How do you folks learn songs?

[chazmo]

I'm in my mid-40s...  I grew up first learning to read music and play classical piano in the early '70s.  I started in 2nd grade, had a teacher and weekly lessons...  very serious stuff.

Then I made a transition to the trumpet (again, classical) later in grade school, and have had a life-long musical and social life with the trumpet revolving around bands, quintets, orchestras, etc.

I picked up the guitar in camp one summer as a young teen, learning chords from cheat sheet diagrams and some instruction.  I never became a guitar hero or anything, but I can hold my own with rhythm acoustic guitar.  This has been another life-long thing, but mostly private.  Never any serious bands or anything...

Ever since I learned the basics, I sit down with an album / cassette / CD and replay measures of a song over and over until I figure out the chords and the strumming.  Is that what you do?

I think it's a function of the pop/folk songs I like that I can do this.  Complex stuff like jazz or classical guitar obviously is out of reach to me, but I've gotten enormous joy over the years just learning the stuff I love to listen to.

Recently, I've gotten the bug to acquire more acoustics, and have enjoyed talking with many of you on the site.  It's an honor and pleasure; thanks!  The Ibanez stuff we talk about here is within reach financially, and it's a lot of fun researching and thinking about what I want.

What about you?

[petruz]

chazmo, with a classical background like that you should probably read music very well. guitarists are not so brave doing it, anyway there's tons of books with full sheet (pentagram) music for guitar, from classical to pop and jazz.

[chazmo]

Petruz,

Indeed I can read music, but that's not how I've ever learned anything on the guitar (well, other than the lyrics and note length).  Is that how you do it?

[Mr_roadstar]

I can read Treble Clef, but cannot translate it to guitar. I played trumpet for 10 years before migrating to guitar.

Most of the cover tunes I can play have been learned by the method Chazmo describes. Some have been with the aid of Tablature.

However, we operate in a different way in my band. We usually start with a lyric sheet having the chords printed above the words. One we get comfy with the basic song then we work out the arrangement.

The Bear

[munch]

Hi Chasmo,

I learned to read music to about Grade Two theory a few years back. I have probably forgotten more than I remember by now as I never use sheet music as an aid to learning or playing songs.

I learn from listening to music with a guitar in my hands and a finger on the repeat button of the CD player. Using this method I can zero in very quickly on the key, riffs and chord progressions.  

As far as more fancy chords are concerned, I tend to use a bit of educated trial and error to get the right ones. For example, I know that lots of swing and rockabilly music uses 6ths and 9ths. So If I'm hearing a chord that is an A of some description in a rockabilly tune, then I'll give a 6th or a 9th a go. Nine times out of ten it works!

Cerain chords have a distinct sound such as that E7#9 that Jimi Hendrix was so fond of. Again, from experience if I hear something like that in a song, even in a different key, I'll give the old 7#9 shape a go and again, most times it works.

I don't get too much into jazz stuff, so I can't say whether my method will work so well with all the different chord extensions and fragments those guys use. However, if you can follow a bass line, often the proper chord extension uses the same harmony note as the bassline underneath the chord.

As for learning lead guitar, if the notes start going by too fast, I've got no hope! However, I tend to work out the solos one note at a time. Again, educated trial and error comes into play. There are certain phrases, patterns, and note groupings that get used a lot and you learn to recognise them straight away E.G: a Chuck Berry approved double stop or the use of harmonised thirds etc.

I've got poor knowledge of scales and modes. I suppose that if I knew this stuff better my learning of lead guitar would be quicker.

Cheers,

Mark

[fg100]

I would just add, you can hear whatever you use/play.... so, if you play a lot of some type of chord/scale, you eventualy get so familiar with how it sounds and works (in a chord, in case of a scale or single note. ex.: a rased 4th in a major 7 chord, or the rased 9 in a dominant chord) that when you hear it, it'll be like listening to your name. You don't need to think about what letters you use to write it anymore (as when ou were learning how to read and write). So, I would say if you want to broaden your vocabulary (sounds you can hear, recognize and play, etc) just start by using/playing one at a time. Look for songs that use that type of mode/harmony/intervals whatever... or compose your own.., learn them from sheet music/tabs/educated guess and transcribe a lot! It gets easier and easier as you do it.

[sixvsix]

I got to about grade 2 and then dropped out. After that, it was my earholes.

six

[hackneyslim]

I am an illiretate when it comes to reading music, and pig-lazy reading TABs, so I was rather chuffed to find something called Power Tab on the net. I am sure you already know that this is a bit of s/ware that presents you with both standard TAB and normal sheet music but also plays it back to you through your sound card. This allows decadents like me to utilise a minimum of skill in at least three areas to concoct some facsimile of a tune. It also exports MIDIs, which I can hoy into Cubase; I am in fact better at reading a graphic representation on a MIDI editor than any other form of music. Sigh. Carnegie Hall is a long way off.

[chazmo]

Wow, great stuff, folks!!!  Really enjoying your thoughts on this!

[tbplayer]

wow, i'm an old schooler. chazmo. i put the the tune on a tape and thrash it out till i've got it. i can read bass clef about like a first grader spells.
                    TB

[munch]

Hi Chasmo,

This thread has inspired me to work out one of my favourite songs of all time.....Whichita Lineman.

Man its hard to hear whats going on with all those strings on the Glen Campbell track, but I have finally come up with what I believe to be the right chords. There's plenty of Maj7 and Min7 stuff going on in there. A bit tricky for a simple minded rock'n'roll fool such as I!

I have started working on the instrumental version by Johnny A. Man what a nice piece of guitar work that is! He changes things around with the chords a little bit making it simpler.

The trick is getting the melody lines and chord grips working together - not easy!

If you haven't heard his version he has an MP3 sample on his website at www.johnnya.com It's beautiful!

By the way, I googled for tabs on this song and they're all wrong as usual!

Thanks Chasmo!

Mark

[tubescorcher]

I used to do it the old fashion way. Sit down with the song and figure it out. I'm doing some unplugged stuff now with some songs I haven't played before. Because I don't have the time to figure them out I go to:
www.chordie.com
to get the general idea of what's going on. You can tell which transcripts are wrong quickly but most have been spot on when you find them.

[Juha T]

Slowly ... very slowly

Juha

[djobar]

I'm with Tubescorcher, i learned with my ears. However, if you're doing the cover band thing it's best to have as many tools as you can at you're disposal. Check out: www.ultimate-guitar.com. They have Powertab, Guitar Pro and regular chord charts. Don't take everything you see for the gospel though; some will get you in the ballpark and some are spot-on.

[chazmo]

Juha, you're just like me.  great answer!

Thanks for the tips on these sites, folks!  This is great.  I'll be doing some research.  I want to learn some new stuff.  I performed Sheryl Crow's "If it makes you happy" yesterday with a great group of rockers, and now I'm sorta hooked.