My ears dont work - need help

paradigm_shift · #1 10-29-2011, 06:37 PM

So I have got myself in a predicament. Got a killer oppertunity to join a band, and been given there material to learn- except I have to learn it by ear... Now I know I got the chops for it , but having real trouble hearing the bass in the mix ( I only have a pc with headphones to use to listen to it ) to top it off I've never learnt a song entirely by ear in my life- I've always done originals + a limited amount of covers with notation. Any suggestions that can make this easier for me would be appreciated. Is there software that is good for isolating particular instruments? I have tried to EQ it but the bass drum masks the bass ALOT . Struggling and frustrating - old bass player left on bad terms and the lines are wanted to be kept as they are.

AmadeusXeno · #2 10-29-2011, 07:15 PM

Personally I'd just listen to the guitar since you can't hear the bass in the recordings and make your own bass line. If they don't like the bass lines you come up with and still wanna say play what's on the recordings ask for a recording that has the bass herd easier. Sometimes people say they want everything the same as before but if you have something new that works as good or better they may like it and want to use that.

Soulpirate · #3 10-29-2011, 07:28 PM

I'm using a program called Transcribe from seventhstring.com and one of the features I use when I can't hear the bass is to pitch shift the song up an octave. For some reason, it makes it easier to separate the bass from the kick drum. You can read up on it and download a 30 day trial at:

Transcribe! - software to help transcribe recorded music

It works well for me but I'm sure there are others out there. Cheers.

Rockin Mike · #4 10-29-2011, 07:28 PM

Look for a better copy of the song, perhaps on YouTube?
Download Audacity (freeware sound processing software) and try to clean up the bad copy?
Audacity can do a bunch of stuff including the pitch shift trick mentioned above.

Darko74 · #5 10-29-2011, 07:29 PM

cant you ask the other band guys for maybe a drum and bass mix? sure'lly they have the masters to there recordings?

Joe Nerve · #6 10-29-2011, 07:39 PM

Windows media player (and most media players) have built in EQs. With a set of headphones and that you should be able to tweak the bass so you can hear it. And that doesn't always mean tweaking the low frequencies. I fiddle with all, sometimes dropping some of the bottom, until I get the bass notes the clearest. Can be any of the frequencies usally between 62hz and 8khz on windows player.

A little reluctant to make this offer, BUT, people helped me out here with notation one time. I may be able to return the favor with my ears. If you want to send me links or files I have some free time tonight (gig in connecticut was snowed out). If it's simple stuff I may be able to send you some tab, or isolated bass recording. If ya want to give it a go send stuff to joenerve@aol.com . I'm half deaf and have bad tinnitus, but I have a pretty good ear and pick stuff up quickly.

iridiumrocks · #7 10-29-2011, 08:48 PM

I use Winamp to practice. It has an EQ so you can treak the mix to hear the bass better. There are two very handy plug-ins you can also download. "Loop Master" lets you create a loop to repeat a part you are trying to learn. "Pacemaker" lets you slow the song down without changing the pitch. WIth the combination of both, you can slow down and loop difficult parts to learn them more easily.

Winamp

sammyp · #8 10-29-2011, 11:59 PM

the windows media player thing is the bomb ....the eq suggestion and play speed settings .....used to have to half speed stuff with my dad's reel to reel back in the 80's

you can also dig for tabs on the tab sites although they are hard on the eyes and sometimes not accurate. they're better than nothing.

make sure you know what tunes are on record in E flat tuning or drop D etc

as a bass player, learning to work the EQ with headphones on WMP is definately worth the effort.

list your covers and we can at least give you keys, tunings, root note outlines etc etc

Darko74 · #9 10-30-2011, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammyp

the windows media player thing is the bomb ....the eq suggestion and play speed settings .....used to have to half speed stuff with my dad's reel to reel back in the 80's

you can also dig for tabs on the tab sites although they are hard on the eyes and sometimes not accurate. they're better than nothing.

make sure you know what tunes are on record in E flat tuning or drop D etc

as a bass player, learning to work the EQ with headphones on WMP is definately worth the effort.

list your covers and we can at least give you keys, tunings, root note outlines etc etc

dont think there covers bro. think its original stuff he's talking about

henry2513 · #10 10-30-2011, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paradigm_shift

So I have got myself in a predicament. Got a killer oppertunity to join a band, and been given there material to learn- except I have to learn it by ear... Now I know I got the chops for it , but having real trouble hearing the bass in the mix ( I only have a pc with headphones to use to listen to it ) to top it off I've never learnt a song entirely by ear in my life- I've always done originals + a limited amount of covers with notation. Any suggestions that can make this easier for me would be appreciated. Is there software that is good for isolating particular instruments? I have tried to EQ it but the bass drum masks the bass ALOT . Struggling and frustrating - old bass player left on bad terms and the lines are wanted to be kept as they are.

Get this book - it will take a little work but it's well, well worth it. I've had formal ear training classes before and this was much easier to work on and very very practical.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Ear-T.../dp/0793581567

wmheilma · #11 10-30-2011, 10:57 AM

Do the best you can with what you have tweaking EQ or playing on another system, then when you have half a clue about the tunes yo uwill be in a good position to get the other guys in the band to help you out.
Learning tunes by ear is definitely a skll. An important skill!

jgroh · #12 10-31-2011, 07:55 AM

Just figure out the chord progression and make up your own bassline.

BROKEN OHMS · #13 10-31-2011, 08:02 AM

If you can't hear what the previous bass player was doing it probably means that his parts aren't that important anyway.

paradigm_shift · #14 10-31-2011, 06:27 PM

Just because I can't hear it very clearly in the mix doesn't mean its not there when they have played live/rehearsed though. Regardless of what I think best , I'm going to try and nail it as lose as possible because I want this gig. Any other suggestions are most welcome- I Couldn't get the winamp programs to work with winamp- seems like they worked with an older version? The transcribe! program is good. Any other tips /tricks or resources are warmly received!

Art Araya · #15 10-31-2011, 06:41 PM

use software to slow down the tune and to take it up an octave - the bass line will be much clearer to hear. I use Amazing Slow Downer but there are others.

nysbob · #16 10-31-2011, 07:56 PM

The most important thing is that the songs FEEL right. If they do, the rest is icing.

If you have some knowledge of theory, that will help you hear what's going on harmonically.

When most of us geezers were starting out, there was no online database or tabs - you sit down with the recording until you have a handle on what's going on. It's a skill that will help you down the road as you learn more...so get on it.

paradigm_shift · #17 11-08-2011, 08:45 PM

So getting there slowly - Out of all the programs I could get to wrok Transcribe! was definely the best of them - Is there any better out there that does the same sort of thing if I we're to purchase them ? As a side note is there a non computer tool thats pwrticularly good for this? How are the tascam products?

Soulpirate · #18 11-16-2011, 09:32 PM

I have a Tascam Bass Trainer and I like it for traveling and playing in hotel rooms. Speed adjustment only goes down to 50%, so if you need to slow things down any further, you're outta luck. It also has basic eq settings to boost, enhance or cut the bottom end, kinda limited. I believe they are discontinued, but you can get a GB-10 which is a guitar/bass trainer and recorder as well. Not sure how it works, but I still find Transcribe! the best tool for me to learn new songs and pick out the tricky stuff or the bass that's buried in the mix. Seventh String just updated Transcribe! and fixed some bugs, didn't cost me a cent to upgrade my software to the newest version. I think the license is only $50, so good investment and a great tool for picking out bass riffs. Using Transcribe! I've found that I'm picking up on stuff that I've been playing wrong as well. No, I'm not a rep for this software or website, just a satisfied user. Good luck.

Joebone · #19 11-16-2011, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

Windows media player (and most media players) have built in EQs. With a set of headphones and that you should be able to tweak the bass so you can hear it. And that doesn't always mean tweaking the low frequencies. I fiddle with all, sometimes dropping some of the bottom, until I get the bass notes the clearest. Can be any of the frequencies usally between 62hz and 8khz on windows player.

A little reluctant to make this offer, BUT, people helped me out here with notation one time. I may be able to return the favor with my ears. If you want to send me links or files I have some free time tonight (gig in connecticut was snowed out). If it's simple stuff I may be able to send you some tab, or isolated bass recording. If ya want to give it a go send stuff to joenerve@aol.com . I'm half deaf and have bad tinnitus, but I have a pretty good ear and pick stuff up quickly.

This man deserves the all-time karma prize - you go, Joe!

If these are originals, has the band written the chord changes or any kind of lead sheet? This will help you grok the format, which in turn eases learning of lines...if they don't have anything like that, if you are chord-conversant, writing your own road map for each tune will help.