Musicians over the years have extolled the virtues of transcribing music or just figuring it out by ear as a way of learning to play well.

Just wondering if you have any favorite tools or techniques that have helped you get through the challenges of getting the tune out of the media and onto your instrument?

I usually learn a tune by ear unless I just don't have enough time to memorize it. I'll then just do some notation on Bass clef paper.

Case in point.....I was contacted to sub for someone and had 2 days to learn 4 songs of which I was familiar with none! I had to do notation to get through it.

Good ears are the musicians best friend -- I envy you, as I have to work at it.

You figured out St. Tropez a long time ago for me -- how do you recognize the chords?

Band in a Box has an "Audio Chord Wizard" that I used recently that helped me through some passages I couldn't get -- with the chord structure down, it was a lot easier to figure out the individual notes by ear...

Honestly, I didn't 'recognize' any of the chords but I could definitely hear them. I played the chords on my keyboard and then used a chord recognition software (I can't recall the name of it) that tells you what the chord is by inputting all the notes. I don't claim to have perfect pitch but I think I have a high level of relative pitch. I can hear bad notes and wrong chord progressions very easily! I also figured out Curves Ahead by ear. I've literally chucked reading music unless I really have to but that's rare! If there is a recording of a song, that's all I need.

My wife is the same way -- although she has only a rudimentary ability to play piano and the accordian, when I have a tune and it involves a lot of unusual leaps or intervals, I ask her to help me and she can hear it perfectly. "No, the note is lower than the one you're playing -- now, it's higher -- [and then I move to a new note] -- that's it!"

People say you can train your ears to hear such things but I think it's a process you can't rush -- like learning to play solid time, for example.

When they came out with the audio chord wizard in Band and a Box, that was a realy boon. I can open up an MP3 file and then play it through Band and a Box -- the software then charts the chord changes for me. Lazy, but sure does help when you've gotta learn something fast.

Any tricks for figuring out those hard-to-hear lower-register bass notes?

If I have a hard time hearing a note, I move on to the chord progression and figure out what the root is. Or I'll try different notes until I hear the 'right' note. There is one song that really gave me a hard time and that is track 2 (True Companion) on the Rippingtons Sahara cd. The chorus section. Russ is playing a really unique bass progression. I still haven't mastered it yet! Welcome To St. James Club was a challenge as well but easier than the Sahara track.

I do similar things -- it's a bear for me when the chord is a slash chord and the bass note doesn't play the root.

Once I downloaded this software called "Amazing Slow Downer" which allows you to slow down the song, with, or without changing the pitch.

I changed the pitch of the entire song, putting it up one octave, and also filtered out as much of the higher register instruments as the software would allow. But I kept the speed really slow.

That made the bass line very easy to hear -- I figured out the bass line in the upper register of my bass, and then put it back into the lower register when I was ready to master what I'd figured out. Worked like a charm. The registered version costs about $40.

BTW, I have the Ripps songbook (the Blue one) that has some Sahara tunes in it, so, if you don't own it, and I can ever be of any help in looking up something let me know.

Here's that section of the Ripps tune I was talking about. Russ is doing some freaky stuff in there.

True Companion hook section

I'm going to see if I can run it through the audio chord wizard in band in a box when I get a chance in the next few days, and see what chords pop up. I don't have Amazing Slow Downer anymore -- it was a free trial, but you can download it at:

http://www.ronimusic.com/

Talk to you soon....

believe it or not, you can do something similar in Windows Media Player, it's called "play speed settings".
You can speed up or slow down the track, as much as by half speed or double speed without affecting the pitch. It's pretty useful to me, when I'm listening to a tough riff or something,I can slow it down and find the notes. And it's free... although nothing works quite like being able to see their hands on youtube or something
Seriously though, that's the hardest thing for me, is figuring out the easiest fingering of the notes, not so much what notes but where on the fretboard; it can make all the difference in being able to pull off a seriously quick riff without stumbling.
Another reason I like tablature....

Later
TY

So true -- I tried unsuccessfully to play the opening lick of Teen Town until I saw an alternate fingering.

Marcus Miller said you've gotta be willing to use open strings "before open notes". At times I've played certain tunes using that principle, even though my fingering isn't exactly what the original artist played, and at times, it actually sounds better! The example that comes to mind is Let It Flow (no pun intended) from Winelight . The opening lick requires a bit of a leap which I couldn't do well using the printed notes, so I substituted an open string for a fretted one just to give me time to hammer on the high note in the interval.

It sounded pretty good. Then I saw a closeup of Anthony Jackson playing the same riff on the Grover Video (with Steve Gadd, Ralph McDonald, Eric Gale, and a keyboardist I don't remember, directed by Donny Osmond). Anthony wasn't using open strings at all to handle the leap. After I tried it his way, I concluded mine actually sounded better and funkier, so I always play it my way, rather than the "correct way" (if there is even such thing).

But "making it flow" is certainly one of the time consuming challenges -- and in my view, there's more than one way to do it well....

Let me correct that statement above

"Marcus Miller said you've gotta be willing to use open strings "before open notes"

I meant Marcus Miller said you've gotta be willing to use open strings "before IMPORTANT notes".

I just ran the mp3 of True Companion through my Band in a Box Audio Chord Wizard. I've emailed the chords (which is seems to only generate at one or two chords per bar, maximum) along with the individual notes within each bar.

Hopefully this helps you figure out this part of the tune.

Thanks. E-mailed you back.

Have a look at my "My Space" site for True Companion slowed down and up an octave. True Companion is the 4th song in my list of tunes. With the sound altered this way, I can hear the bass part very clearly.

You have to put up with a scrambled sound at the beginning, but it clears up beautifully in time for the melody and hook section.


http://www.myspace.com/thecontemporaryjazzgroup

Any further discussion I'll deal with in email....

THere is a program out there called DMM, which stands for Digital Music Mentor
At first I gave it a D but after tweaking it and learning how to recognize patters and the notes,,,I have upgraded it to a C+ or better

It can loop as well and you have the ability to see the notes played in the chord.

Now for music like Jazz,,,Acoustic Alchemy in particular, it is about 40% correct providing the song isn't too deep into #5's or b9's

Unfortunatly there isn't any replacement or substitute for a good ear. !

That said,,Line 6 makes GuitarPort which has a bunch of great features in player mode,,,, loop and half speed and repeat sections, It has aloowed me to breakdown the melody line and m,akes learning it by ear so much faster.

Anyway thats my two cents worth.
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