Learning songs by ear

[melkore]

I'm trying out for an established local band next week and they asked me to learn a few of their songs for the tryout.  Usually for tryouts I've had bands ask to learn a song in the genre and we jam on it together but they want me to learn 2 of theirs.  All I have is the tuning for the songs so far and that's about it.  I've never learned a song strictly by ear before so I'm a little unprepared for the task.

So, for those of you that learn songs by ear, how do you break down the songs so you know they are right?  I've always been a watch the guitarist for the roots and hammer it out kind of bass player.

[SpaceTrucker]

Make the volume of the recording loud enough so the instrument your trying to emulate is at equal or higher volume. then play along and try and find all the notes and their place, you know you got it right when you can't differentiate your playing from the recording. That's what I do, also, listen to it a few times if you get stuck. Just listen, and then play. Other than that, just try and groove, you might play something that sounds better, if you do, surprise them with it after a few bars.

[justinhedrick]

Make the volume of the recording loud enough so the instrument your trying to emulate is at equal or higher volume. then play along and try and find all the notes and their place, you know you got it right when you can't differentiate your playing from the recording. That's what I do, also, listen to it a few times if you get stuck. Just listen, and then play. Other than that, just try and groove, you might play something that sounds better, if you do, surprise them with it after a few bars.

this is good advice, also i'd add: since you know the tuning, i'd figure out the root notes of each riff first, then build on that from there.

[johnny problem]

Although more time consuming, just turn on to your preferred radio station and just try playing along to what you hear.  Eventually it'll get easier and easier.  Also, listen to those two songs a lot, to the point you're able to hum the songs without listening to them, it'll be much easier to tackle the task afterwards..

[franksnbeans]

you can usually break it down into patterns like verse times 4, chorus times 4, repeat, bridge times 4, etc.

It also depends on the instrument.  It's tough for me to emulate drums when their original drummer sucked, and you're not going to knock their socks off with a simple beat that's on time.

For the guitar, get the tuning, scales, and timing right and you'll be golden, even if you're off by a few notes.  Have command of your instrument too.  It sucks trying people out who don't know how their gear works and it's most likely not gonna get you hired.

How long are the songs?  What instrument do you play?

[Metal and Beer]

Just tune to whatever and when jam time comes, just be like "Man, you guys are good and all, but I have a few ideas...."

[jibberish]

i did this trick with "east berwick witch trial" (cathedral) and elephant riders(clutch) to name a few.  
works killer for me.

a) record the song into audacity or any other wavefile editor recorder type program.

b) slice out a loop of however much of the song you can dissect, but slice it out with extra at the edges

c) trim the loop so it can be looped (heh) and stays in time.

d) repeat this however small chunk ad infinitum until you have the notes nailed.  

e) make the next loop.

at some point the structure clicks, and as mentioned above, you notice all the repeated parts and the detail of the phrasing. this then really shortens the task.
or you will notice one loop is identical to another except for a couple notes at the end or whatever.  it doesnt matter how complex or long the song is when you can chop it into managable chunks to figure out, and most importantly just focus on that until you have it.

here is the proof, the east berwick witch trials rhythm guitar part i learned from loops
low res mp3 with my experimental witch voice and metronome drumbeat. cortez black beauty with HM-2
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/doktordeath/myberwick[/soundcloud]

[Chovie D]

I do alot of fill in work (pedal steel) and have to do this often. Sometimes its 12 songs in a couple days.
I chart em out. process goes like this for me. PLay thru once, find key, find roots, find chords for verse, find chords for chorus.
2nd pass, find chords for break, solo, bridge...whatever. after that its figure out any leads, solos or fills i wanna do.

All the while Im chartng out the song with pen and paper. Then the chart is condensed down to what i can easily look at on a dark stage while playing. sometimes its condensed down to just the key. but mos of the itme it looks like this:
Em, G, D  {C,G,B,Am} [E-D] *no solo

first three chords are the verse, {} is the chorus, [} is the solo section and no solo means I dont solo there so i rememebr not to step on the guitar solo. If its a live gig, these notes go on index cards with a sharpie. studio its a 8.5x11 on a music stand. Many Pros will use numbers (nashville number system) instead of actual chords, and sometimes they just call out these numbers on the stage to players who have never even heard the song before. "Its a train 1,4,5 in C, go!".

In your case...find the key,find the roots, figure out the riffs, write em down on a cheat sheet.
Also im not afraid to email the songwriter and ask what that chord is at 2:13...sometimes its alooney Em/B chord or something guitar players juts make up and that I never woulda got o my own. good luck

[chille01]

I like Metal and Beers idea best. Alternately, you could just play crazy busy, flashy, totally inappropriate for the songs bass lines that ignore the root and fail to lock in with the drummer in any real way, and when questioned just say indignantly "Look guys, I'm not gonna be fuckin' DD Ramone ok?"

True story.

[neighbor664]

No offense but if you thinking of trying out for an established band and you still have to ask how to best learn songs off of a recording than you probably are not ready to be in such a band.

[Isabellacat]

I like getting really really stoned and learn songs by ear. Always done it that way. If you really love a song,and it's etched in your head,it's pretty easy to figure it out. And having the actual tablature of the song helps while learning by ear. Live videos of said songs help too,cos you can see where the guitarists are at fretboard wise. Sometimes the tab can be wrong,and looking at live videos helps alot in order to play a song correctly.


Hardest songs I find learning tho are Randy Rhoads songs..... Anybody who can learn 'Revelation(Mother Earth)' by ear perfectly is a genius in m book.

[RAGER]

No offense but if you thinking of trying out for an established band and you still have to ask how to best learn songs off of a recording than you probably are not ready to be in such a band.

i tend to agree with this.  But maybe he's just a new guy and trying to start a dialogue. but my advice is you just sit down and hammer the shit out.  It's only 2 songs right?

[eyeprod]

I also have to agree. Make sure that you're ready.

When learning songs, I usually reference the bass notes to make sure that I have the right guitar chords. I have a habit of thinking that I have something figured out, like a riff or a lead fill, but finding out that the part I'm trying to learn is actually more tricky than I thought. In this case, and in general I go over parts several times to get 'em right. Some sort of notation is typically called for. Usually I just go with the standard: lyrics with chords notated above the words. Sometimes I substitute chord names for a specific riffs, such as: riff 1, riff 2, etc. If that makes any sense.

[melkore]

No offense but if you thinking of trying out for an established band and you still have to ask how to best learn songs off of a recording than you probably are not ready to be in such a band.

None taken.  I've just learned by tabs/guitar pro or from the band in person.  Ive hashed out a few songs with music videos but never purely by ear.

Sounds like tomorrow is all about learning these songs. Since the tryout is monday.
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