Play by ear - learn to match notes/keys/intervals etc by ear... tips?

[FuzzFacetious]

How can one train their ear to match notes and play by ear? I can't do this at all.


Back in the day when I was having lessons, I don't think my teacher, who had a naturally good ear for tone, understood... I guess it was trying to explain colourblindness to an art teacher when he A ) never heard of colourblindness and B ) hardly listens to what you say [mad but crazily talented elderly Irish man] - when I asked him to play notes and let me match them, he would play a note and I would play up and down the frets to match the note and as soon as I played the right note, despite not having yet been sure that I had played the right note, he would go "right!" though I had no idea... That was a waste of time.

I've also posted this question on another forum before and someone suggested "sing along to the notes and you'll soon get it" - but I can't match my voice or ANYTHING to the right note, I mean, on the odd occasion with LOTS of repetitive playing of one note, I can play it as long as the instrument is the same, the tone is the same and it's on the same octave, but I can't just go "oh this is the right note!" or "this is completely off!" (except where it's way off, but there it's obvious)...

If I play a song tuned down three semitones and then in standard I can hear that I'm playing a higher version of the song, but I can't hear that it's specifically three semitones higher.


How can I practice to improve these issues with hearing notes?

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Learn your intervals and then go from there. Practice singing them as well. This will improve your ear guaranteed.

Basic Intervals | Intervals | StudyBass

 

[joebar]

intervals are measurement-
the same way our eyes are developed to see the distance on a tape measure, our ears can be trained to determine the aural equivalent of measurement.
it takes a lot of active listening and constantly quizzing yourself.
its like a blind person developing other senses to get by.

I believe anyone can develop it and am surprised more people cant do it.

 

[Mushroo]

You must learn to "match pitch." Matching pitch is the fundamental building block skill of ear training. Try to sing along and match the pitch of everything you hear: birds chirping, the hum of the bathroom fan, a baby crying, and of course every song you hear on TV or the radio.

If you are having a hard time matching pitch singing, try whistling. For some reason I find that I can hear very easily whether or not my whistling is in tune (easier than my bass or my singing voice).

I have lots more ear training tips for hearing intervals, melodies, chords, etc. but first you have to learn to simply match pitch. Be patient and forgiving with yourself. It can take years to develop a good ear (though there are certainly some excellent teachers and courses out there that can speed up the process). The important thing is that you practice it a little bit every day. You'll get it eventually. Good luck!

 

[FuzzFacetious]

You must learn to "match pitch." Matching pitch is the fundamental building block skill of ear training. Try to sing along and match the pitch of everything you hear: birds chirping, the hum of the bathroom fan, a baby crying, and of course every song you hear on TV or the radio.

If you are having a hard time matching pitch singing, try whistling. For some reason I find that I can hear very easily whether or not my whistling is in tune (easier than my bass or my singing voice).

I have lots more ear training tips for hearing intervals, melodies, chords, etc. but first you have to learn to simply match pitch. Be patient and forgiving with yourself. It can take years to develop a good ear (though there are certainly some excellent teachers and courses out there that can speed up the process). The important thing is that you practice it a little bit every day. You'll get it eventually. Good luck!

Thanks, but that still feels like I'm asking how to read and you're telling me that if I sit and write a blog every day I'll soon get it. To use another analogy, in order to start lifting weights in the gym without getting cramps is to bench 120 every day - I get that it's hard for people who, even as beginners, had a decent level of pitch hearing to be able to get where I'm at... If I listen to someone singing out of key, unless I'm familiar with how the singing should sound, I have no idea that it's out of key with the music. I play my instruments in key with the band but ONLY because I know what key the band is using and I know the theory, but I cannot hear it, if I couldn't see what was being played I would have no idea what key was being played or whether I was playing in key.

I can't match notes to anything so I can't tell if I'm singing in key - in fact I know for a fact that I don't because whenever I record myself and pitch correct it, what I've recorded sounds like it's come from T-Pain's cutting room floor.

I had a look at exercises like this, which are along the vein of what you're advising:
trainer.thetamusic.com/en/content/vocal-match
When I'm trying to sing the notes, what sounds like a similar pitch to me is not even registering on the scale, and the ONLY way I get through it is by visually matching it. I make random noises and see where it registers and then adjust my pitch until I get the right box, but nothing registers for me between what I hear and what I see/what noise I make, the pitch doesn't sound the same to me. This method doesn't work for me at all.

 

[quickfix]

I always assumed that playing by ear is intrinsic for musicians.
Some of us can read music too...but playing by ear is natural.
As someone has already stated, it can be trained as well. But I believe it must be present in the first place in order to be developed.
I'm not sure how to help you.

You say that you took lessons "back in the day". Is this your first and only instrument? Do you sing along to the radio/etc? Do you sing along with others? Do you try to hum the bass parts when music is being played on the radio/player?

If you've said yes to any of these things, and the effort felt good and sounded pleasant then you should continue to do that. It may help.

 

[interp]

Thanks, but that still feels like I'm asking how to read and you're telling me that if I sit and write a blog every day I'll soon get it. To use another analogy, in order to start lifting weights in the gym without getting cramps is to bench 120 every day - I get that it's hard for people who, even as beginners, had a decent level of pitch hearing to be able to get where I'm at... If I listen to someone singing out of key, unless I'm familiar with how the singing should sound, I have no idea that it's out of key with the music. I play my instruments in key with the band but ONLY because I know what key the band is using and I know the theory, but I cannot hear it, if I couldn't see what was being played I would have no idea what key was being played or whether I was playing in key.

I can't match notes to anything so I can't tell if I'm singing in key - in fact I know for a fact that I don't because whenever I record myself and pitch correct it, what I've recorded sounds like it's come from T-Pain's cutting room floor.

I had a look at exercises like this, which are along the vein of what you're advising:
trainer.thetamusic.com/en/content/vocal-match
When I'm trying to sing the notes, what sounds like a similar pitch to me is not even registering on the scale, and the ONLY way I get through it is by visually matching it. I make random noises and see where it registers and then adjust my pitch until I get the right box, but nothing registers for me between what I hear and what I see/what noise I make, the pitch doesn't sound the same to me. This method doesn't work for me at all.

If you think you can learn something you're probably right. If you think you can't learn it, you're definitely right. Sounds to me like you've decided you cannot learn this and are giving up before you really give it a good effort.

Your analogy to learning to read by writing a blog every day is WAY off. People are suggesting you "learn to read" by starting with learning the basic mechanics of "reading" (recognizing pitch). Until you do so you can't really say you've made a real effort.

Sorry to be blunt, but that's the truth.

 

[Old Blastard]

I studied basic theory on own, playing intervals and studies and would listen to my favorite tunes to try and steal the riffs and the chords. Took some time before Inwas good at it, but don't give it up. The more you play, the easier it gets

 

[Barbaric.Eric]

There's a video on youtube that you can tune your bass to (try searching "bass guitar tune e standard" or something along those lines). Try loosening your strings up a bit and then tuning by ear to match the bass guitar in the video. Then you can plug in your tuner and see how close you were. I found this really helped me hear that slight wobble of the two notes when your close to being in tune but not quite dead on. When the wobble sounds slower, it means your are closer to the note than when it sounds faster. Give it a shot and see if your can hear that wobble, it means your close.

Then next time you're jamming and the guitarist plays a note, you should be able to slide up the neck to find it just like you were tuning. Not sure if this will help or not, but it helped me out a tonne when practicing playing by ear.

Best of luck and be patient, that's #1!

 

[delta7fred]

When I first started playing (1966/7) just like the OP I was hopeless at matching notes. I still have a mental block sometimes but almost 50 years of playing by ear necessitated that I either got good at it or stopped playing.

I would sit for hours with my bass and listen to the radio or records and try and find the key of each song and the chord progression. This was not always possible because not all songs were in standard tuning, the tape speed was often adjusted in the studio and not always in semitone intervals, and record decks rarely ran at the correct speed.

 

[Manichga]

Anyone can develop relative pitch. I teach aural training to secondary kids. I start first with major and perfect intervals within a major scale. There are heaps of songs to help remember and identify and practice. Eg major 2nd is first interval in happy birthday, major 3rd is oh when the saints etc. easy to sing them to yourself in the car. Then test yourself with songs on the radio. Play them often. Visualise the interval on the fingerboard. Play them etc. its all practice. Your ear will develop just as your playing does.

 

[BassBrass]

Your analogy to learning to read by writing a blog every day is WAY off.

How do You know? the guy told you what it is and you doubt their veracity and effort? Judgmental much?
It sounds pretty extreme and Oliver Sacks (who was a musician and studied music and the brain) would have had a case here. OP musn't play a horn. You Cant pretend to play pitches on any horn and not pitch match. French horn is ridiculous.
My only recommendation taken with adequate disclaimers and warnings would be to try LSD or phylosybin mushroom or other hallucinogen to try to map out some new brain connections. In a properly sanctioned guided therapeutic setting of course. Otherwise I wonder what the value of being a musician is when you can't pitch match. What is it like?

 

[Mushroo]

How many hours have you spent practicing ear training in a focused way using exercises assigned to you by a good teacher? It is said it takes about 10,000 hours to truly master a skill. I average about 1 hour per week of ear training (some weeks much more, other weeks none at all) for 20 years, so that's about 1,000 hours, and I am about 10% of where I'd like to be. I can identify simple chord progressions like 12-bar blues. I can sing Happy Birthday or the national anthem without embarrassing myself. I can learn bass lines by ear with time and effort. I certainly CAN'T listen to a song one time and play back every note of the bass line flawlessly. I am realistic that it will take me thousands more hours of practice to get to that goal, and I am fine with that.

If you have only spent a couple hundred hours or less on ear training exercises, then PLEASE do not give up yet. You are only on the very early steps of the journey and should be patient with your self.

The best thing I ever did for my ear was to take an adult education class at my local conservatory. We met one night a week after work for a semester, with an amazing instructor who has been teaching ear training to all levels of ability for decades. The class size was small, the other students were just as bad as I was, and everybody was incredibly encouraging. I really think studying ear training with a specialized teacher would be incredibly beneficial to you. If nothing else, you could at least get an expert opinion (as opposed to a bunch of random strangers on the internet) that you are hopelessly tone deaf and should give up.

But I don't think you are tone deaf, and I don't think you should quit. I used to think I was, too, and the only possible way I could learn a song is by sheet music. But I stuck with it, and now 20 years later, I can have fun at jam sessions and open mic nights because I can recognize "hey, that's a I-IV-V progression in E" and play along with confidence. If I can do it, you can do it too! Don't feel you have to start with 120 pounds (to use your analogy) but rather with some 1 pound dumbbells, and go from there. Sing Happy Birthday at a kid's birthday party. Whistle along with Mary Had A Little Lamb. Try to learn the bass line to Ice Ice Baby by ear. You can do it!

 

[thehangingmist]

i have been there and gotten better at it
i couldn't tell one note from another as in i'd sing a different note but think am singing the one am playing and so on
but i eventually trained my self to slowly learn to play music by ear, whatever that i can

learn to sing a major scale to begin with, take it slow. match one note at a time and start there
once you can sing a major scale, take some basic ear training exercises like
functional ear training app for android phones
musictheory.net interval training (my teacher anthony wellington asked me to attempt 50 questions a day, i did it for long enough for me to master all 12 up and down in exercise mode at least)

 

[Lobster11]

One way (among many) to work on ear training -- one that is really fun -- is to sit down with your bass and figure out how to play familiar melodies "by ear." Start with a melody that is so deeply ingrained in your brain that you can "hear" it clearly when you "listen to" it in your head: Ideal candidates are children's songs, TV-show themes you grew up with, and popular Christmas carols. "Play" the first part of the song in your head, and then experiment to find the notes on the bass. At first this will be a slog, and you'll feel like you're just guessing at each successive note, but the more you do it the easier it will get (which, of course, is the point).

For some of these songs, you can start pretty much anywhere on the fretboard, because you've probably heard them sung in many different keys and no particular key is the "right" one. For these, this is an exercise strictly for developing relative pitch. For songs such as TV themes, which you've always heard in one particular key, trying to find the key that you're "hearing" in your head adds the dimension of absolute pitch. (Hint: The theme to The Flintstones is in the key of A.)

 

[AMp'D.2play]

Get some software or an app that let's you change the octave & slow down what you're listening to. Several of them are free, so you could start with one of them. I find it easier to match pitch if I raise what I'm listening to up an octave. If you're doing the hunt & peck method up and down a string, use your G string (not the E or A) since your ear will probably pick up the pitch differences easier that way. Also, instead of moving up or down one fret at a time, try moving in 3 or 4 fret blocks. If your initial attempt is way off, this will speed up finding the correct note. Once you find one note higher and the next lower in pitch, you'll know you have the correct note surrounded, and go from there. Once you find the correct pitch, then finding the correct octave is a snap.

The more you do this, the easier it becomes. Eventually, you won't need to raise the pitch up an octave. But start higher at least until your ear becomes better trained.

And you mentioned you know a little theory. If you can figure out the key of the song, you'll have a better idea of which notes were "probably" used, so you can narrow down your search that way.

 

[Lobster11]

And you mentioned you know a little theory. If you can figure out the key of the song, you'll have a better idea of which notes were "probably" used, so you can narrow down your search that way.

This is equally true of the figure-out-how-to-play-familiar-melodies that I suggested above. Most of the kinds of songs I mentioned will use only scale tones, so if you know what these are it will almost cut in half the number of possibilities for any particular note.

 

[interp]

How do You know? the guy told you what it is and you doubt their veracity and effort? Judgmental much?
It sounds pretty extreme and Oliver Sacks (who was a musician and studied music and the brain) would have had a case here. OP musn't play a horn. You Cant pretend to play pitches on any horn and not pitch match. French horn is ridiculous.
My only recommendation taken with adequate disclaimers and warnings would be to try LSD or phylosybin mushroom or other hallucinogen to try to map out some new brain connections. In a properly sanctioned guided therapeutic setting of course. Otherwise I wonder what the value of being a musician is when you can't pitch match. What is it like?

How do I know? By reading and understanding the original post and comments. The OP was given a suggestion that he revert to the basic technique of pitch matching. He then compared that to being told to learn how to read by writing blogs every day. That analogy is absurd and inaccurate. A correct analogy would be learning to read by learning the alphabet, and then systematically studying the phonetic structure of the language.

I spent ten years teaching Russian to people with no prior knowledge of the language. I worked with a small group of students six hours a day, five days a week, and I never had a student who didn't need several months to get a basic handle on the sounds of the Russian language. And they were all motivated. So, yes, I think I am qualified to be a bit judgmental about the amount of effort required to master a skill like this.

 

[matthewbrown]

There is a possibility that you suffer from Invalid Link Removed But I wouldn't assume it; you would have to be tested. Try the links and see what you find out. If you're not "tone deaf," then you should probably find a patient music teacher, or an app that allows you to practice. I like Functional Ear Training

 

[jamro217]

A handy method for learning intervals is to pick out instantly recognizable examples and use them as templates for the sounds you are trying to play. For a minor third, think of the opening two chords to Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water. The next time you hear that same sequence of two notes, play a minor third. Start at the bottom of your fretboard (minor second E to F, Major second E to F#, minor third E to G and so on) and figure out what interval sample will act as a reminder for that. Work your way up the neck until you hit the octave. It may be easier to play the same intervals on different strings. Remember, the distance between the notes is what you are measuring, not so much the pitch of the notes themselves. Any two fret interval is a major second, whether it's A to B, F to G or B to C#. Designate each one with something you'll remember, even if it's meaningless to everyone else (the point of this exercise is for you). Could even be something dumb like a joke song some kid at school sang. All music can be broken down into a series of two note intervals. Identifying them correctly is the key to learning how to play them by ear. Don't give up because at first this will seem tedious, boring and aggravating, but in the end it pays off. Best to you and I hope this helps.