How do you do it?!??

[Jay2U]

Normally I just start playing along. On the first few attempts I get about 75% right. Then I concentrate on the few notes I didn't hear. Usually rhythm isn't a problem.
Recording your bass track, in order to mix with the original, helps a lot.

 

[Hambone70]

Invalid Link Removed are a great way to learn. Dump all tracks into any DAW (Audacity is free, and works great), solo the bass guitar track to learn it, then mute the bass track to play along with a complete backing band.

 

[ab2112]

I wish I was better at reading numbers and music. Anyway, many bored nights were spent in my room as a teen with my headphones on jamming to whatever music I was into (lots of Jazz at the time). It just sort of happened by osmosis. I recently played along to Headhunters and was surprised how much of it came back to me.

 

[Kmonk]

If I've heard a song a lot, I can usually learn it about 10 minutes. If it's a song that I'm not familiar with, I listen to it and try to pick out the root notes and then build from there. Even then, I can usually learn songs I haven't heard before in about 20 to 30 minutes. Sometimes longer if there are a lot of changes.

 

[Chad Michael]

"If you can hum (sing) it, you can play it"

Interesting concept, because I remember hearing live utoob clips and songs on cd of Yellowjackets, where I could hear Jimmy singing (mouthing) the notes as he played. Also interesting : a forum member who goes by jmhaslip liked my post. Who knows, might even be the same guy.... ?? |c: ??

 

[basslifter]

In this order:
Get mp3
Load on to phone and use my audipo slow downer at 75%.
Find the key. Most rock songs are diatonic.
I am familiar with modes so that will probably lead me to the other chords. Break into sections as they usually repeat.
Set breakpoints as needed for difficult parts.
Pick up the speed.
If that doesn't work, sneak a peek at a YouTube video, chord chart or tab to fill in any missing bits.
....can usually work most things out that way.
A lot of rock songs don't even need that level of commitment to get them down. Just listening a few times and finding the key sometimes is all that is needed.

 

[Hevy T]

Check the songs for familiar chord progressions.

Like the songs in this video could not be more different from each other but all use the same chord progression

 

[pappabass]

Play by ear player here! I will play thru a song over & over. But, I may not play it exactly like the original. If there is a section, run, etc that I struggle, I will play it without any music.. Real slow until I get it right, then faster

 

[juancaminos]

Thank goodness for the internet. In the old days there were times where I couldn't make out the bass at all. Also trying to get the words right in some cases was a terrible task.

 

[pbass2]

Just play along with recordings ALL THE TIME. That's how I learned. As you start to get used to hearing intervals, you'll start visualizing the bass parts to songs as you're listening to them, without a bass in hand.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Massive admiration for anyone working stuff out by ear!

But how do you do it?

Do you just listen and listen and play and listen till you hear it?

Is there software to isolate the bass?

I really need to work a song out and this is how I got to do it so any help is welcome!

Thanks

I can just hear it. I dont know?

 

[White Beard]

I think the first step should be learning how to tune your bass by ear. I'm 39 years old, I started playing bass at 14 and I've never owned a tuner. That's 25 years of ear training, every time I pick up a bass.

 

[glocke1]

Massive admiration for anyone working stuff out by ear!

But how do you do it?

Do you just listen and listen and play and listen till you hear it?

Is there software to isolate the bass?

I really need to work a song out and this is how I got to do it so any help is welcome!

Thanks

I remember going into a bass lesson at the age of 16 and the teacher (who was probably only 6 years older than me), listening to a tape of a tune i wanted to play and he had never heard before just ripping through the bass line in one pass. I thought the dude was alien or something...

Eventually I got it although to this day I still struggle figure some parts out.

Things that helped me.

Just jamming along to the album...Eventually you'll find a note that sounds right.
Loop a part...Just take a 10-15 second part of a tune and loop it, slow it down if need be. (i use Anytune for this).

For those of us not blessed with perfect pitch it takes time to develop a good ear..keep at it.

 

[Billybassbeater]

Massive admiration for anyone working stuff out by ear!

But how do you do it?

Do you just listen and listen and play and listen till you hear it?

Is there software to isolate the bass?

I really need to work a song out and this is how I got to do it so any help is welcome!

Thanks

There's a lot of good tips here on how to learn by ear. I don't think I can add anything to that. It does get easier after you've done it for a while. Good luck!

 

[Fialka]

I dont 't know, I just try to play to a record until it sounds right. It sounded scary to me at first, but i would suggest to start small with some really basic, yet prominent bassline, like Joy Division or something. It is super fun once you get into it.

 

[glocke1]

I remember going into a bass lesson at the age of 16 and the teacher (who was probably only 6 years older than me), listening to a tape of a tune i wanted to play and he had never heard before just ripping through the bass line in one pass. I thought the dude was alien or something...

Eventually I got it although to this day I still struggle figure some parts out.

Things that helped me.

Just jamming along to the album...Eventually you'll find a note that sounds right.
Loop a part...Just take a 10-15 second part of a tune and loop it, slow it down if need be. (i use Anytune for this).

For those of us not blessed with perfect pitch it takes time to develop a good ear..keep at it.

also, to add to what I have above, don't get frustrated with not getting an entire tune right away...find the root notes/tonal centers of the songs and build up from there.

gets books with audio also...years ago i ran through parts of this book

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Jazz-I...sr=8-1&keywords=a+guide+to+jazz+improvisation

and recently revisited parts of it...it has some good ear training tips.

 

[retslock]

Listen to the first two bars and learn to sing the bass line. Once you can sing it, try to find those notes on the fretboard. Don’t move on until you have those two bars right.
Listen to the next two bars and repeat the process. Keep doing this until you can play the part.
Finding the notes on the bass will be so much easier if you know how to sing the part first. This is so important. Your fingers will do what you want them to so much quicker and easier if your brain already knows how the part goes. Your hands will struggle if your brain doesn’t know what the line sounds like yet.
EDIT: By the way, I don’t use tabs - never have, never will. However, I do transcribe using conventional music notation. This I thoroughly recommend even though it is difficult. You will learn a great deal about how to phrase a good bass part by transcribing. The level of concentrated listening required to transcribe is of great value to your ear and your understanding of music structure.

 

[pbass2]

Listen to the first two bars and learn to sing the bass line. Once you can sing it, try to find those notes on the fretboard.

I agree with the singing thing 100%. "Sing" the bass part while listening in the car, etc. and try to visualize it on the fretboard. Once you get used to hearing intervals it'll start to become second nature. Granted I've been doing this for decades, but I very often learn a bass part, enough to get a handle on it, without a bass in hand. Also, if you have a piano or keyboard handy, spend time on that too, it'll help with identifying intervals, and with well, pretty much anything to do with music

 

[LeeNunn]

There's lots of love for Transcribe! and that's what I use. However, some TBers prefer other "loop and slow down" software. Various threads here on TB discuss Transcribe!, Amazing Slow Downer, AnyTune, Audacity, and others. I think all of them require an MP3. As has been mentioned, the Transcribe! website tells you how to create an MP3 if you don't want to buy one (but that's other issue). I buy all my music that I want to listen to. However, some of the iTunes purchases have not been compatible with these programs, so I switched to Amazon for individual MP3 downloads. If I'm just learning it to play it, I use Audacity to record the audio off a youtube video.

Then you still have to use your ears. If you're just beginning, you might have a tough time picking out the bass line. If just takes practice, but try raising the playback by an octave and listen for the lowest notes.

In terms of pitch, identify the key the recording is in by listening and just hunting and pecking on your bass. Then do a google search for the chords, but don't be surprised if you find out that they're wrong (at least to some extent). Having some knowledge of music theory and chord tones helps.

Don't be surprised if the toughest part is rhythm, depending on what genre you're into. I recommend learning to read standard notation to develop an understanding of rhythm. Start with finding the 1 (the first beat of every measure), and then figuring out the time signature. Most tunes are 4/4, buts lots aren't. One of the advantages of Transcribe! (if you end up choosing that one) is the automatic subdivision of each measure into beats. When you fine tune the measure markers, the beat markers automatically adjust.

With enough practice, you'll learn to recognize chord changes, melodic lines, and rhythms just by listening to them. If you spend the time, you want have to rely on just tab and watching youtube videos. Nothing wrong with them, but they're not always available, and when they are, they're not always right. Yours won't be either, but they'll improve over time.

 

[geesharp]

What EQ on the IPhone, and how do I get there?

Go to Settings, scroll down until you find Music, tap it, then scroll down to Playback, you'll find EQ there.

It's not a graphic EQ, it's just a list of sound enhancement (?) choices, like Acoustic, Trebble Booster, Bass Booster etc, but it's definitely better than if you leave it flat.