam...once every few months. It's my biggest struggle--that after such a time I'm still barely competent at any skill that matters.

 

I wish I could fix my problem. I feel like it's going to take more time and perseverance...or, I did. That was a few months ago, before I noticed that it seems like the more I work at it, the worse I get.

 

Maybe I ought to sell my guitars...nah!

 

EDIT: I just noticed how ungodly this post's length is. I apologize--it's truly heinous.

[L5Larry]

With the blues band it is learn songs by ear. With the jazz bands it's standard music notation.

 

Learning to read/play standard music notation is the single biggest thing I ever did to improve my playing, AND open up countless opportunities to further my craft. I wish I had done that as a youngster (hint, hint).

[Plymouth58]

Tabs and DVD (Lick Library)

[LarryUK]

Play it in your head. Think the tune. Often, most riffs and licks are similar to other ones.

[MojoRedFoot]

there's an app for that..........

[zigzag]

Some notation, some tab, some by ear.

[cabba2203]

By Ear and Watching them play it if video is available.

[lazarusvt84]

By ear...and riffs/leads via "RiffMaster"....sometimes MediaPlayer (but it only slows down song to 50%).

[ShredAstaire]

I make em up!

[LPguitarman]

Playing by ear. Watching the artist play if a video is available, (mostly to get neck positions, because it's hard to find videos that zoom into the hands). When I want to learn a song, I'll listen to it over and over again every time I'm driving in my car. This really gets the song in my head and helps me remember the structure of the song...

 

As a last resort, and I have rarely done this, I'll try to find the song on You-Tube (tutorial).

[ChanMan]

I make em up!

 

 

/chuckle I've found this to be easier than learning covers.... :)

 

I am understanding "sucking at your own stuff" on a much more personal level, though.

 

 

 

I listen to it. If I have to, I'll YouTube it.

 

Way back when, you just sat in front of the stereo with your guitar and played it over and over until you got it right....