I’ve just started learning songs by listening, singing, and then playing them (on guitar). I have done this in the past, but accidentally.
(Please check out another quick lesson, Play what you sing, Sing what you play!)
Table of Contents
Sing the Tune First, or Learn it By Ear on Guitar
I always would skip the singing part and go right to learning the song by playing it on my guitar. But I would slow down the tape and discover each of the notes.
It did help but singing the tune first helps.
I am still using Transcribe! and slowing down the tune. Also, I am shifting some songs down so that the melody will be comfortably in my range.
Steps to Learning a Tune by Ear
I got this idea from JazzAdvice.com – “How to Completely Learn a Melody in 30 Minutes”.
Here’s the main idea:
- Pre-listening
- Listening to the song/melody many times while driving, cooking, etc.
- Listen and Sing
- Listen to small segments of the melody.
- Sing with the melodic fragment.
- Then sing fragment on your own.
- Sing each of the intervals slowly. Try to identify each interval.
- Play the melodic fragment on your instrument
- Repeat and review
Practice Makes Progress!
I try to remind myself that practice (over time) makes progress!
For me transcribing and learning by ear can be some of the most challenging parts of learning music. But I try to remind myself that the more I do it, the better I get at it.
Please remember to be kind to yourself when learning new music. The fact that you’re spend time with your instrument to create music is already huge!
All the best! And thanks for stopping by!
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- Jazz Guitar Ideas – How to Improve Time (and Groove) for Jazz Guitar – Count Out Loud!
- Musicality: Nature, Nurture & 10,000 hours?
- Learning New Instruments for Enjoyment and Musicality
- The Illusion of An Instrument (Hal Galper)