How Do You Learn To Play Songs?

[PWRL]

By ear. Listen, play along, play over and over, until I can do it at rote.

 

[Kmonk]

I have always learned everything by ear. When you use these Tab sites you are relying on someone else's interpretation of the song. I have checked some of these sites but found that the majority of the Tabs are usually not very close to how the song should be played. Some of them can give you a good starting or reference point but I rarely if ever use them and have never used Youtube. I have a good ear and can usually learn anything by the second or third time I hear a song.

 

[MegaSwing]

I use a combination of anything that works.<snip>

This. There is no one way that works every time. Sometimes it's as simple and counter-intuitive as listening to your guitarist's advice, especially if he is a great player. Sometimes you have to resort to written notes. Other times it truly falls under your fingers. Get good at everything.

 

[lokikallas]

The absolute worst way to learn a song is a mistake I used to make all the time: Play 5 seconds of the recording, hit pause, figure out the notes on the bass, rewind 5 seconds, double-check my work, listen to the next 5 seconds, etc. That method simply doesn't work as well as developing the ability to memorize the sound of a melody, bass line, or chord progression, and then recreate that sound on your instrument from memory.[/QUOTE]

I do download any cover I am trying, for .99 , but I disagree about the play pause rewind technique. I like to start with a rough run thru to figure out main cord changes but then I always break it down riff by riff. I start adding them one by one learning the connections between them and the pattern of order. I've been doing this since I was a kid in 4th grade playing trumpet. I never relied on sheet music for very long.

 

[two fingers]

I am shocked that nobody has said the magic words "I purchase the CD or mp3 download." If a song is worth your time to learn, do you not think it is worth $0.99 to compensate the artist & label?

Ok enough for my rant.

Nope. I figure 1) I never listened to the song before so why would I want to own it? 2) By playing it at the bar for 300 people, I am probably encouraging others to go out and buy it, so it's a fair trade. There's the end of MY rant.

 

[Basshappi]

Always by ear.

 

[carlthegroover]

I think the best thing is to try to come up with the bassline/ drum part by ear. In case of the bass, you could use chord charts as a second option, so you have some guidance but are not given the whole bassline (which in many tabs it is probably wrong/ inaccurate anyways).

As for the songs themselves, try to think of them in terms of "sections": e.g. intro, verses, choruses, bridges, breaks, solos, outro, etc. It is easier to have a "backbone" of the song identifying the sections, so you learn a few riffs of each section and you're set (the parts in the repeated sections tend to be the same).

My two cents.

 

[roden]

Used to rely on tabs, but Most sucks balls.... So now i been struggling with theory and ear for a few years and wish i done it from start imo

 

[ics1974]

I try by ear and then check the tab if I feal something is wrong.
Youtube video's are great when it's hard to hear the bass line in the original song.

 

[rude_basstard]

I try by ear and then check the tab if I feal something is wrong.
Youtube video's are great when it's hard to hear the bass line in the original song.

This is my exact process. Unfortunately, bass tabs tend to be less accurate than guitar tabs. so the more difficult bass parts still need be figured out by ear a lot. I love when people post "bass cover" videos, because even if it's wrong, it's usually only "a little wrong." A lot easier to hear the bass in those, and the visuals are quite helpful.
And of course there are the times where I just take the basic idea of the song and make up my own bass part.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

.............And of course there are the times where I just take the basic idea of the song and make up my own bass part.

Get the chord progression from a chord chart, fake chord, Lead sheet, whatever you can find and then built a groove, (bass line), from the chord's notes, aka chord tones.

No that is not the melody, but, I never get a lead break anyway because other instruments do that much better than the bass can ever do, so they take care of the melody and I fit into the rhythm section. To do that my bass line is made from chord tones, i.e. notes found in the bass clef. If I feel the need to go out, or add other scale notes, like a pentatonic scale for example, I do so - IF it sounds good, but, it is amazing what you can do with roots, fives, eights and the correct three and seven, i.e. Cmaj7 R-3-5-7 or Cm7 R-b3-5-b7.

Root on one and then decide what other chord tones are needed, and or will fit. That and be sure to hit the chord changes dead on. Sure there is more, but, this keeps me gigging, and .... people keep asking us back......

My point? You do not have to do everything.

Can not find a chord chart on the song. Write out the lyrics. Put them in verse format. Now decide which chords to use and where to place them. Start the verse with the tonic I chord, no not all songs start with the I tonic chord, humor me here. Want to add some tension? The IV does a real good job of adding tension. Figure the V7 will come up fairly close to the end of the second line of the verse and then probably for sure just before the ending of the 4th line of the verse. After a V7 chord you have a very good chance the I tonic chord will be next. Other than that throw in some IV, vi and ii chords for tension and color, wherever they seem to fit and end the verse back with the I tonic chord. That'll be close. Once you have one verse figured out the others will more than likely use the same progression. Read that again - basic I IV V7 and back to I can be used as a bare bone progression for most any song. Now listen and adjust.

Progressions that have written a zillion songs.
I-V-I
I-IV-V7-I
I-vi-IV-V7-I
I-vi-ii-V7-I
ii-V7-I and the list goes on and on.

• The I can go anywhere it wants to. The I chord is at rest and begs for you to do something - add some tension. As mentioned earlier the IV does a good job of this - then after awhile it wants to resolve and return back to rest so your verse, phrase, whatever can have closer and a new verse, phrase, whatever can add another item to the song. The V7 helps bring the verse to climax and when you return to the I tonic chord you are back at rest. Just waiting on the next verse or phrase used in the song. The other chords help in the following ways:
  
  
• The ii likes to go to a V or viidim chord.
  
  
• The iii likes to move the progression somewhere, it normally drags the vi with it on this movement.
  
  
• The IV likes to go to the V or viidim chord. Yes the ii and IV like the same thing thus can sub for each other.
  
  
• The V or V7 chord likes to go to the tonic I chord. Once you make the V into a V7 chord the V7 wants to resolve to the tonic I chord right now. I think of the V7 as the climax chord - anything after the V7 except the I tonic is anti-climatic, IMO.
  
  
• The vi likes to move to ii or IV chord.
  
  
• The vii likes to move to the I tonic chord like the V7 chord, but, is in no hurry so if you want to resolve quickly use the V7 chord, however, if you want to take a more round about way back to the tonic I chord let the vii start you on this journey, perhaps like in a turn-a-round, i.e. vii-iii-vi-ii-V7-I.

Just listening with out a clue where the song may go, relying upon your ear to tell you, well there is a better way. If you have some idea where the song may go, well that's half the battle won right there. Major key; the structure chords will be the I IV V and the minor chords, ii iii vi will add color, i.e. are not needed for the structure, however, do add color or flavor. They are the flesh on your bare bone structure. That vii will lead you somewhere and I bet you very seldom run up on it. Dirt simple three chord songs will utilize the structure chords, i.e. I IV V7 I in it's progressions. When you add the ii, iii, vi and viidim you move into a more complex song.

Listen and predict where the song is going....... That will get you the chords used in the song. And if you guessed correctly the melody will have notes from the chord that is active over this specific part of the melody. Why? Well the melody line and the chord line will share like notes for harmonization to happen. You have to have harmonization for the two lines to sound good with each other - so they share like notes. It's not rocket science.

Yes, it all fits together like a jig saw puzzle, little of this and a little of that - when put together - you get a song.

As I said at the beginning I play the chord tones. If I know how to play verse number 1, it's almost a given that I will know how to play verse number 2 & 3 and if I'm lucky the chorus will also follow the same progression and then it's a piece of cake.

 

[soitainly]

Having grown up before tab was really an option, I still learn mostly by ear. Bass is the first instrument I am learning where YouTube lessons and tab are even an option. But I find all the modern tools very useful and it saves lots of time. For riffs and signature lines, it's usually pretty easy to just hear it and play it. I am finding YouTube and tab to be so easy though, I am glad I developed my ear but sometimes depending on the mix it is hard to pick out the bass line.

Probably another topic and controversial, but I don't care if I get every note just right, I just want the basic feel and harmony. Considering so many of the songs had very loose bass arrangements to begin with, I prefer a more relaxed approach. the only people that are going to notice are other bass players anyway, I am not out to impress them. If the bass line itself defines the song then yeah, learn it, otherwise be creative.

 

[PlaysAJunker]

The process of transcribing helps you understand the underlying material. Print up 100 sheets of bass clef staff paper at the employer's printer and sit down and rock some ear-to-paper.

 

[casper_morgan]

Nothing is considered "cheating".. whatever gets the job done efficiently. I play by ear and by tab.. sometimes even if I think ive figured out a song by ear.. I will still try to find some kind of official tabs for the song just to see if, #1 I got it right or #2 the other way might be easier to play than what I discovered on my own. After all.. the easier it is to play a song.. the better you will sound.

 

[millsbass5]

I've never used tab a day in my life. IMHO, I think it's pure laziness. Just learn to read music!!! As a matter of fact, I don't even know how to use the damn things (tablature). I prefer to figure stuff out by ear. But, if I run into a difficult passage, or a line is kinda buried in the mix, then I refer to the sheet music, if possible.

 

[mikew31]

I still think "tabs" are the worst thing a person can use to become a better musician.

The question by the OP was "How do you learn songs?" Your point might certainly be valid in another discussion, but it doesn't pertain to this one.

Like many others here, I use a combination of listening, youtube bass covers, songsterr, and tabs. I've found songsterr to be a tremendous help because you get the tab and the rhythm while playing along with the song. Bass covers on YT are also great since you can see what's being played while playing along with the song.

Recently, I've been asked to back a singer-songwriter and am learning his songs by ear. I make charts with the song structure and changes like others have mentioned. I'm enjoying this chance to train my ear and find it's really helpful when learning covers.

I've used many methods to learn songs and all have worked. Some methods work better than others for certain songs. I try to keep my mind and ears open.