Want to start learning songs by ear, but what? (not asking HOW...)

[Poor Tom]

I know there are countless threads about people asking how to start transcribing, or start learning songs without using tabs, this is not my question.

I know what I need to do, but I think I need easier songs to start with. Today I was trying to learn some Umphrey's Mcgee songs by ear, and had a little success with Anchor Drops, but it is very hard.

I listen to mostly classic rock and newer stuff in the vain of umphrey's, moe, etc. Any suggestions on what material I should start with in order to build up my ear before I can move on to harder songs?

I assume this is going to be like weight training...need to start off really easy until my muscles can handle more weight.

I appreciate any feedback, thanks!

[nortonrider]

Have you worked out the tunes that you already know by heart?

Happy Birthday, Star Spangled Banner, Taps, Twinkle Twinkle, Gilligians Island theme, Amazing Grace,...
Also christmas tunes, Jingle Bells, Silent night, etc...
Try those for starters.

[Poor Tom]

haha, really? I never even thought of that. Though I am not too sure I could even trust the version I "think" I know by heart...

I must admit that does sound like a good exercise to start being able to play what I hear in my head, huh?

[Stumbo]

American traditional song including the blues.

Fifties RnR- Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc. Sixties: Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Doors,The Byrds, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Led Zeppelin, Motown, folk songs....etc.

[Earthday]

You'll want to start with songs where the bass is very present and it's very obvious what the bassline is. First, listen to it. Then hum it or at least repeat it clearly in your head if you have a humming deficiency. Once you've really got the line down in your head, try to figure out what key the song is in. Usually the first and last note/chord of the song is the key, so try to figure that note out. Sometimes this takes a little fumbling around, but there's no way around it unless you have perfect pitch. One way to avoid that is to learn lines from bands who play in the same key a lot (For example, most Black Sabbath songs are in C# minor)

Once you've figured out the key, take it note by note. Play the first note and make a guess as to what you think the second note is, then play it. If you're wrong, try to figure out if you are too high or too low, make another guess, and try again. Repeat this process over and over until you get it. It's frustrating at first, but if you think about every individual note, you'll learn your intervals really well, and eventually you'll hear a note and know exactly where to go without questioning yourself for a second. This process will also help your improvising ability quite a bit.

Umphreys and moe. are probably bad places to start because of the improvisational nature of their music. Start with repetitive basslines and work your way there. Some good songs to try might be In the Kitchen, Blue Jeans Pizza (maybe not the intro), Captain America, Happy Hour Hero, Phish - Bouncing Around the Room, Grateful Dead - Franklin's Tower

[Earthday]

And of course the most basic and important tip. MAKE SURE YOU'RE IN TUNE. I've driven myself crazy before.

[Poor Tom]

thanks for the in-depth tips earthday! Hopefully I don't crumble and give up, or run to find tabs if I fail at first...

time to practice.

[Earthday]

There's no problem with looking at tabs if you just can't get it, as long as you take the time to think about why you couldn't figure it out. Pinpointing your weaknesses is the key to improving. Sometimes songs are in weird scales or have a lot of chromatic notes that you wouldn't expect. Some have so much going on that it's tough to hear the bass clearly. And some are just so fast and all over the place it's really tough to tell if you're using the right passing tones. The passing tones thing is my weakness, so when I hear a song with lots of quick ones I'll try my best to figure it out then check tabs or guitar pro. It's all about what you take out of it. If you figure it out by ear by fumbling around and don't learn anything, you might as well have looked at the tabs in the first place.

Sorry if long-winded general advice wasn't what you were after

[Poor Tom]

no no, in fact, I love long-winded advice. If I didn't want to read a lot, why would I be on a forum, or the internet for that matter! :P

[Dave Muscato]

Tom, what kind of music do you like?

[DudeistMonk]

Sounds like you might appreciate Cake, and pretty much every Cake song has a repetitive bass line that is easily heard in the mix.

+1 to humming/getting it in your head...I've been very frustrated with trying to transpose by playing over the CD and trying to figure it out comparing note by note....then I realized whenever something was stuck in my head (like from the car ride home) if I went into my room as soon as I got home and tried to play it I could figure it out within a minute or two. Further practice with this method is proving successful, but I have a long way to go.

[WalterBush]

I started out learning Led Zeppelin and Blue Oyster Cult, especially BOC because I couldn't find ready sources of tab or sheet music to check against.

Their bass is prominent in the mix, and usually interesting without being busy or too fast.

[Poor Tom]

I will check out this Cake you speak of, thanks for the suggestions. I like BOC so I will give that a try too.

Muscato: My musical roots are with classic rock, but lately I have been really into more current stuff such as Umphrey's. To describe them I would say it is a fusion of rock, progressive, jazz, and maybe blues. Incubus is another great example of newer music I love.

One of my main goals in this endeavor is to assimilate the styles and rhythms of other bassists. I know I am supposed to "find my own voice", but the truth is that I have been playing for just over a year now, and have yet to learn any songs. All I do day in and day out is theory and experimental playing using learned theory. My rhythmic skills are probably lacking, and I doubt I know even the basic phrases that I should.(Music is a language right? How can I learn without mimicking others?)

[nortonrider]

Originally Posted by Poor Tom

..... I have been playing for just over a year now, and have yet to learn any songs. All I do day in and day out is theory and experimental playing using learned theory. My rhythmic skills are probably lacking, and I doubt I know even the basic phrases that I should.(Music is a language right? How can I learn without mimicking others?)

Wow Tom, to me that sound totally boring.

Also that you may be trying to run before you can walk. Umphrees can be a pretty big bite to swallow right off the bat. Try Johnny Cash - I walk the line for something pretty simple to figure out.

Can you play stuff like 12 bar blues? There are many tunes, styles, that you will be able to just play once you got that 1-4-5 stuff down.

I really don't think I could "assimilate" another players style without mimicking them and trying to play their songs as close to note for note that I can.

What works for Me: I listen to a tune over and over, burn it into my brain, and then try to find the notes on my bass. I don't know any other way to learn something by ear.

Did you figure out Happy Birthday yet?

[rakirksey]

Originally Posted by Earthday

Start with repetitive basslines and work your way there.

+1 ... When I started learning by ear the repetitive songs were easier since you could learn a few parts (intro, verse, chorus, bridge) and be done with the song. Once you've gotten that accomplished you get a little more confidence to try something more difficult.

All these suggestions are really good. Another suggestion ... is maybe some funk/soul basslines such as anything by James Brown. Many of his basslines are a four bar loop for the entire song. That way you can play along and really get deep into the line and feel it lock.

[Clank]

remember, if you can sing it, you can play it.

[kraigo]

I like going to the Police and Talking Heads. Other than that, turn on the radio and try playing through everything in real time. I like doing that because you don't have a clue what's coming up next - it's real time. It's great to really work through a song and nail all the parts, but it's at least as valuable to be able to fake a song on the fly.

Hint: Common keys in rock are G, C, E and A. Less common but still regularly encountered are D and F. Finding the first note is usually the hardest part. Mystery chords are F#min and C#min a surprisingly large amount of the time -OR- the chord a 6th away (down a string and up two frets or up two strings and down one fret).

Your ear will develop to where your mind might not know that the next chord is but your finger will land there. I'm always amused when I think about that, but it's true in my case and I'd wager a lot of other players' cases.

As important as nailing _THE_ part is, learn a lot of songs, too. All of my favorite cohorts know a lot of songs - your repertoire is your calling card. It's what you bring to every new situation. If you want to have a degree of control over your playing situations, sing lead as well as playing bass on a lot of songs.

Bonus points for mentally taking notes of how the song structure works - song sections, how many bars each, what are the chords and what degree of the scale they are, etc. Being able to categorize progressions and note where things diverge from expectations will help you learn more songs more quickly. I wish I did more of this. This post is the road map of what I need to do more of as well.

KO

[Grate1]

I’ve been using software called “Transcribe!” to figure out tunes that are difficult. Google it and you’ll see. You can slow it down in the same pitch and even better, play it at a higher octave so you can clearly hear the bass line. It has an EQ so you can remove some highs a bit.

I’m told the torrent version may have a virus so be very careful. I think it’s only 50 bucks to buy anyway.

[DudeistMonk]

I’ve been using software called “Transcribe!” to figure out tunes that are difficult. Google it and you’ll see. You can slow it down in the same pitch and even better, play it at a higher octave so you can clearly hear the bass line. It has an EQ so you can remove some highs a bit.

I’m told the torrent version may have a virus so be very careful. I think it’s only 50 bucks to buy anyway.

OP do a search before you buy this...

Someone on the forum mentioned that there is free dictation software (for secretaries) that also does all this.

There is also one called "Amazing slow downer" that I purchased before that post was made.

[wizay]

I recommend Creedence Clearwater Revival, if you like that kind of music