Can you play what you listen

[Langueta]

Can you play phrases and licks of great bassists-Jaco, Gerald Veasley- only by listening to any tune a couple of times....
I cant. I have to sit down and slow the song down to get the phrases.
I have a friend who is a guitar player that told me he learn Lee Ritenour songs and solos only listening to them. He is very talented, but can this be possible....

[smeet]

I can play most rock songs after hearing them once, but Jaco??? No.

What your friend claims is possible but unlikely. Is he saying he can listen to an entire Lee Ritenour solo once and then play it back? If so, he needs to quit his day job and move to Nashville to be a studio player.

[Kenner]

absolutely possible......I learn everything I listen to. The more you practice doing that, the easier it gets. Keep elevating the skill set of the music you practice/learn. Remember, there's only so many notes in a key structure....learn "hearing the patterns" and apply as necessary........

<---never once implied he could play Jaco lines in two takes......

[funkingroovin]

absolutely. Not to imply anything concerning your friend,but there countless cases of autism that,while impeding the normal growth/activity of one area of the brain,hyper-activate another.(RainMan).My sister works w/special needs individuals,and one is a young man that can't add 2+2 or remember that fire is hot,but plays the piano like he invented it!
Then there's the people like my guitarist(and yours),that listen to a song once,stumble along with it the second time,and render it note for note by the third or fourth time.It's pretty frustrating sometimes,but I'm glad he's in MY band!

[JimmyM]

absolutely it's possible, but everyone is not equal in their abilities to do so, so if you can't, don't worry about it...just try to improve on it and do the best you can. it does get easier with time, but definitely some people have better ears than others.

[capnsandwich]

Originally Posted by Kenner

absolutely possible......I learn everything I listen to. The more you practice doing that, the easier it gets. Keep elevating the skill set of the music you practice/learn. Remember, there's only so many notes in a key structure....learn "hearing the patterns" and apply as necessary........

<---never once implied he could play Jaco lines in two takes......

Yep, me too. My band mates look at me sometimes like I'm Rain Man when I nail a song they've been practicing for weeks and I get it the second time around. It's just the way I learn them. The key is to recognize patterns in the song, since music is really just a series of patterns combined together. Once you start recognizing patterns and seeing them flow into other patterns, you're 95% there. The other 5% is remembering.

[Yerf Dog]

It's all about practice.

[jnuts1]

i have a buddy who can burn through any tune you put on the stereo. but has no desire to play.

[Trapezius]

I need a few plays if it's very complex or fast, but I usually learn what I hear pretty easily. I usually don't nail it at first listen though.

[GianGian]

Pretty much. I mean, not Jaco, or things with too many notes, but simple stuff that is easy to remember I usually can play. Not in the right key though.