I can't learn by ear to save my life... I swear this is no exaggeration. You could play any note on the fretboard and I couldn't tell you what it was. I have trouble telling notes apart in a song. I feel like I'm ****ing fighting nature or something.

When I have tried to learn by ear in the past I'll play parts that fit but when I go back with the music off they are extremely off.

Common advice I get it to listen to the key the song is played in but I can't even find that...:mad:

I have been playing for almost a year and though my quality of playing has improved drastically my ear is pretty much the same. I fell tone deaf in a way.

I have tried boosting bass, playing it loud and switching rooms, and other little tips.

My friend, who plays guitar, has never taken a lesson in his life but he has learned everything he knows by ear yet he has only been playing for 1.5 years and has been doing it for 1.5 years. He learns things like between the buried and me by ear and I can't even do the simplest things...

My question I suppose is for those of you who had a hell of a time learning... who did you overcome it?:bawl:

Google "ear trainer".

maybe your friend has perfect pitch

Google "ear trainer".

maybe your friend has perfect pitch

I have actually looked up perfect pitch many times... by definition he doesn't but he is probably darn close.

Learn to read music. There are a whole bunch of classical musicians who can't learn by ear and they're still great players. Find and use your strengths and your weaknesses won't seem as inhibiting.

Learn to read music. There are a whole bunch of classical musicians who can't learn by ear and they're still great players. Find and use your strengths and your weaknesses won't seem as inhibiting.

it might have helped if i told you guys I can read...oops

it might have helped if i told you guys I can read...oops


how's your knowledge of theory?

When I learn a song by ear I listen to the song until I can sing the bass part.
Knowing the lowest note you can sing helps too.

I feel like I'm in a similar boat, for the longest time I knew only very basic theory, could read, and had a good feel for rhythm. However my ear sucked (I've mistaken minor major 3rds in my best attempts at transcribing a simple song, I think a song is in some key and I'm totally wrong) Recently though I've been getting better, and here is what I think is doing it...

I learned a lot more theory and started to look up only the chords of a song I'm trying to figure out, this gives me something to go on but still forces me to work at transcribing.

I'm also finding that through writing my own lines to progressions, my ear for recognizing song movement is getting much better. I'm starting to hear progressions in songs I don't know how to play and I'm starting to hear more intervals and recognize lines.

Also learning a lot of songs from each genre is helping, once I recognize the style of the line likely note culprits and chord progressions start to become obvious when I hear them.

If you aren't regularly jamming with people or at least a drum machine or something I would start. Jamming and then listening to the jams over and over is REALLY helping my ear and feel, I have some idea of what I'm playing when I listen back, and this helps familiarize me with scales and chords while I'm away from my bass. Since I started jamming I'm also feeling songs more when I learn them, and I'm more able to change and manipulate them.

The key is singing and practice with a piano. Our hearing is better in different ranges/octave so you can work on your ear in a range it easier to hear in. Once you get things down in one or two octaves you ear like then can start work in hearing in other octaves. Each octave presents it own challenge. Learn notes and intervals basic on simple tunes like nursery rhymes you have growing up hearing. Learn to sing those in numbers or solfeggi so you associate intervals and scale steps with the notes your ear already know.

these ideas seem decent but Where would I find a good place to learn music theory? I take lessons but we haven't really hit on theory too much.

And do you guys have any other ideas than singing because that is a huge no-no? Plus I don't own a piano

What makes singing a "no-no?"

And do you guys have any other ideas than singing because that is a huge no-no? Plus I don't own a piano

Your singing for yourself not to sing for others. Listen to some of the jazz greats (and others) and you hear them sing/growl the shape of their solos. When take ear training classes guess what you do most the time, sing. If you want to play music you'll do it.

....And do you guys have any other ideas than singing because that is a huge no-no?

hum?