Need Advice From Musicians - Training Your Ear

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I never got there - I can play a couple of dozen things on the guitar - maybe 6 or 7 on the piano, but that was all by muscle memory and repetition.

I can - occasionally - pluck out a melody by ear, but that is generally flukish as I'm playing around with scales or whatever.

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This accurately describes where I'm at also.

Bump. Didn't really get the responses I'd hoped for. I hope someone can provide more input.

TIA

I've trained myself to rely on my ear than tabs and magazines and books telling you how to train by ear.

singing and air guitar with the visualization of hitting notes with the air guitar with your fingers (i know it may feel corny but if you close your eyes it won't feel as bad) is really the best way for me to keep up with music.


I have no problem being out in public with my eyes close listening to music i want to hear and then it stays in my head for a while

You have it, or you don´t. You can only approximate like an automaton with great effort.

Man, I'm at a similar place. I've been playing guitar since I was 15. I took guitar lessons then that consisted of "OK, what song do you want to learn today?" So I learned stuff like Wonderwall, Hotel California, Black Dog, etc. and I went from there. At 17 I was playing Dave Matthews at open mic night at The Daily Grind/Mason's Grill. Then I just hit a lull when I went off to college.

I'm 32 now. I have literally zero music theory knowledge aside from being able to read tabs, mimic rhythm styles, and whatever I learned in choir in HS. And as of right now I am obsessed with jazz music. Jazz guitar, to be more specific. Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Grant Green.

So I'm in this world right now, trying to learn this shite. And it's all completely new. A completely different way of thinking. I've got my 6th edition Real Book. I know the most basics of how to read sheet music. I still don't know how to see a C note on the sheet, and know where to go on the fretboard, other than '2nd fattest string, 3rd fret'. I've been playing Autumn Leaves now for 2 weeks, trying to learn theory. Trying to get an idea of what chord substitutions I can use. What funky little riffs I can throw in. But at the end of the day, I still don't know what the frick I'm doing. It's frustrating. But I'm sticking with it.

I bought a jazz guitar book by Ted Greene. I'm going to see this bitch through. I don't know what I'm in for. I don't know what I'll be once it's done. But I'm still excited to do it.

What I used to do a lot and still do on occasion while practicing... (When I practice, I'll lay down a rhythm and loop it)

I'll mix in the hooks of songs with similar melodies of the rhythm I laid down. You will be amazed at how much this will refine your ear.

In other words... Learn to play teases.

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FWIW, the easiest way, in my opinion, to write songs and melodies is to sit down with your instrument and try to play something you love by ear. If you're at all competent and have a rudimentary grasp of scales, you'll play something that's in the ballpark, but not exactly right. Then the little light bulb goes off and you take it off in your own direction.

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This is the best answer so far. I'd like to point out, though, that your ability to pick up what key the song is in is paramount. Once you know what key you are playing, you should be able to pick out the melody fairly easily.

If you apologized for a wall of text, there's no telling what I'll have to do when this is done.

First off, I'm not "there". But I think I know what you're describing. I've been around several guitar players who "play a song they've never heard" for the first time on stage, or if you ask them "do you know ???", they say something like "i've never learned it, but I'd imagine it's about like :commence to start playing the song damn near perfectly:"

Man, I don't think I'll ever be that good. I'm just getting close to being out of the "non suck" stage. So, what I'll do is give you the tips that helped me at least get past walls, or take what was, for me, big leaps, such that I didn't bog down. Pretty sure I've put these on here before - if you've suffered through these before, please forgive me.

The first one is this. Play "with" the band. Crank your stereo up such that you're sitting in w/them. That'll do a couple of things. First of all, your guitar WILL be in tune. If it's not, they'll kick you out of the band (actually, you'll kick yourself out, tune your guitar, and come back). Secondly, you'll immediately know if the player is using some "trick". Nowadays, you can google anything. Back in the day - pre computers and google - I cannot tell you how frustrating it was to try and try and try to learn a song, and not be able to even get close. One song that comes to mind is Van Halen/Beautiful Girls. Know that song? Doesn't sound particularly tough, right? That jangley little opening bit? Try learning that BEFORE you could google the fact that it's played a half step down in tuning? shite'll run you freakin nuts bro. Third thing it'll do - and I swear, I don't believe in holy medicine, spooky shite, and the like, but you'll kinda "get the groove". You're standing there, hearing the same drum beat they were hearing, next thing you know, your foots tapping same as theirs was, next thing you know, you've figured out the first couple parts to the song, and I promise you, one day, you'll just absolutely move your hand to the right place kinda when the lead starts. You won't play it look for lick, but you'll START at the right place. And that's about half the battle. I can remember two distinct times this happened, and when I tell you what I was learning at the time, it may make sense as to what I"m talking about. One time, when I was learning a buncha Who stuff. One time, when I was learning a buncha songs of Appetite for Destruction (this one especially - as rock songs go, most of that album is probably not considered difficult, but Slash does move all the neck in most of those tunes). Now, think about how each of those guys play, and it should come as no surprise that THAT'S when "you'd get it". When you think of Slash's style, you think smooth transitions, big bends, long and lean. When you think of Pete Townsend, you DON'T think smooth. You think aggressive, choppy, lots of down down down licks. I'm telling ya, if you can ever get like IN THE SPEAKER, where you're playing with Slash, or with a Pete Townsend, or whoever it is you listen to, you could just catch his groove, and next thing you know, your hand just moves to where it should be when you hit that hard part.

One more - not near as long - learn/play stuff that's "forgiving" (see Pete Townsend). I'm old. Right now, I'm learning a bunch of James Taylor stuff. It's not at all forgiving. I mean a ONE STRING TAP that you miss is a serious eff up. Think Townsend every missed a string? Or Keith Richards (hell, a BUNCH of his cool tunes are played on a 5 string guitar, and on many, he's not even using the 5 he's got).

That's only cpl a points, and it's a ton of typing, and if I'm lucky, YOU are still reading. I won't hurt readers eyes with anymore, but I could tell in your post you want to "get good". My natural ability in the guitar is ZERO. I should be much better than I am for as long as I've been playing. So, as a fellow long sufferer, know that those things at least kept me playing.


edit - if I'd have had a 3rd point, it would have been what Breesus said about playing scales over and over. It took me years before I finally "shut up and listened." That helped a bunch too.

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Those with innate ability and those who have spent long hours learning and perfecting.

If you really want to get better and playing by ear has been a short road, maybe invest some time and money taking lesson and learn to read music.

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That is the best advice yet, IMO. Some formal training will provide you a base on which to build.

I was a drummer and the formal training I received really helped, fundamentals like the rudiments, set up, independence, etc. Could I have gotten there without it, maybe, but it sure helped.