Learning by ear is hard!

Depth_Charge · #1 06-26-2007, 09:26 AM

I am learning another relatively easy song on bass for a cover band.

Pinks "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)".

It's taken me close to an hour to just work the intro out!! Now I'm practicing hitting the right frets and again thats taking too long for my want it 2Mb ago mind

If it wasn't for the fact I never have to practice songs I learn by ear (all 2 of them so far!) I'd just go find a tab!

Just venting as I struggle through another self-set (and easy) challenge...

ryco · #2 06-26-2007, 09:45 AM

Don't worry. As with anything it gets easier the more ya do it. You'll start to recognize intervals and chord progressions and your efficiency rate will climb steadily.

But yeah, like a lot of stuff, it's hard at first.

shanmag · #3 06-26-2007, 09:50 AM

would trying to learn the audio examples from the cd's you get from the beginner bass books be a good place to start for an ear noob? Or should I just jump straight into learning songs?

Depth_Charge · #4 06-26-2007, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryco

Don't worry. As with anything it gets easier the more ya do it. You'll start to recognize intervals and chord progressions and your efficiency rate will climb steadily.

But yeah, like a lot of stuff, it's hard at first.

Cheers for that. What I want to know is why I perceive D (5th fret A) as deeper than either E or G on the E string!?!

MonetBass · #5 06-26-2007, 09:59 AM

Once upon a time, before tab, we learned everything by ear. One of my favorite things to do was play along with my records (I'm old, OK?) and songs on the radio. And guess what? It helped my overall playing.

When you learn to quickly identify intervals and how they interrelate, then you will become a better musician. Don't give up! Keep at it and it will become easier with time.

DocBop · #6 06-26-2007, 10:05 AM

The songs you stuggle to learn you remember longer. You also during the process start exercising your theory brain making educated guesses. You improve you ear and every song builds the interval recognition. You build your fretboard knowledge using your scales to again help make those educated guess. As you do more songs all those skills improve and you ability to figure out songs get faster and faster. Keep working at it and you get to the point you can play a song you never heard almost as you hear or play it. That is the result of developing your ear and songs you have learned before. Those are money making skills and also skills that make you creative to play whatever you think of.

You use TAB and parrot someone else and at best you get some watered down knowledge of songs. Problem is most learn to play the TAB and leave it at that, they don't build their musicial knowledge.

zac2944 · #7 06-26-2007, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OKStateBass66

Once upon a time, before tab, we learned everything by ear. One of my favorite things to do was play along with my records (I'm old, OK?) and songs on the radio. And guess what? It helped my overall playing.

When you learn to quickly identify intervals and how they interrelate, then you will become a better musician. Don't give up! Keep at it and it will become easier with time.

+1

This is how I learned to play. I just tried to learn all my favorite tunes. I'd sit in my room for hours with the stereo and play along. Note by note you become a better player. You internalize the sound of the players you immitate and improve your ear.

After 18 years of this, I can now just hear a tune in my head and play it (to a point). This is a huge asset to a musician. I take fill-in gigs all the time for bands that I've never heard before. Sometime you have to learn 30 tunes in just a few days. You can demand a lot of cash on short notice. One time I got work on a regional blues circuit and only got to listen to 1/4 of the material on the ride out to the first gig. For the rest I just listened to the guitar player.

Keep working at it. It is hard at first, but will help you develop you ear.

son_of_mogh · #8 06-26-2007, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by OKStateBass66
Once upon a time, before tab, we learned everything by ear. One of my favorite things to do was play along with my records (I'm old, OK?) and songs on the radio. And guess what? It helped my overall playing.

When you learn to quickly identify intervals and how they interrelate, then you will become a better musician. Don't give up! Keep at it and it will become easier with time.

+2

I found that if I'm listening to the radio or TV to music that I don't normally listen to, I go for the chord changes first, then the melody, then I just try soloing ideas over it. Of course, you can only go on for the duration of the song; this impresses a sense of urgency for my ears. The next time I hear it, I try to tame down the solo ideas I had before. This usually progresses into an acceptable bassline. With all the familiarity with the song, it's way easier to figure out the real bassline. I KNOW that this is a long process, but I have the time, and you really know the song inside out this way, rather than just a bassline or some bass licks.

BassIsBoss · #9 06-26-2007, 11:05 AM

There's a real sense of accomplishment after three hours of ear tone figuring. And if you can get the groove that serves the song, it's a great feeling....hopefully the drummer has it as well.

cowsgomoo · #10 06-26-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanmag

would trying to learn the audio examples from the cd's you get from the beginner bass books be a good place to start for an ear noob? Or should I just jump straight into learning songs?

that's a great idea because you can hear the bass on its own, which nearly always makes things easier... even those of us who've done a lot of listening & learning by ear find it hard if the bass is swamped in a mix

and remember, you don't have to get every single bass note in order to get some good ear practice... just putting on the radio and picking out the bass in real time & playing along is good for your ear... you also get to learn a lot about traditional chord progressions and bass lines that way too

Depth_Charge · #11 06-27-2007, 09:02 AM

Thanks for the advice guys, I've pretty much knocked that song off now. In fact, parts just fell into place without major review, I even got the high part he does at the end first time. Me thinks he's playing a bass with a high C mahself, but I can get by with big movements

Also just about knocked of another easy one - KT Tunstalls "Suddenly I See".

Thanks again TB you rock!!

And roll. Funk. Jazz. Blues. Metal ... and add the genre I've missed of your choice too!

shanmag · #12 06-27-2007, 10:04 AM

Good work... I really gotta focus more on learning songs by ear. Just gotta get my bass fixed... stupid rockbass!!

winstonthecat · #13 06-27-2007, 10:19 AM

I played guitar for 20 years before switching to bass, and am pretty good with figureing out chord progressions for the type of songs I play (rock, folk, blues, reggae). I find it much harder to get the "real" bass line, because many times the bass is buried in the mix, and I have a difficulty hearing the different notes in bass frequencies.

When learning a song, I will play it by ear to get the rhythym and chord changes. I will come up with a workable bass line, but will also then check out tabs to fill in any missing pieces, especially if the song has a specific bassline that needs to be replicated.

TheBassBetween · #14 06-27-2007, 11:13 AM

A lot of times when I can't hear the bass line very well, I just follow the changes and make a bass line. Depending on how picky you are, if your line blends in with the mix, and those parts when you CAN hear the bass are the same/similar, then no one's gonna notice, and that's just as good as playing the exact real bass line of the song.

Maybe that's just me settling for less, but I think it works just fine.