Find The Chords To Any Song On Guitar In 3 Steps (Without Tabs or Sheet Music)

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Listen & Play is my full-length course on playing guitar by ear. It covers all this stuff in much more depth along with a ton of practical exercises. I also go over minor keys, non-diatonic chord progressions, more advanced chords, and how to do all of this without having to use bar chords. Learn more here: andrewclarkeguitar.com/p/listen-play

[@andrasferencz7948]

I just discovered your video. Very nicely explained, but you assumed we're in a major key. I was about to ask, what if the song is in a minor key? I'm glad you've done part 2 as well. Good job, both thumbs up!

[@glenclarkchidley3637]

We know where you live Andrew Clarke!😎

[@stephengriffith-rv9cm]

Had a famous brother but he left home when I was nine I was Beatles lover but got CSN what got me on guitar was LED zeppelin two I got a Mel bay book than learned chords all by myself it was awesome so you out there YOU CAN DO IT TOO DON'T GET 😢DOWN IF YOU DON'T GET IT YOU WILL DON'T GIVE UP OK ROCK BLUES JAZZ IT'S ALL GOOD A HEALTHY THING FOR THE SOUL SO GOOD LUCK KEEP IT IN MIND IT'S NOT HARD

[@michaelschiavi9604]

I stumbled upon this. Nice job! One suggestion: Start your process by searching on the *root* (#1) note. *Then* apply your Major Scale to that location. (It may be easier for a beginner than applying the major scale all the way up the neck.) Cheers!

[@veratucchi]

Hi b

[@ryujinzzz6050]

This video is like that moment when your teacher has to explain it over and over again but it took your friend once to explain it. Everything about this video is perfect, thank you! Can’t wait for the non-diatonic video

[@hoborock007]

💯🔥

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Wow. Thank you so much! Part 2 is coming soon :)

[@My-Channel_forever]

@@andrewclarkeguitar - Love that you not only provide a (straight to the point) step-by-step approach, but you show examples of how to apply it. Keep up the great work! Subscribed so I don’t miss Part 2!

[@Emcfree2084]

@@andrewclarkeguitar me too

[@cjweb]

Agree 100%

[@stratixmedia]

Been a campfire guitarist for 15 years. I could read tabs in real-time, play any chord, and memorized a few songs. After playing that long, I had always felt like I was missing something; like I was just going through the motions. It finally occurred to me that even though I could play my instrument, I didn’t have the slightest understanding of why anything worked the way it did. I was stuck for years at the same level because I had no means of learning past that point. I’ve recently taken a dive into music theory. I’ve grown more in the past 6 months than I have in the last 6 years, and I owe it to KZbin instructors like you.

[@ottowl]

Oh I so get you, I played guitar not for so long of course - around 3 years, but I can relate a lot. I always wanted to improvise and thanks to music theory little by little I improve in it

[@VAL3NTIN3]

You actually only play in campfires?

[@JAA802]

I'm in basically the same situation. Can you share specific resources you've found helpful?

[@fastm3980]

I've been playing for years myself and just like you starting to Venture out. Ive taken singing classes to compliment my campfire strumming but I need something else. Good luck on your journey 👍

[@kyroking9934]

@@VAL3NTIN3bros asking the real questions 😭

[@Sully365]

20 yrs of playing...never had someone explain it so thoroughly. great stuff. thanks

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Happy to help, my friend!

[@shonapainter5876]

Ditto! Great vid

[@telgtx]

I feel that same thing 😕

[@skillachi2579]

@@andrewclarkeguitar Question, Are the steps same when the guitar is in a different tuning? How can you tell the tuning of the guitar by ear? Excellent video btw, thank you :)

[@osmantariq918]

Lol same here ....17 years! ....i just subscribed...can't thank u enough Andrew! Hope to see more cool informative vids in the future too :)

[@andysavage864]

Dude...mind blown. Even though I've had a guitar in my hands for many years off and on, I've always struggled with understanding this. I play with the choir at church and I always have to explain to the pianist that I cant play by ear. Brother, I cant wait to put this knowledge to use! I feel like you've opened the door for me. Thanks!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I love hearing that! Thank you for watching, and good luck!

[@eduardoprieto5267]

Glad I found your channel. God bless all.

[@foREVerJr2011]

13 years playing guitar and it’s the first time I actually understood music theory, this is awesome

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome!

[@tommyjohn_45]

Same here haha

[@simplesandy]

My partner who just passed away two years ago at 69 years old was a professional musician. He could pick up the guitar and play any song any song by ear. In any key. Rest in peace Mike Scott Tracy

[@hiddendev9681]

Well

[@cepopeye]

Same my dad

[@cepopeye]

I can do it on piano but guitar is hard for me

[@Fackyo44]

God bless rest in peace

[@medmusic7977]

@@cepopeye its funny, piano is easy when u play guitar first and guitar is hard when u play piano first

[@samgee2275]

What a gem! Not too fast, not too slow-just clear and concise, useful information. So hard to find and so appreciated!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Replyingg]

You just don’t know how hard it is to find a video like this being a self taught guitarist, Thank you❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I'm so happy to hear that you found the video helpful. All the best!

[@jasonoommen]

indeed! thank you so much! im a self taught guitarist as well. im fairly advanced, i can play complex stuff, except ive never understood what im learning, so in that way im not really what you could say a "good guitarist". like honestly, i can play stuff like playing god and eruption, nowhere near as well as the ogs but yeah. anyway, i can do that stuff, learn hard stuff blindly, but i cant say ive ever learnt the contents of the video. so thank you! i really feel im becoming a more completel guitarist now, going back to the basics

[@Dramirez314]

I’m a teacher, and I have to say that the way you lesson planned this video should be used as an exemplar to anyone aspiring to teach. Thanks for encapsulating what took me years to figure out. Thanks again.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Wow, thank you so much!

[@seanmillington2422]

I have been playing guitar off and on for years and have never had the whole chord progression thing explained so succinctly and clearly!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Glad it worked for ya! Thanks for watching :)

[@bigdemi]

This video deserves a million views. I've scoured KZbin for every video on beginner music theory and this was by far the best demonstration of how to actually apply these concepts. The examples at the end were invaluable. Huge thumbs up.👍

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Wow, thanks so much! I'm so happy to hear it helped :)

[@EkhoProductions]

I agree!

[@hrishinair4372]

I agree 👍 💯 this guy knows how to teach

[@GozoAya]

Been playing for years and, although I would normally pick up the key of a song quickly, I never got my head around the relationship of the diatonic chords within the key. Very helpful - thanks a lot!

[@swel7586]

I think you are one of the best instructors out there. All this KZbinrs who called themselves "Tutors" need to learn from you. Instead of teaching, they like to show off what they can do. You break it down and made it look easy. That's encouraging. I cannot Thank you enough.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I appreciate that. Thank for watching 😀

[@V1ctorius]

I started to play the guitar in December, 2021. I immediately fell in love with it. Since then, I have literally watched hundreds of videos in the subjects. I have to admit this particular video is by far the most precious of all, provides a priceless practical tip none of my three teachers have told me. Now I understand how major scales and corresponding chords are built. A big 'AHA' experience. Instant sub, thank you.

[@jameylewis72]

Been playing for 7 years and I’ve been stuck with this topic. By FAR, the best explanation and lesson on this topic I’ve ever seen. Thank you!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Wow, thanks!

[@sven2134]

Oh boy, I'm so impressed by the simplicity of this rule. Playing the guitar for 40 years and didn't find something similar. I tried it out immediately and could play all the songs that popped into my head off the cuff. It feels like you have pulled away a veil hanging there all these years. Thank you so much, Andrew!!! 💪 Can't wait to see more stuff coming from you.

[@sven2134]

Sorry for open a thread on my own post 🙈I checked out the principle with several songs and it worked really well. I'm still impressed 😇 But I also came to a song, which actually seems to be a simple one. It's "Yesterday" from the Beatles. I figured out that F major is the root note/chord. Then I struggled to find the right corresponding chords and checked it against a page with guitar tabs. Obviously, F major was right root, but there is an A major 7 chord, which matches the song perfectly, but following the rules it should be an A minor. It this song just an exception?

[@roughlytuned]

I am a self taught guitarist and have been now playing for nearly 20 years. This is a great lesson and for anyone just starting out or even a few years in, trying to learn yourself. THIS lesson will help you immensley. One love!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thank you so much! Cheers! 🙌

[@randomjones8753]

I've been a hobbyist guitar player for 20 years. Just goofing around learning songs for fun, making up my own stuff. Regular people think I'm decent at it, I know better. Been watching tons of youtube videos trying to find something to build on. Other guys assume too much and wooosh it goes. Thanks! subscribed. The "there is only one position on the fret board that will match" & "there are not two right answers" was key for me.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I'm super happy that you're finding the videos helpful. Lots more videos to come! Cheers!

[@kevinmarrie3295]

You know I’m not a great guitarist even though I’ve been playing since 1983, I let the sex in the drugs and get in the way of the rock ‘n’ roll, but I have always been able to pick up a song by ear. Just one day I realized there’s only a few main cords and if I can just get one of them locked down I can fiddle around until I get the rest in usually I get it in about 5 to 10 minutes. But that does not apply for lead or solos. I can get in the area and I can get a few of the notes but I just don’t have the patience. That’s the gods, honest truth.. I used to play bass, cello, , viola, and violin, and Guitar. Now that was in junior high school in high school. I got caught twice by the teachers in two different schools, I never learned how to read music. I was watching other students play the song and get me in the area on the neck and figure it out. I had an Asian girl in junior high and a Spanish girl in high school and they were in my class And they took me under their wing and would laugh at me because I wouldn’t learn how to read music and they would shake their heads but they would always play the song that we had to learn a couple times in front of me and then I would pick it up Quickly. But I did get caught twice. Both times the teachers got up from their piano walked over to me, aim front of the class told everybody to be quiet and put a damn metronome in front of me and told me to play the song. I had no idea what the heck that thing was and how I was supposed to catch up with it. Then they both did the same thing then they took me to the piano in front of the class, and they had me sing along with the notes. Because they had both caught me singing along while other friends played a song, and they wanted me in their choir. I refused because they wanted me to sing bass . And they thought I was good but see back in the 80s we sang high, you had to be a blonde front man who sang high if you were playing in hair metal or metal bands.. The blonde hair you could get away with not having but you had to sing high. Lol. Little did I know they were preparing me for the 90s. That would’ve been great because tin he 90s everybody started singing lower. I tell kids to listen to what your teachers say they’re usually not trying to lead you in the wrong direction. It would’ve been a damn good thing because I could sing I was untrained, but I could sing and write lyrics. That’s my thing I wish I could make some money writing lyrics or poems because I can sit down in about 10 to 15 minutes and write something amazing just give me a subject. And , yes I’ve done nothing with that talent. Yeah he just simplified Figuring out silent by ear for me too. He added to my repertoire there for figuring out songs because I know little bit. And wow I knew that scale already. Just didn’t know what the heck it was called. Lol. I have no discipline still to this day. And go figure I was disciplined all the time throughout school. You would think I had some 😂

[@joebro77]

Super well explained! I struggle with it still but it is worth the journey. One thing that also helps is trying to loop a section of the song unless the song constantly repeats the same chords to avoid having a moving target whilst trying and also to check out on which chord the song ends (or starts, often the root at least for where it ends). Why I still think it is hard: 1) Popular GUITAR based songs are often not as simple 2) Borrowed chords (not from the key…) 3) Power chords only (may sound more simple but you don‘t know if major or minor) 4) Different tuning (try to figure out Yellow from Coldplay…) 5) Effects such as distortion, chorus or just many layers going on eg Foo Fighters with 3 Guitars some double tracked 6) Jazz chords/embellished 7) different chord voicings (same tonality of course but can be misleading) ….still worth it as once you nail it, the reward feels great and it will help on many fronts incl figuring out wrong tabs on the internet etc.

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

I am about to turn 57 and have been playing from my early 20s (self-taught). I bought piano music books with the chord boxes and borrowed some from the library. After a couple of years as my musical ear was developing i was able to work out a lot of aongs by ear. Its and amazing and rewarding feeling.

[@willielyman9799]

I can’t believe you just explained in a few minutes what has baffled me for years! It was like explaining a magic trick. Thank you so much for the video!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome! Glad you found it helpful 😀

[@JHENDRIXROCS]

Andrew Clarke is one of THE BEST guitar teachers on KZbin! He is a GIFTED teacher who knows how to explain difficult subjects in simple language. I have played guitar for many years in live bands but still learn something new when I watch his videos. Keep doing what you do! We appreciate your hard work and effort to make your videos! I urge everyone to subscribe to his videos and give thumbs up! God Bless Andy Clarke!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Wow, thank you so much! 🙏

[@a1rabidfox341]

youre the first teacher i have found that teaches the best way for me to understand. thank you.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Wow, thank you!

[@bertoabarzua5372]

I played by ear for a long time, and your lesson is awesome and open the roadmap. Thanks a lot, brother.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching :)

[@scottalexander619]

Over 35 years of playing and this Andrew Clarke guy manages to break it all down in a way that I have never seen or heard before. I wanted 2023 to be the year that I played better. The universe was listening for a change.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

2023 is your year! 🙌

[@BrianW-ny1lv]

I've been playing for 35 years and this is probably the best video and explanation I've heard of how the scales and chords work together. I wish I had learned this when I began playing! Excellent job.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Wow, I appreciate the kind words. Glad I could help! Cheers :)

[@jasonmartin7137]

To concur with the other thousand comments- this is a fantastic tutorial. 1. Started watching at 6:45am and watched the entire 19:13 minute video 2. Had to re-watch the major scale portion and teach myself that 3. Picked a random song out of my music library to try- I chose Aerosmith Living on the Edge because I hadn't listened to it in 20+ years 4. Had the first chord (D) figured out 30 seconds into the song. 5. I'm typing this comment at 7:20am- 35 minutes after beginning your video. Now, I heard the first chord and found it quickly, but I couldn't hear the next chords. Partially because I'm using an unplugged electric and my PC speakers are louder than the unplugged electric. lol. But as someone who has owned a guitar for over 24 years, I appreciate this touch of "magic."

[@DrMatthewHudson]

Here's a trick someone taught me. If you can figure out the last chord, that's the key the song is in 99% of the time. Like Living in the Edge when you listen you can hear in the intro it's 3 chords and then those chords are repeated. If you can figure out the third chord is A ... Then 99% chance it's in the key of A. Then you can narrow down what the other chords are based on what he calls the major/minor formula. So key of A consists of: 1 A major 2 b minor 3 c minor 4 d major 5 e major 6 f minor 7 g dim The song will use some of those chords... And I believe it's D major, b minor, A major for most of the song Also I remember the formula Or as I remember it, Don't be OFF on your major chords. OFF One For Five

[@CaptainJack351]

Stuck for thirty years. You've just made the penny drop. Thanks so much!!!!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Amazing! My pleasure :)

[@D.Boon1]

Using bar chords to help you visualize the chords within scales is huuuuge! Amazing lesson! Thanks!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@ShiNTessen]

You just blew my mind. I tried to figure this out for the past 8 Years. None of the people on youtube i found explained this concept in a way that i could understand. I am just grateful that you decided to make this Video. Thank you so much, really appreciate you, your spirit and the way you teach.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

You're very welcome! Glad I could help!

[@natasha.ixtlan]

this is the first video OUT OF 100s i have watched on that topic that I was able to understand! Wow man! thank you for that one!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

That's awesome! Glad it worked for you :)

[@CamiloSinger]

These are great tips! Great video. A couple of things that really helped to figure out chords on a whim were: 1. Paying close attention to the root notes, or rather, listen to what notes the bass is playing. I first started playing bass and while I still suck at it, it helped me develop my ears to listen to what the bass is playing in a song. Once I lock onto a note, all I need to do next is figure out if the corresponding chord is either mayor or minor. Boom! 2. Barre chords (as already mentioned in your video). These help immensely once you learn the mayor and minor shapes in the low E and A strings. This combined with the above makes finding chords an absolute breeze. 3. Learn about relative mayors and minors, and 7th chords. This comes naturally when you feel you ALMOST hit the right chord but something still feels off. Once you practice a bit, you'll find out that many (MAAANY) songs are pretty much the same! Only the scale and order of the chords change. Of course your method is way more intricate and useful, as you also apply music theory which is ever so important (even if many people don't want to admit it!)

[@davva360]

Yep I use the bass note method lol

[@shubhanshumishra6787]

I have been playing for almost 9 years but this stuff is next level. Thank you for creating this. You just earned one subscriber

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Glad I could help. Thanks for the sub :)

[@rinkuba]

my guy just solve my 1 year problem in 19 minutes

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

🙌🙌

[@jaycos4905]

Dude, I’m 60 and have been a home guitar player for 35 years and I’ve had my own way of looking for song chords. But your method is so logical especially being I know most about chords and notes. Thx, it’s actually got me exciting to start taking out songs I like again!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome! Glad I could help :)

[@mikevance4968]

I’ve been trying for over 20 years to get to this level, I can usually get half a song then I get stuck, frustrated and walk away… in all the lessons I’ve watched this by far!! Is the best, thank you 🙏!!!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome! Glad I could help :)

[@benslater3972]

Awesome job. I feel like piano players know this theory at an early age, but many guitar players I've played with don't know as much theory and you explained it so well and spot on.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thank you! And that's so true. Us guitar players usually try and avoid theory at all costs haha.

[@jadeglaze3390]

Amazing! This is maybe the single most key music lesson video I’ve seen on KZbin. Like you alluded to, I feel like you’ve just revealed the secret to a magic trick. Every guitar/bass teacher should teach this.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I love hearing that. So glad you found the lesson helpful, my friend!

[@randomuser04]

Been playing for about 2 years and haven’t found an easy way to memorize the chords in every key. This video pretty much instantly clicked something and now its seems so easy! Thank you so much!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

That was my goal! Happy to hear it worked for ya.

[@OwenVachell]

You’re a genius! This is the second video of yours I’ve watched this morning and I can safely say you’re reigniting my desire to play guitar. There is no one on the internet teaching guitar the way you are. I’m that person you speak about at the end. Learnt the basics and put it down around 6-7 years ago and haven’t been back since because I plateaued. I struggle to memorise chord progressions in the way most videos just teach people to play a song. My brain works in such a way where I need to understand it, not just memorise a bunch of progressions. Thank you and keep doing what you’re doing. 👌🏻

[@Martian_T]

Been playing for 13 years and could never grasp this concept, this is life changing. I’ve always wanted to learn how to do this so I can start making KZbin videos, thank you so much.

[@jschwam1307]

This is a great lesson, and great for beginners, and people have been playing a long time like me. Also great if people want to go out and jam with people for the first time, it’s helpful when trying to figure out what key they’re playing in and where you can make your impact. Thanks!

[@AnonymousCaveman]

Been playing for like 12 years but really wanted to learn more theory in it and use the skill of listening to music to find chords. You were so clear and helpful thank you

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Happy to help!

[@kyledrake9750]

Great video. One thing about non-diatonic chords is that in many modern songs, they will throw in a major 2 before finishing on a major 5. Often in some kind of bridge. This allows them to finish on the brightness of the 5th while tricking your mind into feeling like it has some kind of completion as if you were actually in the key of the 5th. Small tricks like that are pretty easy to recognise and can remove confusion over what key you are in.

[@MikeDCWeld]

But don't they know that the 2 chord is always minor?

[@OpenRevorg]

Played for 20 years and never got this explained. This is pure magic and as you said, uplevels well beyond tabs. I followed the three steps and was already able to figure out a few songs within minutes (not all though). We did California by One Republic the other day and my wife was impressed. Thanks a bunch!!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome! I'm glad I could help ☺

[@paulcharlesworth5113]

Thanks so much for this video. I've played guitar on and off for the best part of 34 years and have just randomly played chords against songs to try to find them (mostly not successfully!). This video has completely demystified the way songs are written! It makes complete sense now! Thank you!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Yay! I'm so glad it helped you :)

[@senhdang9305]

This video was honestly mind blowing to me. I've been playing for a while but hit a plateau since I am self taught. After watching this it felt like the pieces started to fall into place. Thanks for making this video!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Glad it helped! Thank you for watching :)

[@normandpaul6272]

Same here...thank you

[@jack002tuber]

This is great stuff! Starting out I'd try to seek out all the I, IV, V chord progression songs, there are millions. Get going with those and then add the others after. Also, for me, to know how to play the melody by ear gives me a step into getting the chords. Love this lesson. A secret built in skill here, learn all this and then toss out the capo, you won't need it.

[@amateurphotographer1096]

You are so generous for sharing the magic and explaining it so well! I have been playing the guitar on/off for 20+ years but I always rely on tabs/chord sheet. This video is like a light bulb moment for me! Big thanks!

[@Doowopsid]

I’m looking for that light bulb moment. I have also been playing by ear, chords or tabs but for about 50 years. Can”t read sheet music and don’t know why but listening or watching someone explain music theory makes my eyes glaze over. Must be some kind of d of mental block since every comment loves this video lesson.

[@andrewarnold3982]

Take it from someone who’s been doing this for years, it’s extremely easy to learn by ear if you know what you’re doing, some people, like myself, can do it naturally but odds are you need to train your ear, that could take years but most people I’ve worked with only took them a few months max. It seems very taunting but this video perfectly relieves that anxiety or stress or whatever, great job

[@la______99]

I watched this video this morning and I had to go back to write down this comment because I literally just played a song without looking for the chords online. I followed everything you said it amazes me! I have been playing the guitar since I was in high school but I always felt stuck bc I always had to look for the chords whenever I wanted to play a song. This is such a helpful video, thanks Andrew!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

That's so great!

[@A_Train]

Man! I've been playing guitar for 8 years and I have never seen anyone explain this so well! Thanks, Andrew!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Happy to help! 😀

[@mathiasohlson6265]

Have been playing for years, so some background and insight to shapes etc. But I admit being a tabs guy all this time. The step one here made me able to pick the chords for 4 random ( but not too complex) songs in some 5 minutes. Thanks, you made my day! And now I feel a touch more of a musician 😊

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Good job! I'm pumped that it's working for you. Cheers!

[@arandomuser21]

I've been looking for this type of video for so long. Yours is so simple and easy to understand. Thank you Andrew, keep it up!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I’m glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching

[@rcub3577]

After 30 years of being happy with being stuck at “campfire strummer” level, this one video has led me down a fascinating rabbit hole. Your no nonsense, practical, and “non-gimmicky” way of presenting these topics have made it easier and even addicting to learn to navigate the fretboard. After watching just 4 of your videos, you have opened my eyes. I can’t help but SEE THE MATRIX up and down the fretboard!! Playing my guitar will never be the same. Thank you! 😎

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

You’re very welcome 😊

[@rcub3577]

After watching a few of your videos and coming back to this one just now, I listened to a random pop song, and in a couple of minutes i had all 3 chords i needed to strum along. Again, well done. Thanks for this video.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

@@rcub3577 that’s amazing to hear! Great work 👏🏻

[@jamessbca]

The 1-2-3 4-5-6 On the two low strings was an outstanding illustration!!! Due to having small hands, I “think” in smaller shapes and haven’t yet internalized that insanely simple / powerful layout of the notes.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I'm so glad you found that useful!

[@cheezio2312]

Things you said in this video are super easy to understand and I can see that it's the same stuff we've been learning in music school. It's bad that they teach us these things by making us memorize some patterns instead of explaining what these patterns mean, like you did. Congrats, amazing video 👏

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thanks a lot 😁

[@philipreiner9689]

I'm so glad this video was recommended to me. I immediately went to my guitar and figured out a song I had been struggling with. Great lesson! Also, nice guitars 🤩

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

That's awesome! And thanks :D

[@katariina7697]

I did it! Listened to Rolling Stone's Wild Horses and just... played along. It was like magic. :) Thank you so much for this awesome lesson, it really opened a door. Every guitar student should watch this!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Amazing! Congrats. 😀

[@kanebaker3075]

I have attempted to learn guitar twice in the past. As a pianist, the transition from linear to dynamic is different. It's like the guitar has an X and a Y axis, but piano is just Y. There's always been something missing for me, in terms of understanding how a guitar actually operates but this video (the first one I've seen from you) has given me more information than any other. So many people and videos have tried to explain guitar to me but this has unlocked something for me and I think it will help me progress a long way. My knowledge and ear is already there but this helped me understand much clearer how the guitar works. I couldn't see any patterns but now I can. Really helpful and I will be watching more of your videos when I'm home from work later! Thanks

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

So happy to hear that! Thank you for watching :)

[@astewart9410]

30 years of trying to play and this just Made Sense. Thank you.

[@dannycasiano]

This is a revelation to me. Thank you so much... I have been trying to figure this out for such a long time and you just gave me the key (no pun) to unlock and open my mind. I am even emotional, no joke. THANK YOU!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I am so happy to hear that! Please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with. Cheers!

[@santiagodelariva2739]

I simply cannot express how valuable is the content you are making for free on KZbin. Your lessons are well structured, clear and extremely valuable. I just wanted to thank you for sharing such a valuable content and knowledge. Subscribed from the beginning and expecting more videos, cheers Andrew, keep going!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Really appreciate that. No plans on stopping any time soon! Thank you for the support :)

[@TheLAJohanson]

Crazy I just learned my first song just by listening to it and it was not even hard with this method Thanks for your music theory lessons! I can finally understand how a guitar actually works 🙏🏻

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Amazing! Cheers :)

[@hunterklemz781]

I have watched thousands of videos, spoke with musically inclined friends. Nothing as been nearly this insightful. Thank you.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I'm so happy to hear that. Glad I could help :)

[@reinoldg]

I have been learning guitar for over a year, I’m a fast learner and I could never learn this the proper way until this video. Thank you friend.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I'm glad it worked for you :)

[@JuanGomez-vh8nn]

Man, you explain it soo well. Everything is so clear. I actually know how to learn songs by ear but I will definitely use your video to explain this when someone ask me to. It couldn't be more understandable. Nice job

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome!

[@helenbargmann997]

I was stuck plateauing for YEARS and finally I think I might be able to improve! Thank you for this video!!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Amazing!! Great job. I'm happy to be of help :)

[@andylucas1175]

Excellent vid', the method was explained succinctly, it has clarified, in a simplistic manner, a lot of stuff that I was unaware of how to actively use, thank you.

[@markclifford1857]

Hello 👋 Andy. How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I'm Mark Clifford and am from Denver Colorado, where are you from? You seem like a real country girl

[@DanielRodriguez-io2me]

i’ve been playing on & off for a year and this video is the first time i’m actually understanding music theory & navigating guitar fret board. thank you!!🎉❤

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome! You're very welcome :)

[@clydenferns]

I have been trying to learn the guitar for 30 years and was searching for playing by ear tutorials and this gem came up and suddenly I have a eureka moment ❤ I hope that my playing skills will improve after this … will watch all your videos now …

[@TheAaronredbaron]

Picking up guitar has always felt daunting, but after watching a few of your lessons (especially this one) I can really see a roadmap for the first time. Makes me excited again to work on the basics and start to build memory and intuition! I can't wait to start being able to express myself melodically!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Amazing! I'm so happy to hear that.

[@STSGuitar16]

Don’t give up on it, boss man! It will get tough at times but I promise you it will be worth the work you put in. Rest assured that as long as you’re still trying and still practicing, you WILL be getting better. Find a few songs that you feel are within your limits (also don’t be afraid to push your limits as you’re practicing!) and learn them all the way. Chords, solos, the structure of the song, etc.. Practice playing along with the songs and before you know it you will have learned an entire song and will be able to play it just like your guitar heroes. It is a great feeling to feel like you’re jamming with your favorite band, and for me personally that was always something that made me want to keep going and learn new songs and techniques. Learning other people’s songs is also a big step in being able to find your own voice, almost like a muscle memory thing. You’ll know how it feels to play a good song and learn what makes them tick, and that will be a huge help when it comes time for you to express your own musical ideas. Plus, learning songs and solos you like is a lot more fun than just running scales for practice (and honestly much more useful as you’re starting out). There will be a time down the road when learning and practicing scales will be the next thing you should do in order to keep getting better, but it’s not as important when you’re just starting out. What’s more important to beginners is to have fun and enjoy what you’re doing as you’re trying to learn a new instrument rather than just going straight into the nitty gritty of theory and all the scales and things like that. If you’re having fun you will actually want to keep at it and keep progressing, and the rest of it will come to you naturally. So a good step for you to take now would be to find some songs you like and just try to learn them to where you can play along with them. As I’ve said, it makes practicing and learning fun, it’ll teach you about how songs are structured and written, it’ll build up your chops, and eventually it’ll allow you to take flight on your own. For me, one of the first songs I learned all the way was Barracuda by Heart. Not too overwhelmingly difficult, really great picking practice, a really cool guitar part throughout the whole song, and a solo that isn’t too difficult to get nailed down after a bit of practice. So maybe something like that might be a good place to start. Another good tip to help make the learning process easier is to try and make sure that you really know how any solo that you want to learn sounds and are able to “sing” it. So, not too long after I got Barracuda learned, I decided to try to tackle the solo on Hotel California (remember what I said about not being afraid to try to push your limits!). It seemed daunting at first, but I found that since I had heard that solo a million times and could practically sing the whole thing, it made learning it much much easier since my brain already knew how it should sound. I just broke the solo up into different sections and just worked on them one at a time, and after a bit I was able to play it. It’s really satisfying to learn a song or solo that you have loved for a long time, and it will definitely make you want to keep going. Just take it at your own pace and learn songs that you like, and before long you’ll be a fully-fledged guitarist. Good luck to ya!

[@philmckenna5709]

@STSGuitar16 Good for you for taking the time to give him this valuable advice and encouragement. Nice one.

[@charlesmayberry2825]

keep at it, more than 20 years playing and I regret nothing. Sometimes it gets hard, sometimes it is like hitting a wall. but at the end it's worth it

[@STSGuitar16]

@@philmckenna5709 it’s my passion, man. I just love doing what I can to hopefully ignite that spark within someone else. I just remember how it felt to finally be able to play some stuff on guitar, and I still say there is no drug that feels as good as that feeling you get playing with others (or even by yourself) and knowing that you actually sound like a legit player. Most folks can get to that point if they keep at it!

[@tairram]

Awesome. I always had problem to identify the chords and understand music theory. Now, It's a lot more clear. Thank you!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Great! I’m glad it worked for ya!

[@doooom4175]

Former piano player here, i have been learning how to play guitar and I must say this is the most helpful guitar video I have seen. Thank you so much this is going to make playing songs so much easier 😭

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Glad I could help ☺🙌

[@colinmcmurray2007]

Just watched this video. It’s the first time I’ve seen him on KZbin. I’ve been playing guitar for a long time (I’m 46) and this guy makes more sense than anyone else I’ve watched. Congratulations man, you nailed it. Looking forward to going through the rest of your videos. Cheers man

[@nsubugatitus2626]

This is so helpful, the teaching style makes it really simple to understand.. Thank you Andrew, you are a blessing to us already.❤️

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

My pleasure!

[@iamhapidays8766]

So so fortunate to land into you channel. “Light bulb”. I’ve searched to many KZbin guitar lessons- your explanation was the clearest and simplest to follow. Outstanding teacher!😊

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I’m so glad you found the video helpful. Cheers!

[@ivbelos]

Well done, this is great, I've been playing for 16 years now, and nobody ever explained it so clearly, wish you'd been there when I first started to play

[@markclifford1857]

Hello 👋 Ivana. How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I'm Mark Clifford and am from Denver Colorado, where are you from? You seem like a real country girl

[@michaellarder3446]

You’re the best instructor I have come across.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Really appreciate that. Thank you!

[@charlesnazare7358]

Excellent and clear explanation Andrew! Thanks a million!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

My pleasure!

[@PaulPendor]

Great video. A great tip is to learn some popular chord progressions like the 1 4 5 or I IV V, a 12 bar blues etc. also, it’s worth noting that the 6th interval of the major scale is the relative minor. So C major has A minor as it’s relative minor. If you do a I IV V in A minor you’ve just learned most of the Oasis back catalogue and lots of other popular rock. Throw a few variations in like some 7ths and you’ve got quite a bit under your belt. And as you can see from the video, you can noodle the major or minor scale over the progression and build some melodies. I recommend buying a looper pedal, lay down a chord progression and then noodle over it. Once you can plan in a key, you can experiment playing out of that key.

[@diddlozz6897]

GREAT job Andrew - this will be a HUGE help to many. Thank you

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thank you very much 😁

[@christianbustilleon]

Holy shxxxxxt! I learned to play basic guitar in high school. I put it off for a while. Mainly because I couldn't play songs without tabs or chord lists. I watched this, took some practice, and learned 5 of my favorite songs without tabs or chord lists in 4 days from the time I watched this. I learned them by ear using your method. At 35, I'm still not great, but I feel more accomplished as a basic guitar player in 4 days than I did in my whole high school years. You're a game and life changer brother! Thank you!

[@douglascerna1248]

I’ve known dozens of musicians and none have ever been able to explain this “complicated” concept, which it seems to be the simplest and easy way to identify the notes of a song. You my friend have discovered water for all of us who thought they were never going to become “real” musicians. 25 years trying to learn more this. Grateful for ever

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I'm so glad you found it helpful. Cheers!

[@iclicklike3397]

It's because there is more to it than major and minor scales. This only works that easy for garbage popular music with basic chords and scales.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

@@iclicklike3397 of course there is. But you gotta start somewhere. :)

[@kristinemartinbreen9100]

New to guitar and I will watch this over and over again! Looking forward to following you and learning as much as I can! You have an exceptional method and knack for teaching everything I need to know of the instrument I so want to learn how to play! ❤️

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@markclifford1857]

Hello 👋 Kristine. How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I'm Mark Clifford and am from Denver Colorado, where are you from? You seem like a real country girl

[@johnnyj2d3]

Subscribed because I loved how good you explained this. I was always reading tabs and as practicing and practicing I started to develop my ear really well, actually I'm really good at learning songs just by ear especially when it's solos or legatos, single note progressions in general, but when it comes to chords I'm very slow so this will help me a lot with rhythm guitar. Thank you!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thanks for the sub! Combining your existing ear-learning skills with this will make you unstoppable. Keep up the great work ☺

[@eddiejr540]

Awesome video…after you do this a few hundred times, you realize there is nothing new under the sun…and it becomes really easy and quick…but it is exciting when an artist throws in a new twist…great stuff my man!!!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Well said!

[@TheLadsBandLive]

You are a VERY good instructor. Not everyone can teach, but you have the gift.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

I really appreciate that 😁

[@icantguitar2269]

Awesome video! Thanks a lot for the priceless advice! Insta-favorited it and subscribed. Looking forward for more tips.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Yay! I'm so pumped it worked for you. I've got plenty more videos on the way :)

[@cornebistouille]

same here:)

[@dannycorr4318]

Dude you are amazing. Thank you so much🙂

[@nickandrews2255]

Earned my sub. The music theory explanation was more easily absorbed compared to how my guitar teacher explains

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

That's great!

[@jasonfrancis1089]

Came across this on Reddit. Thank you so much for this video

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

So happy to hear you enjoyed it. Let me know if I can ever help with anything else. :)

[@jacadito]

I watched dozens of videos from other teachers. All of them very interesting, but none of them gave me the "key" that I was looking for to unlock further progress. Your video does !! Many thanks Andrew - also for all other videos you share !

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thank you so much! :)

[@Lizard-of-Oz]

Dude you just opened a new world to me. Now guitar is not gonna be boring but busy. Thank you. I found your channel a few months back but just for solos. This is a very important lesson to me. God bless you!! Just one final note, I'm teaching some co-workers what I know, but I'm gonna return the favor by having them subscribing to your channel. In reality, we all gonna be benefited. Thanks again!

[@monikab.6540]

This is amazing, thank you for putting this together so clearly ❤

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

My pleasure!

[@pardutta]

Wonderful video! Great explanation - very concise and precise. Loved it.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@rozhonzagros7014]

Wow! You are an AMAZING teacher! Thank you very much.❤❤❤

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

You're very welcome!

[@Spiritual294]

first time watching, so many guitar tutorials on yt, but this is the best description on how to play by ear. never got it before. Great job!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thanks for watching :)

[@darkblossom01]

I have been looking all over the internet for a proper tutorial video to improve my guitar skills but nothing works out. Accidentally found this video and it was amazing. Super easy to understand and to follow, very thoroughly with every single step. Thank you so much! You've earned a like and a sub.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

So glad you liked it! Thanks for watching :)

[@stephen25uk]

That is simply a brilliant lesson. So much information put so clearly yet succinctly. I really regret not learning this years ago. It unlocks so much potential for rapid improvement as a musician.

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Glad you liked it!

[@johniadanza9751]

Great Job excellent video enjoyed watching thank you!!!

[@andrewclarkeguitar]

Thank you!