Pull out songs by ear!

[boggi]

Hey Cesar Huesca !

I have a question about pulling songs out by ear.
Do you have any special tips how and what you do ?
Do you use any slow down program ?

[Cesar Huesca]

When there's a really fast or complex passage I might slow down things with Windows Media Player, but I try not to do that and work my ear harder.

I recommend you to play notes in your guitar or piano or whatever and try to sing those notes so you are going to get used to the sound of those notes and wherever you hear them you will instantly recognize them, that should develop your ear so when you listen to fast passages or phrases with many notes, you'll be able to transcribe that or reproduce it on your instrument quickly.

Regards.

Cesar.

[cmerry65]

I think that's great advice ;D! I'll listen to a passage and try to hear the notes in my head, sort them out, then try to match what I hear on the guitar. I think too many people in the past, say beginning in the 1990's up till now, have gotten away from figuring songs/guitar parts out by ear and have relied too much on tab books (I can remember the day when there were no tab books and when they did come about, they were set up for piano and not guitar). Tab books, in my opinion, have led to the degeneration, to some extent, of guitar playing in general. It kind of got to the point where you just didn't hear the lead guitar solos or catchy rhythms like you used to in music. Anyway, its great to hear and see your music Cesar--I've enjoyed learning some of your stuff off of youtube--very inspiring !

Chris

[Leon "Kiba"]

It's better to pull out songs by ear when they're originals by us and Cesar and such cause there won't be a tab or a chord chart to help us. lol So when I see Cesar put out an original vid (of some lower tempo that I can feasibly attempt lol) I pretty much HAVE to pull it by ear if I wanna play it (which is pretty much every song).

[cmerry65]

You're right Leon. I was just thinking about guys like Jimi Hendrix, SRV, ect., and then the tab book generation. You know, a lot of trial and error went into the development of those styles, which those who rely on tab books will miss in the development of themselves as players. There's a lot to be said for learning a song wrong, but still have it sound good. Anyway, I really am big on doing it by ear, though I admit, I have used tab books ! Some things, like you said, are original and if you're gonna learn you will have to do it with your own two ears. I remember a tab book a guy I knew had that I went to school with in junior high. The book was for the Van Halen I album, I believe--it was neat from the standpoint it had some really cool pictures of Van Halen, but was pretty useless otherwise as it was laid out for piano and not guitar . Tab books have really come a long way.

[levi501]

well i recently got the steve vai alien love secrets tab book for Xmas i looked through it and was amazed to see that he plays it completely different i literally laughed.

[boggi]

Thank you so much for your reply and great advice !

[haiiyaman7]

Yes, it is. Thanks, Cesar! (:

[seriouscat]

Thanks Cesar, that's great advice

[iGer]

to add my advice, im not better than any of you but i garantee you the piano is a very great tool to train your ears as the notes follow each others in only one line, i trained myself 10 times more than ever on the guitar and the piano is still easier for me (i mean to find the right notes that run in my head). How lucky i am to have one at home and most of it : it has just been tuned ^^

[Cesar Huesca]

Yes Sr. Piano helps a lot in ear training.