How do you develop your ear?

[Sancho Panza]

I've been trying to figure out songs now, and it's getting really frustrated, since i don't know every chord. But how do you develop your hearing? Should i listen do more music or just learn as many chords as possibly?

[Versatile]

Build your experience steadily...starting with 3 chord songs (typical 1,4,5) progressions such as Blues and Rock'n Roll

Get a book of some favourite music and hear how the chords make the song

Sing or hum along with any tunes as you strum chords

 

If you fancy it, take some lessons too

 

Enjoy...Big Time....

 

V

 

 

[cabba2203]

I developed mine over time by playing along with records and then jamming with anybody I could who played.

[albertjohn]

I spent my youth learning the trombone a theory of music up to grade 5. Lots of learning of scales etc.

 

Now, when listening to songs, those fundementals are crucial in working out chord progressions, hearing intervals (4ths and 5ths being the most important). Often working out the root note of a chord helps most - often the bass note - is it major or minor and on from there.

 

Eventually you'll hear the 7ths and other variants and the "shape" of the chord being played i.e. an open Gmaj or a barre chord.

 

Also, I know the lowest note I can sing - a D - which I can use as a reference to determine the key of a song.

 

Keep at it. Whatever you hear on the radio, try it in your head. It's great fun

 

Don't start with complex stuff like say Steely Dan. Try ACDC or say Johnny Cash to start. The light bulb moments will come but you've got to work at it. There are some people who can hear this stuff naturally, but most of us have to gain the skills over many many years.

 

Have fun with it and don't give up.

[LarryUK]

I once worked with a bass player. I never had to show him anything. I just played the song and he played along.

Amazing ear. It was like he could read your mind. He plays with some very good musicians now.

That was 25 years ago though.

[badbluesplayer]

The best way to train your ear is to sing, hum or whistle to yourself.

[Bowdiddley]

Don't start with complex stuff like say Steely Dan. Try ACDC or say Johnny Cash to start. The light bulb moments will come but you've got to work at it. There are some people who can hear this stuff naturally, but most of us have to gain the skills over many many years.

 

Have fun with it and don't give up.

 

My son has that ability. As a new born baby he would lay in the crib and hum instead of the usual baby gibberish. This made a huge impact on him learning music. It's almost like cheating!

[Witmer]

I once worked with a bass player. I never had to show him anything. I just played the song and he played along.

Amazing ear. It was like he could read your mind. He plays with some very good musicians now.

That was 25 years ago though.

 

 

Bass is actually a good place to start with that, because you can just follow the main pitch. If a song goes up from "G" to "A minor", you can just slide up from "G" to "A". Once you have a good feel for that (and yes, knowing scales helps a lot for predicting where a song might go), you can train your ear to distinguish between majors, minors, sevenths, etc.

[EVOL!]

I've been trying to figure out songs now, and it's getting really frustrated, since i don't know every chord. But how do you develop your hearing? Should i listen do more music or just learn as many chords as possibly?

 

How do you develop your hearing? Practice a lot.

 

In college I took a theory one class that had a sight singing & ear training (aka sight screaming and ear straining) lab. Five of us would sit in a tiny practice room with a keyboard and the instructor at the front and we would play single note melodies on the keys while singing the accompanying harmonies. Sometimes it was really bad, but by the end of the semester my ears and voice were improved exponentially.

 

Since you don't know a lot of chords I would add that to your learning songs. No tab to start! Only the chord names to get used to knowing what a G7 vs a Gmaj7 is, what an Emadd9 is, etc. After a lot of practice you will start to hear intervals and chords: the odd feel of Bbmaj and Fmaj, the darkness of Em, the sadness of Dm, and the ringing of Am7. And cool tricks like minor fifth chord to major fifth chord to root chord (thank you Johnny Marr).

[albertjohn]

My son has that ability. As a new born baby he would lay in the crib and hum instead of the usual baby gibberish. This made a huge impact on him learning music. It's almost like cheating!

 

A rare gift. Fantastic. Is he a musician now?

[Tman]

Don't start with complex stuff like say Steely Dan. Try ACDC or say Johnny Cash to start. The light bulb moments will come but you've got to work at it. There are some people who can hear this stuff naturally, but most of us have to gain the skills over many many years.

 

Have fun with it and don't give up.

 

+1. I used to slow records down which dropped them a whole octave and go from there. There is a website now will do it for you. (don't know the name though). Once you've had a success, it's the stimulus to move on and conquer.

 

Also check out all the resources on the internet. To albertjohn's point, I found a video lesson site that actually has a Steely Dan Song (Josie) on there. Our band is going to play it next Feb. Man if I were to try to learn that song back in the 70's it would have been very very difficult. Now, it's just very difficult.

 

Best of luck and don't give up.

[MojoRedFoot]

It's almost like cheating!

It feels like cheating. I've been learning primarily that way since I was 12. I took lessons for 2 yrs but in the end it was easier to learn by ear. I know all the chords and notes on the fret board and understand basic theory, that does make figuring stuff out easier. When I started mandolin I forced myself to really re-learn music and tried not to go by ear but it's hard not to.

[canon_mutant]

Kinda weird but my ear has actually developed me. Through keyboards, then saxophone, and now guitar I have been blessed with an ear for music. I have actually pi$$ed people off jamming before because I just start playing something I have only heard once and they are like "how the hell did you do that?" I also only took guitar lessons for 6 months because I was learning new songs quicker than my teacher even though he was and probably still is a better guitar player than I am.

 

My problem is the ability to produce own music and lyrics. Details!

 

All this said, I think having access to a keyboard would be helpful. Probably an easier transition from what you are hearing and then you can transpose it onto the guitar.

 

Just a thought and good luck . . .

[Bowdiddley]

A rare gift. Fantastic. Is he a musician now?

 

A rare gift indeed, one he is sincerely thankful for. He took violin at age 8 and by the age of 13 was playing classical piano which he is self taught, guitar was self taught as well. This past Christmas after picking the Banjo up for the first time ever, he was able to play Foggy Mountain Breakdown pretty much complete after an hour or so of playing.

 

He is at school now working on his PHD in computer science. This has slowed his playing down a good bit but he still plays but not professionally. I think he will get back into performing as a form of stress release after his studies.

 

Sorry for the long answer, can you tell I'm a proud dad?

[Sancho Panza]

Thanks for all the answers so long! You can really see the knowledge on this board!

 

I have played guitar for maybe two months, but i bought it this summer, so i'm kinda new to the instrument. But it seems like it's so much to learn that i don't even know where to begin; with chords? scales? or theory? I just wanna play some of my favorite songs, that's all, that's why i bought the guitar and also to keep me occupied and actually learn something.

 

I've actually considered going to some sort of course or to a teacher, but at this time it's excluded; school, work, etc. But considering the type of music i'm in to, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out the tunes.

 

I extremly, extremly, into garage stuff, ca '65-'69. So it isn't that complex, like three-chord songs, but just basic stuff. I'm into the rhythm parts, not so much into solos (since, at this point, it feels like i will never learn how to actually play a properly solo). And with the time being, all the effects that they threw on solos and maybe not even playing properly; bending wrong, weird structures etc. Typical 60-garage-meets-psychedelic-in-the-garage stuff. I could throw up some songs if you want an example of the stuff that i want to play (in some distant future)

 

Thanks again for all the answers, it has been the start on my journey!

[duane v]

My ear training began with ba-ba-loo .... I just dug Ricky Ricardo as a little dude... But I would state that all my years of trumpet playing was responsible for my ear development.

 

My advice is to sing and play and record yourself.

[P90]

Thanks for all the answers so long! You can really see the knowledge on this board!

 

I have played guitar for maybe two months, but i bought it this summer, so i'm kinda new to the instrument. But it seems like it's so much to learn that i don't even know where to begin; with chords? scales? or theory? I just wanna play some of my favorite songs, that's all, that's why i bought the guitar and also to keep me occupied and actually learn something.

 

Ok, id suggest getting yourself one of those 'how to play guitar' books first of. Then start by learning some open chords, Em, E, G, A, Am and D are nice and easy shapes. Once you have learnt a few of those chords. look on www.ultimate-guitar.com and look at some of your favourite songs, then learn some more chords to be able to play that song. After you have open chords completely sussed look at barre chords, learn the notes on the fretboard and start looking at scales. While going through this keep practising your favourite songs and you will see an improvement in your all round knowledge/base skill of the instrument thats ready to build upon.

[Sancho Panza]

Ok, id suggest getting yourself one of those 'how to play guitar' books first of. Then start by learning some open chords, Em, E, G, A, Am and D are nice and easy shapes. Once you have learnt a few of those chords. look on www.ultimate-guitar.com and look at some of your favourite songs, then learn some more chords to be able to play that song. After you have open chords completely sussed look at barre chords, learn the notes on the fretboard and start looking at scales. While going through this keep practising your favourite songs and you will see an improvement in your all round knowledge/base skill of the instrument thats ready to build upon.

 

I can those basic chords and even barre chords, but i have some difficulty to shift to an barre chord, you know. I can play one scale, not fast at all, but i know how it goes, but i'm the kind of guy who wants to learn it directly, but i have to have patience.

 

The thing is with the songs that i like is that they aren't on any site with tabs, believe me, i've looked! :D That's why i need like someone who can play to tab out songs so i can learn from them, cause i can't hear if it's specific chord, etc.

[P90]

Go into a music shop, most have tabulature books on loads of artists, if not they could probably order you something. Anyways, what tabs can you not find on Ultimate guitar? you must like vintage mongolian rain dance songs or something then?

 

Just keep finding songs that challenge your playing and it will come

[Sinner 13]

My music director in high school once gave me a sage piece of advice I still use successfully to this day,

"If you can sing it, you can play it."

[Sancho Panza]

Go into a music shop, most have tabulature books on loads of artists, if not they could probably order you something. Anyways, what tabs can you not find on Ultimate guitar? you must like vintage mongolian rain dance songs or something then?

 

Just keep finding songs that challenge your playing and it will come

 

Haha, do you actually want me to link some of the songs? Believe me, i've tried finding them:

 

 

Velvet Haze - Last Day On Earth

 

 

And THEN, when i actually know how to play, i will try to tackle:

 

Scorpio Tube - Yellow Listen (i don't know if he's bending wrong or if it's the tape-delay that makes it sound so amazingly wrong)

 

And last, the beauty:

 

The INDEX - Shock Wave

 

There you go, good luck try finding any chords.

[P90]

you my friend, have to get a more commercial taste in music! haha

 

That The Index tune is a beast tho!

[Sancho Panza]

Haha! Was every song that bad? :D

[mcmurray]

We had a discussion about this not long ago.

 

See here: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/55422-for-those-who-want-to-play-by-ear-but-cant/page__p__743385__hl__functional+pitch__fromsearch__1#entry743385

[albertjohn]

+ I found a video lesson site that actually has a Steely Dan Song (Josie) on there. Our band is going to play it next Feb. Man if I were to try to learn that song back in the 70's it would have been very very difficult. Now, it's just very difficult.

 

 

 

Hey, best of luck with that one. I'm not nearly skilled enough to play any of their stuff with any degree of competance. I did "learn" with alot of help from our friends at Line 6 - Guitar Port - the solo to Kid Charlamagne. You can slow stuff down to 1/2 speed on GP but I was never able to get it to full speed.

 

Some of the chords on their stuff is beyond me but a great challenge. Good on ya.