Need Advice on Playing By Ear.

dotn1983 · #1 06-27-2009, 05:11 PM

I've recently gave up on using tabs, because learning to play by ear will give you far more opportunities in the future, but doing so has been quite hard. I was wondering if anybody has any advice on making this easier.

onlyclave · #2 06-27-2009, 05:42 PM

Yeah, learn to read standard notation.

Jake Morris · #3 06-27-2009, 05:47 PM

take lessons with someone who will teach you theory and standard notation. it will all pay off in the end!

lindseyp · #4 06-27-2009, 05:52 PM

I grew up playing piano, reading notation. They're right, reading will help your ear because you'll be able to see the tones as they're written.

martyman5000 · #5 06-27-2009, 05:57 PM

I play by ear mainly now...I'm mainly into working on notes and patterns in scales that appeal to my ear. You progress and build a bridge to the next part and slowly you work until you have enough material that everything just all of a sudden makes sense. I love melody, so the more melodic the easier it is for me to figure out what is going on. I've worked with guitarists that try to baffle you with too many odd chord changes and such and there was no real clear melody you could focus on.

Me goofing around

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHimeaTftRg

RedLeg · #6 06-27-2009, 06:04 PM

Take an ear training class at your local community college.
If this is not available, you can DIY.

Start simple with one key signature, establish that key by playing the major scale and triad, then try to SING unaccompanied the 1, 3, 5 (and vary it up a little dont always start on one or go in order). Try to hold the root pitch in your head as long as possible. the object is not to play. You will only need your instrument to check your pitches.

You can add difficulty by adding other chord tones like the 8 or the 5 below the one. Keep within an octave and a half (unless you are trying to be a vocalist)
After you get good with chord tones, try scale tones ranging from the 5 below the one to the octave. Again vary it up, don't always start on the one or go in obvious order.

You can even make out number lists that you can perform. Random numbers from -5 to 8 (-5 being the 5 below the one)
try this in major
-5, 3, 1 (you should recognize this if done right)
here is a hard one
5, -5, 3, 8, 3, -5, 1

After you get good with major tonality, try out minor. This is a simplified version of what the Navy school of music uses to teach their musicians ear training

Oh yea, All this is lost with out being able to read music or having a basic knowledge of harmony

mthw_allen · #7 07-07-2009, 10:34 PM

If you mean transposing (listening to the song then playing it) then try using a piano it helps out alot espescially because they stay in tune alot longer than....anything else basically. Also try listening to a pitch, hum the pitch, stop the song, then play it on your instrument.

elpezpr · #8 07-07-2009, 10:45 PM

Almost all good bass players that say they play by ear mean they can't sight read. No harm in learning a bit.

NOVAX · #9 07-07-2009, 11:22 PM

Play with the radio- commercials, station identification, everything. Put yourself in a pitch recognition mindset and go for it. Bounce between stations, look for familiar songs but hunker down with the vaguely familiar and completely alien. Lead and your ear will follow.

Paul4703 · #10 07-08-2009, 03:19 AM

Hi,

A method I've been using is to play a favourite CD on the stereo in the living room. Then go into a bedroom to listen to it. The walls filter out most of the music but you can still hear the bassline. Sit with your bass and try to play the notes. Over the weeks this gets easier and indicates improvement in your ability to pick out a tune by ear.

Paul.

MNAirHead · #11 07-08-2009, 03:33 AM

Buy Willie Nelson "Tougher than Leather" and "Red Headed Stranger"

Listen to the CDs getting to know where the chords change.

It's a very straight forward 1-4-5 chart with very deliberate chords and melodies.

Sing the bass lines..

THEN - Pickup a bass

Learn the bass lines.. then the guitar solo melodies.

Once you have these 2 disks down you're about 1/2 way to most stuff you'll ever need.

mebusdriver · #12 07-08-2009, 03:43 AM

Listen to music that has the bass up clear in the mix. I know that seems obvious, but when you're just starting out you need all the help you can get. I like listening to the New Mastersounds. The bass is very clear, the lines are very cool, and the songs aren't too terribly complex. They have some good changes that are common in a lot of tunes thus it will help you recognize common intervals and changes.

Sight reading is important, but your ear needs to be just as good. My wife is an amazing piano player. You put just about any piece of music in front of her and she'll read and play it through dang near perfect first try, every time. But if you ask her to jam and follow a tune/play a melody over something and you haven't given her a chart..... forget about it. I know a ton of musicians that are the same way.

Split your time between the two, you'll get to play out a lot more if you're good at both.

Jack017 · #13 07-09-2009, 06:40 AM

I'm not much of a tab guy either.
at the moment i'm trying to figure out "Polka" by Yves Klein Blue... anyone familiar with it?

LMCA · #14 07-10-2009, 06:38 AM

You should train your ear, I'm working on the same thing. Sight reading is too hard, but I know that if I learn that, I'll have a lot of problems solved.

Tandrew · #15 07-10-2009, 06:47 AM

+1 mebusdriver

KPAX · #16 07-10-2009, 08:03 AM

Listen to a lot of music, learn a lot of songs.
Learn them by ear, even if it's not perfect. Then practice with the recordings. You will know when something isn't right, then work on correcting those parts. Play with other people around your musical level. If they notice you're playing something wrong, they should tell you. If you notice they're playing something wrong, you should tell them. The more songs you learn, the more familiar the patterns, chord changes, melodies, rhythms, etc. will become. Learn from other people, share what you know. In my early days, my guitar player was more experienced and had a better ear that I did and would correct me or learn certain things for me but after a while I got really good at hearing and learning things myself.
Be persistent when you're learning from recordings. Sometimes you might have to replay a passage many, many times before you hear it right enough to play it. It's a LOT easier these days with iPods, computers, CD's etc. with nice remote control pause and fwd/rev. Back in the old days in HS we had to learn off records - as in lift the needle, try to go back a couple grooves, set the needle down and grab your bass, guitar or whatever and be ready to try the passage again, LOL.
Jump in with both feet and do it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dotn1983

I've recently gave up on using tabs, because learning to play by ear will give you far more opportunities in the future, but doing so has been quite hard. I was wondering if anybody has any advice on making this easier.

cassanova · #17 07-10-2009, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeg

Take an ear training class at your local community college.
If this is not available, you can DIY.

Start simple with one key signature, establish that key by playing the major scale and triad, then try to SING unaccompanied the 1, 3, 5 (and vary it up a little dont always start on one or go in order). Try to hold the root pitch in your head as long as possible. the object is not to play. You will only need your instrument to check your pitches.

You can add difficulty by adding other chord tones like the 8 or the 5 below the one. Keep within an octave and a half (unless you are trying to be a vocalist)
After you get good with chord tones, try scale tones ranging from the 5 below the one to the octave. Again vary it up, don't always start on the one or go in obvious order.

You can even make out number lists that you can perform. Random numbers from -5 to 8 (-5 being the 5 below the one)
try this in major
-5, 3, 1 (you should recognize this if done right)
here is a hard one
5, -5, 3, 8, 3, -5, 1

After you get good with major tonality, try out minor. This is a simplified version of what the Navy school of music uses to teach their musicians ear training

Oh yea, All this is lost with out being able to read music or having a basic knowledge of harmony

+1

My music professor taught us ear training like this. One additional thing I'd like to add.

She also taught us to listen for certain characteristics. Things like dissonance with 1 and maj 2nd, and other things to help identify the intervals. Like singing/listening for things like "here comes the bride" to identify P4's, "Oh E Oh" for the 5ths, the "NBC" network music, IIRC was for maj 7ths, etc.

Of course if you've never heard these songs then you'd be a bit out of sorts.

Another thing she'd have us do when we got more confident with identifying the notes/intervals was to dictate the rhythms/notes onto the staff.

TheChicken · #18 07-10-2009, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeg

Take an ear training class at your local community college.
If this is not available, you can DIY.

Start simple with one key signature, establish that key by playing the major scale and triad, then try to SING unaccompanied the 1, 3, 5 (and vary it up a little dont always start on one or go in order). Try to hold the root pitch in your head as long as possible. the object is not to play. You will only need your instrument to check your pitches.

You can add difficulty by adding other chord tones like the 8 or the 5 below the one. Keep within an octave and a half (unless you are trying to be a vocalist)
After you get good with chord tones, try scale tones ranging from the 5 below the one to the octave. Again vary it up, don't always start on the one or go in obvious order.

You can even make out number lists that you can perform. Random numbers from -5 to 8 (-5 being the 5 below the one)
try this in major
-5, 3, 1 (you should recognize this if done right)
here is a hard one
5, -5, 3, 8, 3, -5, 1

After you get good with major tonality, try out minor. This is a simplified version of what the Navy school of music uses to teach their musicians ear training

Oh yea, All this is lost with out being able to read music or having a basic knowledge of harmony

Great advice! Going to start practicing this (I'm a newbie myself) to get my ear well trained

mambo4 · #19 07-10-2009, 01:59 PM

For me, playing by ear depends on recognizing common chord progressions.

learn alot of songs and anylize the chord progressions.
learn to play your I-IV-V's and your I-vi-ii-V's etc...

If "I-IV-V " is gibberish to you, check the stickies in general Instruction.

kenlacam · #20 07-10-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOVAX

Play with the radio- commercials, station identification, everything. Put yourself in a pitch recognition mindset and go for it. Bounce between stations, look for familiar songs but hunker down with the vaguely familiar and completely alien. Lead and your ear will follow.

Ditto! This is how I learned, and I've been playing successfully for over 20 years now. this is the best way to learn to play by ear. You don't HAVE to read music to be successful.