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How to learn music by ear

its easy to figure out the melody, but i can't figure out the chords when i play by ear. i'm trying to learn easy pop songs by ear, but even those are challenging.

by jace on 05/17/2008, 13:54

There are 6 comments, leave a comment.

if you can figure out the melody next try to work out the bass line. that should indicate chords.

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by Paul on 05/17/2008, 14:19

how do you spot slash chords? say you hear a b in the base and the chord is not a b chord but a g/b for example. maybe just getting used to the sound of these chords is the key?

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by elwapo on 05/18/2008, 01:57

on chords, get one of the chord tones in your head (or sing it) -- maybe the bass note -- and then sing up or down the intervals to the other tones. figure out what those intervals are. voila, you have the notes of the chord.

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by CynBad on 05/18/2008, 16:44

well when you are tone deaf like i am it comes down to theoretical knowledge and a process of elimination.  when the bass note is b  first try playing all the root position b chords and listen to hear if any of those are right.  most of the time the chord will be b major, minor, sus, augmente or diminished.  if it is not then you have to start eliminating all the inversion posabilities one at a time.  g/b... emin/b
etc.  it can be time consuming but it is how us tone deaf people have to do it.  and i am living proof you can still have a very successfull carrer in music having virtually no ear at all like this.
   course you could practice... do ear training exercises and the like,  but i prefer the ole couch, a budweiser and a ballgame myself.

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by Mike on 05/21/2008, 17:13

glad you like that st. louis beer - we have some great pizza too - they go hand in hand

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by Dr. Whack on 05/21/2008, 20:49

nobody does exercises unless they can *already* hear slash chords and basic chord types. maybe they can benefit then -- if they have time, since they'll already be playing out and working on tunes, not music 101 stuff at the local junior college.

everybody good learned to distinguish simple chords by trying it out slowly.

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by on 05/22/2008, 12:54

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How to learn music by ear

There are 6 comments, leave a comment.

by Paul on 05/17/2008, 14:19

by elwapo on 05/18/2008, 01:57

by CynBad on 05/18/2008, 16:44

by Mike on 05/21/2008, 17:13

by Dr. Whack on 05/21/2008, 20:49

by on 05/22/2008, 12:54

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How to learn music by ear

There are 6 comments, leave a comment.

by Paul on 05/17/2008, 14:19

by elwapo on 05/18/2008, 01:57

by CynBad on 05/18/2008, 16:44

by Mike on 05/21/2008, 17:13

by Dr. Whack on 05/21/2008, 20:49

by on 05/22/2008, 12:54

Reply to Thread

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

"Latinesque"

LJP Jazz Piano Blogs

Most Recent Discussions

Articles

Top Sheetmusic Picks

Jazz piano education is cool.

Rock on. Follow your passion.

Sign In