How to Listen/Get The Bass Note of Song Using Ears?

[krished]

I've been playing bass for a couple years already and I listen to songs using ears, I can get some bass notes on easy songs but on some complicated bass notes like pop,funk and jazz it's hard to grab the bass notes since there are a lot of chords being played.

Are you using any software that could slow the bass? I use audacity but it's not that clear enough.

Im trying to grab the bass notes not only of this song but band All Around (Israel Houghton) - YouTube and all of thier songs..

I know there are youtube and other sites to teach you the bass notes of a song but using ears is really different,

So im asking help and advice from all of you guys on how to improve my listening skills specially on grabbing the bass notes

Any help from you guys are highly appreciated

Thank you in advance

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by krished

Im trying to grab the bass notes not only of this song but band All Around (Israel Houghton) - YouTube and all of thier songs..

So im asking help and advice from all of you guys on how to improve my listening skills specially on grabbing the bass notes

Several ways to do this. With this song there is so much going on I had to hope for some help from Google. So I Googled (chords, "All of me", Israel Houghton) and got this. All Around chords by Israel Houghton Notice the key of Eb is shown in the upper left hand side of the screen. Dead give-a-way. But, if that was not there.....

You have the chords shown so all you have to do is see what key those chords come from. The key of Eb: Eb, Fm, Gm, Ab, Bb, Cm, Ddim looks like a good candidate: Why? Well Eb, Ab and Bb or the I IV V of Eb and this looks like the primary chord progression. The verse starts with Eb and most of the time ends with Eb. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it's probably a duck.

If you are not lucky and can not find chords used then I play the CD/DVD and go to my keyboard. Sound the C like C, C, C, C, C while the music plays, if that does not sound right go to D, D, D, D, then E, E, E, E, E - etc. When what is playing on the music and what you are doing come into sync you've found the tonal center and that is your key.

Knowing what we do now drone the Eb on your G string - I went to the keyboard as the bass is too low for me to get a good reading. Understand I too am new to bass plus my ears are 76 years old. - and see how that sounds to you. Once you get the key established then listen for the actual progression.

Good luck.

[Wes Whitmore]

I use Amazing Slow Downer. Its a cheap piece of PC software that allows you to change pitch, speed, and can EQ and Pan quickly to try to isolate what's going on with the bass. You can also loop a section that you are listening to, which makes it easy for practice. Just play along with the part until you have it.
Wes

[the yeti]

i'd say listen through headphones. get the song structure down, come back later for fills. (fill in, if you will) play along with the song a lot. over time learning songs by ear becomes easier as you begin to recognise patterns more quickly.

that dude has a sweet tone on that recording i thought.

[Ronbassman]

What I do is I identify the main chords or the root notes of those chords in the song (usually there are 4, or 3 and the first one and the last ones are the same ones done twice) and leave the mouse pointer on top of the minute:second bar in the exact second of the first note of a riff I'm attempting to learn (in the case of a youtube video or a mp3) so I can click on it and repeat it as many times as I need to. Then you look for these root notes on your bass until they sound the same (boosting the bass settings on your PC helps and, of course, having your bass properly tuned). Play the whole song with only those root notes until you have it set.

Once that is done, I recommend you to learn your basic patterns (major scale, minor scale, pentatonic scale, arpeggios, etc.) if you want to make your life easier. It would surprise you how many people just do a basic scale in a song. At lightning speeds, you may get a little bit lost, but when you learn those patterns effectively you can "catch" them trying to get away with it and be like "Oh, THIS is what he/she is doing. It's so simple!".

[Turock]

When I need help, I use Best Practice. You can slow down songs without changing the pitch. You can also use it to transpose songs to a different key. You can also loop any part of the song. And it's free.

BestPractice | Free Home & Education software downloads at SourceForge.net

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by krished

I've been playing bass for a couple years already and I listen to songs using ears, I can get some bass notes on easy songs but on some complicated bass notes like pop,funk and jazz it's hard to grab the bass notes since there are a lot of chords being played.

Are you using any software that could slow the bass? I use audacity but it's not that clear enough.

Im trying to grab the bass notes not only of this song but band All Around (Israel Houghton) - YouTube and all of thier songs..

I know there are youtube and other sites to teach you the bass notes of a song but using ears is really different,

So im asking help and advice from all of you guys on how to improve my listening skills specially on grabbing the bass notes

Any help from you guys are highly appreciated

Thank you in advance

I would work on identifying musical intervals as well as slowing it down. Once you can identify the intervals, it's much easier. It works for all ranges of notes- you should be able to hear a note and fret on/close to the note quickly without having to hunt for it. It takes time, but it's well worth the effort.

If I know I won't be able to play along with something I want to learn anytime soon, I play it on the stereo while I drive and learn the "bones" of the song, as well as the melody, chords, etc. Then, I fine tune when I get the chance to play it.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by Turock

When I need help, I use Best Practice. You can slow down songs without changing the pitch. You can also use it to transpose songs to a different key. You can also loop any part of the song. And it's free.

BestPractice | Free Home & Education software downloads at SourceForge.net

+1

Here are some TB threads on the topic that you may want to check out:
1 Slow down
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4