Learning songs by ear: A how to.

[i like tictacs]

Okay, since I have some time on my hands this week, I thought I'd post something useful (albeit long) There are some snippets of info that I have picked up on talkbass.com that are also incorporated here.

There have been a bunch of threads here at DMBT recently about how to learn a song by ear or how to tab or how to play something or a request for a tab. Some like to say "go learn it on your own." Well, that's easy to say, but if you know nothing about music, that's a pretty tall order and even taller if your lazy and stupid. So I'm going to try and shed some insight on techniques on how to do this. I know that there are people on this forum who are better then me at it (bartender, street fish) and if anyone wants to add their techniques or refine my approach feel free.
Before we can even start, let me say that there is some basic theory involved in this. Knowing how to tell major from minor, knowing key signatures, time signatures, how to find the key of the song, and some other misc. stuff.

Without further adieu:

Please tune your bass before you even begin. If you can't even remember to tune your bass then just close this window and go sell your bass on ebay, or to me, I could always use more basses.

Figure out the key and time signatures: Okay, I already lost some of you. Sorry, but if you can't figure out the key and time sigs you are doomed to a lifetime of hunting and pecking on the fingerboard looking for the right notes. The time sig is 4/4 for most rock/pop tunes, but it can be anything from 5/4 to 6/8 to 37/64 if it's Rush . But if you know what a time signature IS, figuring it out is usually a no-brainer. The key sig can be a little trickier. The usual shortcut is to listen to the first and last notes of the song, which works probably 80% of the time. However, the key may shift (modulate) somewhere in the middle of the tune, and may or may not return to the original key. You also need to know whether the tune is major or minor. After you've been at it for a while, your ear (brain) will tell you. If you're having trouble figuring it out, play some major/minor thirds and see which fits. If it's minor, determine the relative major to at least get a starting key signature.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the starting note is Eb, and the tune is less than ten years old, it's likely the instruments are tuned down a half step (Eb,Ab,Db,Gb). If it's in D, there's a good chance it's in "Drop D," which means the E string ONLY is tuned down a full step (D,A,D,G). Personally, when I played a four I would tune 'em all down in drop D, because I think drop D is stupid and didn't like having to think about where the notes where, although that does make the fingering trickier. The point of drop D is so the guitars can do their stupid "power chord" root/fifth thing (D/A/D). Creed especially is guilty of this. Beware.

Figure out the chord progession: [Note: If we were talking about jazz, this step would be before figuring out the key signature. But we ain't, so it isn't] Figuring out a tune note by note is doing it the hard way. Figure the chord movement out FIRST, THEN go back and fill in the connecting notes. When you write a song, that's how you do it, right? You have a chord structure and you create a line that fits that structure. So learn the tune the same way. If you are having a hard time hearing the bass line, listen to the rhythm guitar changes. It also helps to know simple chord progressions: I-V-I, I-IV-V-I, I-vi-ii-V-I, etcetera. That is, if it starts on I, your next chord is likely to be V, if you're on V, your next chord is likely to be I. After a while, you'll be able to hear the intervals yourself. But take the time to figure out the overall chord progression and WRITE IT DOWN. And if you just write the changes (I-IV-V-I) instead of the root notes (C-F-G-C), you can refer to it to play the tune IN ANY KEY (Holy versatility, Batman!). I'm not going to get into things like alternate key centers (V's suddenly acting as I's, etc.), but realize they exist, and can make your life hell. Also, in a lot of blues-bases stuff, EVERY chord is a dominant seven (I7-IV7-V7-I7, etc.), which technically means nothing really resolves. This may bug purists, but try not to let it ruin your life. Just play flat 7's.

Figure out where the guy is playing on the neck: I can't overemphasize this point. If you can figure out where the guy is playing on the neck, it'll give you a much better idea of what your note choices are. Bass players are as lazy as anyone else (no!), and don't generally make giant intervalic leaps if they don't have to. This is the biggest problem with tab, IMO. You see how someone tabbed something and you KNOW the guy who is playing on the CD isn't doing anything like that - he'd need three hands. YOU SHOULDN'T BE LEAPING ALL OVER THE NECK. Would you write a tune like that? C'mon. And if you can figure out HOW he is playing, you'll have insight into WHAT he is playing. Listen to the tone. Is it growly? Then he's down on the lower frets. Is it round and tubey? Then it's further up the neck. Is he using open strings? Is he playing a five? Is he using a pick? All of this stuff will give you a clue. And if you 'scribe a lot of stuff by the same guy, you'll start to learn his habits and cliches as well. Even guys like Geddy Lee and Les Claypool (okay, ESPECIALLY Les) end up playing the same crap over and over. They're human too.

Connect the chords: Now it's time to connect the chords. There are lots of ways to this, and this is where there is likely to be the most debate. But what you want to figure out is how the other guy did it, regardless. If you want to learn the tune note for note, then this is where the dirty work is. But if you know the key and the chord progression, your job is made MUCH easier. Start with chord tones within the key (1,3,5), then other tones within the key (2,4,6,7), and if none of those are working, go with chromatic tones (notes outside of the key). If it sounds particularly "jazzy," there are probably a few notes outside of the key sig (esp flat fives/sevens). If it's a simple blues-based tune or something where the bass line isn't particulary prominent (or if it just sucks and you think you can do better), you can get away with creating your own line based on the chord progression. Again, lots of ways to do this. I tend to think modally (see other threads on modes), but to each his own. Just remember that if you work too far outside of the key sig you're gonna end up with "Donna Lee," and God Knows We Don't Want That. This is also where being able to hear intervals can be a huge help. On complicated tunes sometimes you're better off memorizing the line to the point where you can sing it in your head (or better yet, out loud), and then figuring it out. That saves some wear and tear on your CD player too. Which brings us to...

DON'T GIVE UP!: This is probably the most important advice of all, and has been given a zillion fucking times here and no one seems to listen. This all takes time. You won't be able to do it all overnight. If you want to be any good at this, it can take years. But if you don't buckle down and DO IT YOURSELF, you will never, EVER be able to do it. And asking people to do it for you is not only lazy and rude, but is just hurting your own progress as a musician. THERE IS NO EASY WAY. So quit asking.

This is just a basic method to approaching songs and how to learn them. It's going to take time, it's going to take practice, but the more you do it the better you will become. Do you remember when you first got a bass and struggled through a major scale, but now, years later, you can fly through a two octave mixolydian scale, or remember when you couldn't even play Ants Marching (Cause I do...) and now I could play it in my sleep, with one hand in my pocket (for real!) It's just going to take practice. Thanks to the lump from talkbass who amassed many of these ideas and helped me to learn how to do this myself.

[i am sam2]

that bastard avatar makes it so damn hard to concentrate on something

very good post though

[Brock]

[GSR]

awesome, i'll read this when i get home later.

[jkanter]

Excellent post....I'd like to thank you for the community

[MWR]

[i-am-me]

wow...how did i not see this? i'm gonna have to come back and read this soon. thanks man!

[c_tietze]

I wanna hear this one handed guitar part. J/K

Nice post.

[Lord Of The Flies]

Dunno if you mentioned this, but it helps to develop a semi-relative perfect pitch. Use the piano for that.

[fatjack]

Dunno if you mentioned this, but it helps to develop a semi-relative perfect pitch. Use the piano for that.

which one is it? you either have relative pitch or you have perfect pitch, and you certainly cant develop perfect pitch

[fatjack]

When you write a song, that's how you do it, right? You have a chord structure and you create a line that fits that structure.

since when? writing this way is whyy so much popular music sounds the same. if you write your progression first and then your melody, you will end up with a cookie-cutter melody. most classical composers and trained modern ones will do the melody, then harmony.

[GSR]

FATJACK HAS SPOKEN; UNSTICKY!

[fatjack]

FATJACK HAS SPOKEN; UNSTICKY!

what the fuck is that supposed to mean?

[Lord Of The Flies]

Dunno if you mentioned this, but it helps to develop a semi-relative perfect pitch. Use the piano for that.

which one is it? you either have relative pitch or you have perfect pitch, and you certainly cant develop perfect pitch

Relative pitch is for listening, perfect pitch means you can reproduce the same tone yourself through singing, usually. I meant "relatively" perfect pitch, but I left off some of it. You can have both. Professional tuners have perfect pitch + relative pitch.

[fatjack]

Dunno if you mentioned this, but it helps to develop a semi-relative perfect pitch. Use the piano for that.

which one is it? you either have relative pitch or you have perfect pitch, and you certainly cant develop perfect pitch

Relative pitch is for listening, perfect pitch means you can reproduce the same tone yourself through singing, usually. I meant "relatively" perfect pitch, but I left off some of it. You can have both. Professional tuners have perfect pitch + relative pitch.

incorrect

relative pitch means you can identify a pitch by hearing a given pitch. you are able to relate that pitch to the original pitch

pefect pitch is being able to indetify a pitch without hearing any relative notes

and you cannot develop perfect pitch, you have to be born with it. you can develop a very good relative pitch, but unless its innate, you cannot "attain" perfect pitch.

and perhaps you could say that you have both, but if you have perfect pitch, there really isn't a need for relative pitch