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Typically when I chart out a new song I start by listening specifically to the bass part. The bass is usually playing root notes or outlining chords so I find it's the best way to work out progressions. Once I know the chord structure I can see what key(s) the piece is in.
I know what you mean Cougar. If I can't find the root of a chord quickly on the lower notes i'll usually go up an octave and try to find it on the notes of the D or G strings.
Once i've got the root of the first chord I can usually work out the key, and the rest of the chords in the progression, pretty quickly.
Once i've got the root of the first chord I can usually work out the key, and the rest of the chords in the progression, pretty quickly.
Using the upper register on the bass is a great way to do this, but also get a good headphone set up so you can play along to a source more easily.
Then you can compare the note you're playing to the one on the recording and start to hear the oscillations that occur when two notes of similar timbre are compared, the closer they are the more "dissonant" they sound until they line up/are the same note and then you can tell that note is multiplied nicely.
In short, if your note doesn't exactly match the one on the recording, keep going till you find it. Start on the best singing keys: C, E, G, and D. More adventurous songs venture away from these keys to the others, and sometimes the sharps and flats as well.
Hope this helps!
Then you can compare the note you're playing to the one on the recording and start to hear the oscillations that occur when two notes of similar timbre are compared, the closer they are the more "dissonant" they sound until they line up/are the same note and then you can tell that note is multiplied nicely.
In short, if your note doesn't exactly match the one on the recording, keep going till you find it. Start on the best singing keys: C, E, G, and D. More adventurous songs venture away from these keys to the others, and sometimes the sharps and flats as well.
Hope this helps!
Ear training is a pretty vast topic. The people who are best at it typically start just by listening, without instrument in hand. The philosophy is that first you have to learn the song in your mind before you can learn it on the instrument. I don't claim to be any great ear training genius, but it does get easier with practice. It's really helpful if you learn a system like Roman numerals or Nashville number system, which allow you to learn and analyze songs independently of what key they are in. So, next time you want to learn a song by ear, try putting down the bass, grab pencil and paper, and start listening and singing until you've figure out the chord progression and intervals. At the end of that, it should be very easy to pick up the bass and identify the key.
To prove that this works, choose a song from your childhood that you knew how to sing before you ever studied music. Can you figure out how to play something like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" without listening to a recording of it, just from your memory? I bet you can. This proves that your brain is smarter than you know: even before you had any musical education, your brain was processing and memorizing musical melodies in such a way you can remember them to this day!
To prove that this works, choose a song from your childhood that you knew how to sing before you ever studied music. Can you figure out how to play something like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" without listening to a recording of it, just from your memory? I bet you can. This proves that your brain is smarter than you know: even before you had any musical education, your brain was processing and memorizing musical melodies in such a way you can remember them to this day!
Higher notes are easier. So walk the G string. Some of the guys mentioned going up the neck. The higher the better.
By walking-- walk the string up the neck until what is happening in the song and what you are doing sound good it's at this point you have found the tonal center thus the key. Look down to see what note that happened on. That is the key.
By walking-- walk the string up the neck until what is happening in the song and what you are doing sound good it's at this point you have found the tonal center thus the key. Look down to see what note that happened on. That is the key.
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I'm with you. On the lower notes it's sometimes difficult. As already mentioned I use the G string which works a lot better.
This is the approach I use. Figure out the chords first, then deduce the key(s) from the chords.
Familiarity with the sound of common chord progressions helps.
In practice, if you can figure out the chord progression, identifying the key becomes a non issue.
I strongly advice against playing high on the G string, trying to match notes one or two octaves lower. If the 'original' notes are in that register that's ok of course.
For one, many players that do that somehow tend to end up playing the 5th instead of the root. They find a note that goes well with the chord they are hearing, but in a high register that may well not be the root.
And secondly, it is really weird for a bass player to not be able to hear low notes. If that's an issue, more practise in hearing low is in order.
BTW, I play a four string mostly, so matching the lowest notes of a 5-string is sometimes a challenge for me. So I can relate to the problem.
For one, many players that do that somehow tend to end up playing the 5th instead of the root. They find a note that goes well with the chord they are hearing, but in a high register that may well not be the root.
And secondly, it is really weird for a bass player to not be able to hear low notes. If that's an issue, more practise in hearing low is in order.
BTW, I play a four string mostly, so matching the lowest notes of a 5-string is sometimes a challenge for me. So I can relate to the problem.
An additional thought is that, often, the key is one of the last things I think about when learning a new song. More often then not, I will sit down at the piano and figure out the song in whatever key works best for my voice. Then once I have a pretty good grasp on the basics, I might go back and listen to the recording and realize, oh look at that, I was a minor third lower than the original (for example).
It really helps to understand notation symbols like Roman numerals or Nashville numbers. "I-IV-V and the bridge goes to minor vi" for example.
It really helps to understand notation symbols like Roman numerals or Nashville numbers. "I-IV-V and the bridge goes to minor vi" for example.
From a wave point perspective IMO that makes a lot of sense.
This chart will help explain it better, but the difference between a E1 and a F1 is 2.45 Hz, whereas the difference between E6 and F6 is 78hz or about 32x more. As a result it is much easier mechanically for the naked ear to differentiate between notes higher in the range.
Note Frequencies
This chart will help explain it better, but the difference between a E1 and a F1 is 2.45 Hz, whereas the difference between E6 and F6 is 78hz or about 32x more. As a result it is much easier mechanically for the naked ear to differentiate between notes higher in the range.
Note Frequencies
Still, there comes a time when you do need to find the key, and then, yes for some reason I find it a little easier to find the key by noodling around in a higher register.
Plus, if this is some kind of open jam situation, a "wrong" note up or two up there is a lot less obnoxious....
use whatever works for you. if its the piano (like me) use that.
reminder that in many modern songs, the key is not necessarily the first chord played.
this is particularly true with "chorus first" songs that start on the 4th of the chord (very common in some genres, like country).
last, don't sweat it too badly. the purpose of the whole "key" terminology is so we can communicate with other musicians about the same thing (mostly singers).
don't get me started about horn sections.
that's just a whole 'nother level of pain right there.
reminder that in many modern songs, the key is not necessarily the first chord played.
this is particularly true with "chorus first" songs that start on the 4th of the chord (very common in some genres, like country).
last, don't sweat it too badly. the purpose of the whole "key" terminology is so we can communicate with other musicians about the same thing (mostly singers).
don't get me started about horn sections.
that's just a whole 'nother level of pain right there.
I don't think my ear is my strongest and I've been working on it a lot lately and I use some combination of my bass and a keyboard I keep near my bass. Sometimes it helps to hear it up a few more octaves sometimes to reaffirm what I think I hear on one instrument vs the other.
I'll play. It's usually easy to find I since you'll feel the notes want to pull/resolve to it. Listed to most pop/rock music and you can easily tell where the tension builds, and when it resolves, it'll be very pleasant. I also the lowest note I can sing and then identify the interval between that and the key center. It may sound like a lot, but in reality it takes about 15 seconds. I usually get within a step , give or take, of the right key. Try it, YMMV and it'll build your ear in the process.
It's psychoacoustitcs.Our ears are nonlinear reacting different frequencies. Check out: Equal-loudness contour - Wikipedia
