Start easy. A slow song with clearly
recorded guitar is nice to work with.
Use a digital player with a pause
button and scan functions.
Listen to the whole song first and
block out on paper the form of the song (intro, verse, chorus, bridge
etc.).
Don't start with the intro, intros
reveal a lot, but are often complex “show-off” sections and are more
difficult to work out.
Find out the basic tempo by tapping
your foot, then figure out how many bars in the section you are working
on. Sketch it out.
To decide which chord is being
played, play only a bassnote on frets 0-12 on string 6. This fundamental
tone will probably tell you the chord.
Know the chords of each key and
learn them by number, (I, II, IV, etc.) because fundamental patterns
will emerge. Songs very often start and/or end on the main chord of the
key.
Practice hearing the three sounds of
each main chord type (major, minor or dominant).
Have a capo handy and use it to get
all 12 possible keys. Guitar songs usually are actually played with the
chords of G, C, or D, or the related minor keys. Then the capo is used
to get other keys.
Listen for the bass guitar or
plucked bass note of the guitar. Often it is very clear and reveals a
lot about the nature of the chord.
Chords usually change with each bar,
or on beats one or three of a bar.
Learn the sounds of the main chord
cadences (dominant, plagal, modal). They will occur at the end of
sections. Be able to play them in any key by memory. Sections that turn
around usually end in a V chord.
Do your ear training and song work
in short sessions, ten minutes or so, and then take a break. When you
come back you will make the important discoveries.
Trust your ear. When it just doesn't
sound right take a break, ask a friend, check the internet etc..
©paul mowbray, 2008
