How Do You Learn To Play Songs?

**MetalcoreBP** · #1 02-13-2013, 08:07 PM

I've been playing with my drummer friend and we text each other songs we want to play during the week (nothing too serious, just for fun). Do most people on here transcribe songs on their own or do you guys take a look at the tabs that are posted online? I've always wondered if it was "cheating" to use tabs. I feel like I may be lazy and hindering my progress.

airborne_jeff · #2 02-13-2013, 08:15 PM

I use a lot of tabs right now, mostly because I haven't read music in around 20 years. I use a program someone mentioned on here (tux guitar I think) and find guitar pro tabs. I change a lot of them around ( open strings that can be fretted for example ) and learn them that way.

Shlogo · #3 02-13-2013, 08:16 PM

I use a combination of tabs, bass tracks, bass covers, and the song itself.
I've only been playing for...about a year and half, and had never had ANY musical experience before hand (other than listening), so learning by ear is somewhat of a challenge to me, but I'm starting to get it.
What I try to do is get as many tabs as possible and compare them to each other and the other things I listed above.
Then I make changes depending on what I feel should be played.
But the more songs I learn, the more I'm doing it by feel/ear and less by tab.
Seems to work for me, as my friend who has been playing guitar for years thinks I'm doing good.

MakoMan · #4 02-13-2013, 08:17 PM

I`ve had great success with Songsterr tabs. It`s not perfect but most of the time it does the job.

Jackson171 · #5 02-13-2013, 08:19 PM

I use a combination of anything that works. I will start by just listening and see if I can figure it out. Chord charts will be my next resouce, then tab. I find a lot of errors in on-line bass tabs, but they will get you in the neighborhood most the time.

Transcription software helps also to slow down fast tricky passages.

two fingers · #6 02-13-2013, 08:28 PM

Youtube playing by ear and make a chart. Generally the chart is pretty simple. I just jot down the chord changes for the intro, first verse, chorus, bridge etc. From that point on the chart just looks like......

V2
CH
Solo=V (which means solo over verse chords)
Br (bridge)
CH
CHB (which means chorus broken down)
CH
OT (outro)

Just come up with your own simple system. Oddly enough, I read music and have licenses to some sheet music sites, but it's actually faster just to Youtube it, make a chart and learn by ear these days. I've been doing this for over two decades now. And (don't tell anyone but) there's nothing new on bass for the past decade or so. That is, unless of course, you are trying to learn Victor Wooten, Billy Sheehan, etc. Most bass lines are borrowed from a few guys in "back in the day". Learn some Motown and some Led Zepplin and you're halfway there. James Jamerson and John Paul Jones pretty much taught me how to play the bass (and many others as well whether they admit it or not).

NOT · #7 02-13-2013, 08:47 PM

When it comes to a song I want to play by myself, I learn by ear. If I'm gonna jam on some cover tunes, I use tabs.

Duckwater · #8 02-13-2013, 08:51 PM

I just use my ears, most basslines are pretty simple. Others take hours to pick apart.

BoogerHook · #9 02-13-2013, 09:10 PM

You must have a decent mp3 player, as well as the advice of the previous TB posters. I tell my students to equalize their amp volume with the mp3 volume and take it from there. It helped me in the 70's using bulky old school headphones, and it helps develop your timing and pitch among other things.

Phlipper · #10 02-13-2013, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by two fingers

Youtube playing by ear and make a chart. Generally the chart is pretty simple. I just jot down the chord changes for the intro, first verse, chorus, bridge etc. From that point on the chart just looks like......

V2
CH
Solo=V (which means solo over verse chords)
Br (bridge)
CH
CHB (which means chorus broken down)
CH
OT (outro)

Just come up with your own simple system.

+1

IME many tabs are incorrect, at least for guitar. Sometimes grossly so. YouTube, a homemade notation system, and some good old fashioned hard work is the ticket, IMHO.

It is much like the old days when we used to wear our albums trying to learn Eddie Van Halen's solos.

oboylebass · #11 02-13-2013, 09:18 PM

I think tabs are the worst thing on earth to use to learn music. Just listen to the song and learn it by ear and/or get the actual sheet music...always trust your ear not some random web posting of tabs- tabs that are likely wrong anyway.

JEDI BASS · #12 02-13-2013, 09:22 PM

The free tab sites are probably 90% incorrect. Anyone can put what they think is correct on those sites and it appears that many of the tabs were submitted by newbs who obviously don't even know how to tune a bass.

lokikallas · #13 02-13-2013, 09:26 PM

I like to try by ear, I'll look on ultimate guitar tabs, and compare a few, and I'll check out YouTube to see what is on there of people playing it live.

DWLANG · #14 02-13-2013, 09:27 PM

Do whatever works best for you, be it tabs, Youtube, charts, your ear....or a combination of all of the above.

Not everyone learns in the same way, so ignore those music theory "snobs" who look down on tabs as "paint by numbers," call watching Youtube lessons "cheating," etc.

In short...if it works for you and you're playing and having fun....go for it!

SlappahTheBass · #15 02-13-2013, 09:27 PM

A lot of the tab I've found are done by guitar players who just change the guitar over licks over to bass tab

lokikallas · #16 02-13-2013, 09:31 PM

It's always nice to find a video of some bassist who plays a track with his hands in focus on YT. Live shows of the original band can be eye opening. I watched Robert Palmers band doing a crazy awesome version of Cherrell's "I didn't mean to turn you on" and almost crapped my pants. It gave me some great ideas.

MalcolmAmos · #17 02-13-2013, 10:13 PM

The band hands out fake chord on this weeks selection Wednesday night. I transpose the chord names to Nashville numbers, as I use the major scale box, then call up a video of the artist playing and singing the song and use that as a play-a-long to practice from.

Three or four times through the song and I'm ready to go public. I'll have a music stand to play from.

**garmenteros** · #18 02-13-2013, 10:41 PM

By ear always. If you can make yourself familiar with a lot of typical basslines in different songs they usually apply to a lot of others and it gets easier over time.

Gearhead17 · #19 02-13-2013, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oboylebass

I think tabs are the worst thing on earth to use to learn music. Just listen to the song and learn it by ear and/or get the actual sheet music...always trust your ear not some random web posting of tabs- tabs that are likely wrong anyway.

A LOT of music out there has NO SHEET MUSIC readily available. This is why using tabs and youtube bass videos are generally the best route. From being in a cover band for the past 6 years, I find this to be true.

Tabs are generally filled with blatant wrong notes, however, it helps train your ear as you can play the tab and slowly correct each wrong note. It's helping me for sure - I am starting to figure more and more bass lines by ear.

DWLANG · #20 02-14-2013, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gearhead17

A LOT of music out there has NO SHEET MUSIC readily available. This is why using tabs and youtube bass videos are generally the best route. From being in a cover band for the past 6 years, I find this to be true.

Tabs are generally filled with blatant wrong notes, however, it helps train your ear as you can play the tab and slowly correct each wrong note. It's helping me for sure - I am starting to figure more and more bass lines by ear.

AMEN!

There is no question that everybody learns differently...so be open-minded to all the methods out there and do what works for YOU.

Different courses for different horses, after all!