learning by ear tips

[clare_bear2]

Anyone got any good tips for learning songs by ear?

I know I should perservere with trying. but I'm so rubbish at it that I give up after about 5 minutes of not being able to work anything out!

Now, spurred on by Flip, I'm trying to work out a song (I won't tell you what it is so that, for now, we can keep this generic).

I've thus far worked out it's key and the opening chord, but I can't really seem to hear where to go after that. I thought I had the next couple of chords, but they don't sound 'quite right'.

So, generic 'learning by ear' tips would be great!

[luuuke]

try to find the root note of each chord first - ie the lowest note

ie - try to play along by playing just one note at a time

then from that you can work out if its a minor or major chord or whatever

[clare_bear2]

try to find the root note of each chord first - ie the lowest note

ie - try to play along by playing just one note at a time

then from that you can work out if its a minor or major chord or whatever

That is a very good tip - cheers

[luuuke]

no worries

sometimes i find it can help to play along to the melody of the vocals too - just to get you in the right 'ballpark'

also similar to my first post, try to play along to the bass line - which is most likely to be the root notes of the chords anyway

[Vim Fuego]

I personally would use the entire ear and not just the tips

[clare_bear2]

I personally would use the entire ear and not just the tips

That could be where I'm going wrong :lol:

When working out a track, do you use software to slow the track down? Does Media Player alter the pitch when you slow it down, because it never seems quite right to me? I can't afford to buy that nice but expensive software (don't know what it's called!) or that CD-slower-downer-thingy (don't know what that's called either!). There aren't any good free alternatives are there?!

[luuuke]

I personally would use the entire ear and not just the tips

That could be where I'm going wrong :lol:

When working out a track, do you use software to slow the track down? Does Media Player alter the pitch when you slow it down, because it never seems quite right to me? I can't afford to buy that nice but expensive software (don't know what it's called!) or that CD-slower-downer-thingy (don't know what that's called either!). There aren't any good free alternatives are there?!

the Tascam CD-GT is the hardware thing you mean - can be found for a good price on ebay

i have one, got it for my birthday but it was £80 or so

BRILLIANT thing! 8)

[clare_bear2]

I personally would use the entire ear and not just the tips

That could be where I'm going wrong :lol:

When working out a track, do you use software to slow the track down? Does Media Player alter the pitch when you slow it down, because it never seems quite right to me? I can't afford to buy that nice but expensive software (don't know what it's called!) or that CD-slower-downer-thingy (don't know what that's called either!). There aren't any good free alternatives are there?!

the Tascam CD-GT is the hardware thing you mean - can be found for a good price on ebay

i have one, got it for my birthday but it was £80 or so

BRILLIANT thing! 8)

Still too expensive at the moment

[luuuke]

i have one, got it for my birthday but it was £80 or so

BRILLIANT thing! 8)

Still too expensive at the moment

i know what you mean!

(same for me at the moment)

[Ramirez]

Also keep in mind that's chords such as Bm and Dmaj can sound very similar, or Em and Gmaj (basically any major chord, and the minor chordthree frets down). That was the problem i often had when something would sound simillar, but not 'quite' there - I'd be playing a D instead of a Bm or something.