I need to learn more about picking out cords to match the
recordings. Also of value
would be choosing chords to match the melody. Have you any
suggestions on
techniques to learn from? I'm positive this "ear training"
would help my playing, my
ability to remember music, and my own joy in playing.
Thanx in advance for your help. PS I love your web site.
Dan Douglas
When
I'm trying to figure out the chords to a
song, I start by playing along with the bassline. Usually the note in
the baseline is
the root note of whatever chord goes along with it. Some are
kinda tricky, but if you can play
the bassline, you've got somewhere to start.
Chris Himburg
I've
been doing this in my
learning for 30+ years now and I'm still
learning more all the time. To start with I guess is, each chord has
its own sound. Like a D chord sounds much different than a G
chord.
The D chord has only 4 notes (strings) and the G chord is much more
full and has 6 notes (strings).
After listening to these chords over
time, you can easily pick them out of songs. Then with more experience
you'll still be able to pick out the chords even though the
guitarist is is using a capo.
Then there's certain chord progressions you hear all the time like a C
chord with an alternating G bass note thrown in.
The real challenge is when an artist uses different tunings.
Eventually you'll be able to recognize that a guitarist is using
say a Drop D tuning. You'll hear the D chord but there's this
haunting low D bass
note there all the time. This goes on and on with different
tunings. The internet is a great place to find the original
tunings for songs.
Hard ones like E E E E B E and E B D G A D.
I have a guitar student right now that I'm actually thinking of turning
my back on and playing different chords
to see if she can tell me what they are by hearing alone. She
wants to be able to listen to
songs and learn them by ear as well.
It's a lifetime learning experience that I really enjoy.
Bob, Gman ( o )==#