how to hear chord changes?

[varunkapahi]

i really suck at it when it come to transcribing or anything related to the ear. so am going back to simple country rock music which is usually based on I IV V chords with the VI thrown in sometimes

the trouble is am not even able to figure out simple songs very well. even if am sure these are just the I IV V chords going am not exactly sure how and in what order. am taking ear training lessons but that involves melodic ear training for now and harmonic bit will come much later. so any tips which can make this easier?

[guroove]

The best practice that I can think of is to take a song that you already know the changes or have a chord sheet for, then run through it with a chord sheet, playing along like you were at a gig.

Going back to country music helps a lot too. You will notice a lot of patterns like a I chord leading into a I-7 leading into a IV chord. Often on that I-7 chord, the bass starts to walk up to the IV because the 7th is telling it to go there.

All of this business with 7ths and resolving goes back to classical music. Believe it or not, but playing piano and studying Bach, Chopin, and Mozart can really help to get a grasp on same theory that applies to the blues, gospel and country.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by guroove

The best practice that I can think of is to take a song that you already know the changes or have a chord sheet for, then run through it with a chord sheet, playing along like you were at a gig.

Going back to country music helps a lot too. You will notice a lot of patterns like a I chord leading into a I-7 leading into a IV chord. Often on that I-7 chord, the bass starts to walk up to the IV because the 7th is telling it to go there.

All of this business with 7ths and resolving goes back to classical music. Believe it or not, but playing piano and studying Bach, Chopin, and Mozart can really help to get a grasp on same theory that applies to the blues, gospel and country.

my problem is i know the theory but i cant hear it.

[guroove]

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

my problem is i know the theory but i cant hear it.

It won't happen over night. You just have to listen and follow along with music, chord sheets, whatever you can get your hands on. Instructional books with CDs are a great help.

[DudeistMonk]

Buy a guitar and start playing it. Not joking, playing a lil' rhythm guitar makes the whole thing so much easier...It's easier to hear in that range, it's easier to feel the progression cause you are playing it, it's easier to remember the progression because you hear it as a whole. Not to mention knowing a few chords gives you the ability to look over at your guitarists scrunched up left hand and know he is playing D major.

...best thing I've done for my bass playing since jamming with a drummer.

If you can't get a guitar just listen for it, or maybe play chords on bass/piano. Also just learn a lot of songs and memorize them, memorizing seems to make all the difference...when you have a catalog of 3 chord cover tunes floating around in your brain at all times it tends to make progressions more obvious when you hear 'em.

[Stereo Joe]

You might find that learning to hear intervals will help a lot. As a bass player, your ear probably naturally gravitates toward hearing the root note of whatever chord is being played. If you can identify the interval between root notes from chord to chord, you are halfway there. Identifying the quality of the chord (major, minor, etc...) is the next step, but you can often use your theory to help with that.
For instance, if your ear is picking up root motion of I - VI - II- V, your knowledge of diatonic chords will indicate that those chords are likely I (maj) - vi (min) - ii (min) - V (major). If you know your seventh chords, you can extrapolate that information as well.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by DudeistMonk

Buy a guitar and start playing it. Not joking, playing a lil' rhythm guitar makes the whole thing so much easier...It's easier to hear in that range, it's easier to feel the progression cause you are playing it, it's easier to remember the progression because you hear it as a whole. Not to mention knowing a few chords gives you the ability to look over at your guitarists scrunched up left hand and know he is playing D major.

...best thing I've done for my bass playing since jamming with a drummer.

If you can't get a guitar just listen for it, or maybe play chords on bass/piano. Also just learn a lot of songs and memorize them, memorizing seems to make all the difference...when you have a catalog of 3 chord cover tunes floating around in your brain at all times it tends to make progressions more obvious when you hear 'em.

heh if you put a sheet of chords in front of me i can pretty much strum any country/classic rock type song on the guitar. studied classical for a bit before i took up the bass. its a good add on to know the guitar though

[MalcolmAmos]

Try singing the lyrics under your breath - after awhile you will hear specific lyric words begging for a chord change.

Since you will probably be playing a three chord song your chance of moving to the right chord are pretty good.

Normally a I IV V I moves like this:
The verse starts with the I and moves to the IV somewhere in the first line of the verse - where exactly depends on the melody notes, so expect the move and hit it the best you can. That lyric word will be begging. The second line will continue with the IV and near the end of the 2nd line the V or V7 chord will come into play as the story reaches climax. The second line will then end quickly with the return to the I chord.

The 3rd and 4th lines of the verse will repeat this same progression. Most of the time the chorus will follow this same format. Is it like this all the time, of course not, but assuming that is better than just standing there with your mouth open. LOL been there.....

That lyric word begging for a chord change. The song writer matched the melody to the lyrics then put a chord under them that would harmonize all of that. It's kinda like having periods and commas in our writing. listen for the commas....... I chords start and finish a verse, i.e. where you see a period you'll probably need the I chord. The V7 is the climax chord so it comes near the end of the thought the verse is talking about and the IV fills in the middle.

Speaking of being lost. The R-5 of the tonic chord, in a vamp, will do until you can find your place. If the chord changes are such that there is no hope of hearing them the tonic pentatonic will work. Play those notes and remember it's the beat and the groove that we are responsible for.

That will be close, if you want exact play from sheet music.

Good luck.

[Ed Fuqua]

I think my favorite part of the "I want to buy an iPhone4" cartoon is the part where the guy says "What!?! Oh my god, I've had an anyeurism. Are you happy? You've ****ing killed me. Now my ****ing cat is homeless..."

[Already In Use]

This might sound silly...but here goes...Most of the tunes I play I found on You Tube. When I'm on my computer they paly in the back ground over and over...after a bit you will get to know the tunes like your birth mothers breast. Add that to practicing and BINGO...perhaps a winner!

Just my 2cents as an old dog learning some new tricks.

[longfinger]

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

... am taking ear training lessons but that involves melodic ear training for now and harmonic bit will come much later. so any tips which can make this easier?

Just focus on the melodic ear training for now. (Practice major scales, and minor scales with alterations, using scale degres. ie C, D, E, => 1, 2, 3, ) When that's good, you'll track the "melody of the bass line" and be able to derive the harmony from there.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

I think my favorite part of the "I want to buy an iPhone4" cartoon is the part where the guy says "What!?! Oh my god, I've had an anyeurism. Are you happy? You've ****ing killed me. Now my ****ing cat is homeless..."

lul wut!?

[Hookus]

Originally Posted by Stereo Joe

You might find that learning to hear intervals will help a lot. As a bass player, your ear probably naturally gravitates toward hearing the root note of whatever chord is being played. If you can identify the interval between root notes from chord to chord, you are halfway there. Identifying the quality of the chord (major, minor, etc...) is the next step, but you can often use your theory to help with that.
For instance, if your ear is picking up root motion of I - VI - II- V, your knowledge of diatonic chords will indicate that those chords are likely I (maj) - vi (min) - ii (min) - V (major). If you know your seventh chords, you can extrapolate that information as well.

I think this be the right answer. Hearing intervals will get you very much in the root tone ballpark. Then it is simple a matter of figuring out if you are hearing a minor, 6th, dim, major, aug, whatever. BUT, you should be able to pick up the roots pretty easily, and regardless, once you find the root, picking the correct chord for the root should not be too bad.

You can also (in country and blues), predict the quality of the chord by its place in the progression. For example on a I-IV-V blues turnaround you will likely see a 7th rather than a major, and in a ii-V-I, the ii is a minor (of course), but the V will be a 7th, and the I will be major. You may also see it as ii7-57-I7, where the ii is a minor 7, and the I is a maj7.

So, sus chords will sound, well, suspended and leading, 6ths will sound funky, minors sound sad, majors sound right, and add9 chords sound like they are ready to change to something else (because they have a 2nd, which is a discordant tone on the scale), just play with the different chords on guitar, and it will sort itself out for you.

[codeinedreams]

I learned bass strictly by ear. you do have to have a good sense of pitch. start by hearing or humming any note and then finding it on the fretboard. then build up by imitating simple riffs or melodies that you're hearing or humming. then focus on just what the bass is doing in a song. and this is a no-brainer for older people, but I've noticed that a lot of younger people don't have what's known by us older folks as a "stereo system" where you can play CDs, (or vinyl or cassette tapes) and hear them through high quality speakers. that helps to distinguish tones and pick out bass lines. I've spent a lot time playing along to songs on this so-called "stereo." I'd go through it bit by bit pausing and going back until I get it. Now I learn songs off youtube on my laptop even though the sound quality sucks, but that's because I've been doing it for a while. (sorry, not trying to be condescending, I just think it's funny how a lot of people I know have low quality sound systems - small bookshelf speakers connected to the computer just don't cut it IMO. it's like, why do they have to go to their car to see if their recording is mixed right? OK I'm done ranting...). and I would say don't confuse yourself by trying to figure out which chord it is or by looking at sheet music, etc. that's for a different part of your brain. you can put it all together later.