How to Learn Songs by Ear on Guitar

Here are some tips on how to start learning songs by ear on guitar!
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[@zenzen4982]

If you are tone-deaf and can't figure out wether a note is higher or lower, feel your throat with your hand while singing the change, it will move up or down. If you try to figure out a convoluted song, with multiple instruments, know that listening to the bass can help you figure out when chords change.

[@Unidentified_Jr_007]

Wow, playing using my ears was the only way i knew how to play & never thought about that. Nor did anyone suggest it.

[@nateklug5933]

Near E. Fox Man you are a genius I only play guitar by ear but it’s always taken me forever to learn a song last week I tried to learn one by Metallica and I had to do it chopped up day by day after school but if you took all the time and roughly added it together I’d say it took me at least 4-5 hours not kidding I’m as you called it tone deaf and this works so well like insanely I knew weather it was higher or lower ( I can’t thank you enough ) Just wondering if I do use my throat as a reference point every time do you think it’ll get better and soon my ears will just know thanks again

[@zenzen4982]

I have no idea. I currently focus on getting music-theory down. Next thing I want to try to improve my playing by ear is using karaoke as backing tracks and play the voice line on guitar, also not sure if that will help. Lets meet here again in 6 month and share what we learned, kek.

[@nateklug5933]

Near E. Fox sounds good man thanks for the tips

[@ahhhhyes]

@@zenzen4982 just so u guys dont frgt bout your 6 month plan yous are half way there haha

[@DavidNwokoye]

It's the fastest way to learn tbh. I've learned a dragonforce solo by ear. It's not exact but its close.

[@RachelfGuitar]

That's awesome!

[@haydenh3217]

David Nwokoye should I stop learning from KZbin tutorials and start with ear learning?

[@AntDknator]

Hayden Herzog do both. So you can see how the guitarist plays it but learn with ear so Develop the skill to later improvise. Learn tabs so you can learn specific technique they use. Make sure to find like official sheet music or someone who transcribe it well. Ear helps when you want to play songs on spot. That’s my two cents

[@JustM4Rii]

@@AntDknator I’m just starting and I wanna learn I’ll make a man out of u but it’s so hard I only have 1 note so far and I can’t figure out the rest

[@thantintsan22]

Great thunder?

[@wongtongthongbong]

Yes it’s a great thing, I watched a Eddie van halen documentary he is a amazing guitar player he play by ear, he can’t read tabs or anything. If you can play by ear you can play any instrument

[@RachelfGuitar]

It is definitely a skill that will help outside of just guitar!

[@kaontagyud]

he can read music sheet because his first instrument is piano

[@nicksparks3543]

I tried playing by ear once....it hurt.

[@b.c2810]

Clu User haha

[@joshuahinz2447]

Same here, but what really hurt was licking! Definitely would not recommend!

[@doktorzhigonzo9165]

Ha! Dad Joke

[@kimberlygarcia-leon4307]

Stupiiiiii 😂

[@ashwiins92]

Just hammer on it. Won't hurt. Might break the guitar though.

[@RachelfGuitar]

Hope this helps if you are interested on trying to start learning by ear! Definitely a skill I'm still continuing to develop, but super rewarding :)

[@ramjam6934]

What amp are you using?

[@ramjam6934]

@Nikad thanks

[@Unidentified_Jr_007]

This is how I learned to play because that's all I had & couldn't read music. So it was a little perk for me. I still pick up on new songs that way.

[@Unidentified_Jr_007]

I refer to as "hide and seek style". I hear the note & find it. Then if you asked me to show you where to play on the fret bar, I couldn't find it with my eyes because I didn't use them. It was with hearing alone. Then I progressed by watching where I 'find' the note(s)/chord etc

[@ramjam6934]

How do you learn patterns, I was wondering if finding notes by hearing increases skill too gradually.

[@Mordred478]

Great video. If I could just contribute to it, I would say that learning songs by ear is a perfect opportunity to kill multiple birds with one stone. First, every time you figure out two consecutive notes in the song, stop and take note of what the interval between those notes is. This will help get you familiar with the sound of all the different intervals. Second, as you figure out a song note by note, ask yourself if the note sequence appears to come from a particular scale, and if so from a particular mode. Then when you learn to play the song in different positions, learn where that scale is in each of those positions. Finally, and I can't stress the importance of this enough, look for the chord notes in each song, scale or mode. A critical mistake too many beginning electric guitarists make, in their rush to learn to play fast and to dazzle people with technique, is to ignore the fact that songs are built around chords, and the individual notes of a melody or solo must be scene in the context of those chords. This is the key to musical and guitar playing freedom. Start with a simple E Major chord in first position, identify the three notes that make up the triad of that Major chord--E, G#. B, or one, three, five--then go up and down then neck horizontally finding all the different inversions of those three notes on different groups strings. Your musical horizons will explode. ;-)

[@langadubazana]

Scale shapes help a lot since many melodies have notes which are solely in that scale. It eliminates a lot of guess work. Great vid Rachel! Keep pushing. Watching you grow is awesome.

[@casseycanderal1750]

That guitar is so eye catching 🔥🔥

[@مسلمةفخورة-ف6ط]

thank you SO much, Rachel! I was just about to give up my playing after 3 years due to a feeling of no progress taking place, but this video gave me so much inspiration and will to go on. THANKS!!

[@RachelfGuitar]

That is so awesome to hear! I wish you all the best with your guitar playing :)

[@hiighway_chile4080]

Yea the feeling when you nail a song by ear is the best! I remember when I got "Why you wanna treat me so bad?" By Prince by ear..

[@RachelfGuitar]

It is an awesome feeling!

[@chrisgarton4225]

This is a technique I use a lot in my practices. One technique I use is listening to a song for a very long time. From that time I figure out the rhythm, listen to the notes, and air guitar through the song so I know when the notes come in.

[@shinsokudev9823]

wow, she said to try to learn Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Happy Birthday, and i paused the video and tried and actually learned both with only what i remembered from them, thats sick

[@makaylanicole2735]

This is literally the only video of "how to play by ear" that I understand. Thanks! 🤘

[@RachelfGuitar]

So glad to hear it was helpful! :)

[@lala_b5802]

Same 😂

[@aimanhakim4349]

She’s look like the happiest person on the earth

[@sniffrat3646]

This is the same method I used when I started. I'm still using it today because it works. Ace video Rach!

[@Unidentified_Jr_007]

Me too! Question though. Do you find it easier to pick out a solo by ear than play a chord? For me it is, but that's just me

[@sniffrat3646]

Yes single notes are easier to pick out. When I hear a chord I try to hear the root note then decide if it's major or minor

[@leviathandiabolo6296]

This is actually how I learned in the first place by figuring out the children's song Frere Jacques! Really recommended for beginners because it works 100%!

[@benmaguire4098]

Another clear & concise film on getting started playing by ear .. Fun Fact or should that be sad fact .. the song Happy Birthday was written by two Nuns who ran an Orphanage & composed it for the children .. sadly they did not sign up with a publishing company & so never got any royalties .. Another good tune to try is Amazing Grace .. or if you are into bending notes Summertime . Glad things are going well for you .. keep up the good work ... My first gtr teacher only gave me one lesson for free But he made me promise to Pass it On & to always be willing to help other beginners .. It is so gr8 that you are doing this since not so long ago you were just starting out & can really relate to how the brand new musician feels .. When just learning how to tune the thing seems hard .. Sad truth that tuning thing .. it's always gonna be a bit tricky ... Lol .. music is fun & it's a journey that can last your whole life .. endless discovery & pleasure & solace & therapy for getting out all those emotions .. lol Bye

[@RachelfGuitar]

Thank you! Didn't know about the origins of the song. I do hope my perspective as a recent total beginner can help to explain these concepts! Thank you :)

[@watLegends]

I play bass guitar at my church, but I never really practice outside of that. You have given me a bit of a push of inspiration to honor my skills and give them some practice time. Thanks!!

[@RachelfGuitar]

Glad to hear that and best of luck! Thanks :)

[@aureeel]

Definitely gonna learn by ear next time, I've been playing for 2 years and I always rely on tabs cause it's quicker, I really wanna express myself more through my guitar without copying other artist and hopefully this will help

[@TheTuckerVision]

Oh, thankyou for the 5 fret back tip. That's really helped out with a fast change that I was struggling with. :) Really liking your channel.

[@RachelfGuitar]

That's awesome to hear! Might do a video on some more tips like that in the future.

[@madhavv09]

I think finding a pentatonic scale which lies within the scope of the melody/song and then playing around with that is also a good strategy. Great video btw!

[@HTNT9]

Great lesson Rachel! This is something I know I need to work on but keep putting it off because for me it's not as fun as practicing songs, improv or technique. I will have to commit myself to training my ear soon because I have sooo many ideas in my head that I just can't articulate on the guitar and it's frustrating. Keep up the excellent work!

[@RachelfGuitar]

Thank you! Having fun is definitely the most important thing, I've been finding even just adding a little bit of this to my practice has helped a lot!

[@sheriberrie]

Thank you. So helpful. You made me feel included in your process - much appreciated! ❤️✨

[@egbjunior24]

Rachelf, I think that principal problem is identify if the note moving in to up or moving to low, but if you practice everyday, you can do it. Great video!

[@daynaholgate4839]

Thank you 🙏 I am trying to learn my favourite rock bands music and they aren’t very well known yet... So I am learning there music 🎶 by ear!

[@pataleno]

Great video Rachel. Learning by ear is a fantastic way of learning. When you get really good ear training only gets you so far. You need to read music. Complex pieces are difficult with ear training and generally don’t sound like the original. I’m learning to read music and play by ear.

[@TurtlesTattoos21]

Can't beleive I'm just NOW finding this stuff! Your channel is awesome, and so are you! Keep smiling :)

[@Wantar]

I'm currently wearing Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful T-shirt and I approve this video. 😂 Thank you. Your videos are both educational and motivational. And your progress over the years is fantastic. 👏

[@garrettwold2616]

Liked in 2 seconds for Opus Eponymous album. “Elizabeth” is epic. Thanks for the tips 🤘🏻

[@an13kwigman]

It's satisfying to get the right tone after a long time trying. I first tried pirates of the Carribbean and it took me some while :)

[@RachelfGuitar]

It's such a great feeling!

[@wassadhappinau3096]

thank you so much I just learned how to play love will tear us apatt

[@DeathByGlamour_]

This is great content for beginner musicians!!! I love the video!!! YOU ROCK BABY! Salutes- T

[@teslatech2143]

I've never played guitar but I just listen to your guitar covers because I think they sound better than the original all the time. :)

[@RachelfGuitar]

That is too nice of you, but thank you! :)

[@Hikigayahiki]

Her voice is so angelic

[@rohandeshpande8970]

Thank you so much for this video! This helps a lot! Keep shredding 🎸🎸🤘

[@RachelfGuitar]

So glad to hear, thank you!

[@jeanbotha6538]

Thank you so much. You really explained this very well. Now I have a better understanding.!

[@justinhammond2148]

I've been seeing your channel pop up for the longest and boy have I missed out hahahah this video was very helpful! Keep up the great content!!

[@RachelfGuitar]

Glad to hear this was helpful, thank you!

[@justinhammond2148]

@@RachelfGuitar You're welcome!!

[@Halenrocks5150]

So happy you are teaching this skill - great lesson! I wish I starting learning songs by ear and not relying on tabs.

[@panchokong2178]

It's really nice to be pitch perfect

[@lucc-d3921]

alright cemetery gates here we go

[@warbringer8314]

You are awesome rachelf you are improving very quickly in your musical journey you'll get way better sooner than u know it good luck!!🎸🤘

[@RachelfGuitar]

Thank you! \m/

[@finbah5706]

I love that Ibanez

[@playontreega7852]

This was good. Thank you

[@benjamincharlesalewis5744]

Keep up the good work. I plan on showing this to my 4y old daughter when she is a little bit older. Much love😁

[@joshuahinz2447]

Thank you, Rachel! I’m going to start trying to learn things by ear now! Great advice!

[@nessmalone]

Great lesson Rachel!!! Thank you!!!

[@RachelfGuitar]

Thank you :)!

[@brysonsheldon]

Thank you for the very helpful advice!!

[@maxwalton7044]

It is an effective method. I also am trying to improve on finding keys and how to use and understand scales ‘cause I feel that’ll help learn by ear and write my own stuff.

[@Kai-Infinity]

I''ve been watching your videos for a year, and you are really amazed me. I am learning playing guitar by myself as well, but just can't get as much progress as you did. Perhaps I didn't have enough motivations and too much attractions?! Anyway, keep it up and I will catch up one day :)

[@SweetIcedTea44]

I have that exact same Yamaha amp. Its really good for a small amp.

[@sloth6952]

Omg, you are awesomeeeeeeee, nice inspiration for me,hope you never give up guitar, i just started 👌🐼😀

[@vngames179]

I decided to start to learn by ear a month ago( totally I play for 1 year and 9 months). There wasn't any simple song in my head, so I started with your song because it's metal, it's simple (obviously, because you play not so long to be able to write a complex song). I didn't do that blindly though (I look at least at first note you play and then moving from there by ear and checking myself each several notes of melody that I heard and found on the fretboard by looking how you play it). If I get frustrated with something i just look how you play and go forward. Thanks for an easy song to use for ear training

[@RachelfGuitar]

That's cool you used my song to learn, glad it worked for you! Thanks :)

[@legomaestro2079]

Thank you for this

[@snowboardman420]

Great video. this should help me too, and I am learning banjo

[@jasonscalise5]

Great advice, thanks!

[@haydenbeatz9265]

Lol think you got the lyrics wrong for twinkle twinkle little star I think you said "where" instead of "what" haha . Atleast that's how I remember it "twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are" Love your videos though. Watched your vids a long time ago and liked them but recently started looking up electric guitar videos again trying to get back into it and really learn and you popped up in my recomended am so happy.

[@chatnoirsmlady4358]

THANK YOU SM!

[@harcourtmudd]

Try playing Tab Riffs you have in different positions on the neck. Up or down the neck and different string starts but the pattern stays the same. Some work, some don't but its surprising and fun.

[@JorgeGonzalez-jx7rr]

Great video 👍 thank you

[@soksovanney9923]

Your tip is really helpful Thank a lot for sharing ❤️

[@norum84]

Biggest smile on KZbin 😊

[@hiii-kf5by]

i loveee your videos. i feel like all of guitar youtube is greasy looking men and you are not!

[@ppb1877]

I think is the best way to learn solos. Every solo ( if is not superfast) can be easily learned by ear!

[@barrekelley9268]

Great video thank you

[@tordurhansen333]

Is that an otamatone??? Awesome video, ear training is so very helpful! :D

[@RachelfGuitar]

It is indeed :), pretty much the best instrument. Thank you!

[@petersimsen6009]

Thank you, Rachel!

[@RachelfGuitar]

You are welcome, thanks for watching! :)

[@vitorgoncalves1219]

Subbed your channel! Great and positive vibes and a real passion for music! Thanks for your positive energy :)

[@bullwhipjohnson8247]

You'll be shredin' The Star Spangled Banner in no time. A la Jimi Hendrix.☺💪

[@thesleepover3776]

This is skill is so helpful but also extremely daunting. I like your approach with simple melodies you already know. Once you got that down, I might suggest checking out some early Clutch, Black Sabbath or any slower rock/doom that the vocalist follows the guitar riffs/melodies.

[@kagenotatsumaki]

Good Idea: Start with something like Happy Birthday. (What Rachel did) Bad Idea: Start with This is Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas... (What my dumbass did)

[@m_m_e_e_f]

Your videos are awesome!

[@RachelfGuitar]

Thanks so much!

[@aprildamski7372]

AWESOME!

[@basedandbinguspilled1482]

I see an Otamatone chilling in the corner :) Great video!

[@RachelfGuitar]

You caught it :)! Thank you!

[@blewers]

Well explained. Excellent.

[@RachelfGuitar]

Thank you!

[@BocahFomo-g1o]

I remember when I was around 17 years old, I found chord of metal songs like lamb of god, as i lay dying, trivium with beat per beat and of course the solo part. But now I don't play guitar anymore, so forget the feeling and hearing skill about the guitar.. XD

[@john2759]

Thanks 🙏

[@berserker4727]

If anyone is looking for an easy and fun start try legend of zelda songs I have been using them to pick out the tonal center of the song, then the melody of the song, then building solos off of them with really good results, hope it helps

[@hunter00143]

Not just zelda, tons of Nintendo games have very catchy and memorable melodies

[@hanna7625]

just found your channel, Already love it!

[@RachelfGuitar]

Thanks for stopping by :)!

[@LtPuff]

Learned a few song by ear. Just going to watch this video how I can improve it :P

[@filippogalli3477]

Your videos are always useful :3

[@RachelfGuitar]

Glad to hear, thank you!

[@The_G_FACTOR]

Nioce lesson, just subscribe from Italy! keep on rockin!

[@choochoochooseyou]

Great advice

[@nhardman72]

How would I figure out what string to play on? More of a question for fingerpicking and songs that pick 2+ strings at a time.

[@joes9545]

Great advice!

[@kk65137]

I started playing bass two months ago and i’ve been making steady progress and I have to say that learning riffs by ear is pretty tough because sometimes the bass is muddled by the lower ends of a guitar.

[@RachelfGuitar]

I can see that being the case, I also often find it hard to pick out the bass (although I don't usually focus on it). I have noticed it getting a bit easier over time though, and I'm sure you'll get to where you want to be! No harm in also referencing other resources to help :)

[@RJ_HTx]

I was quite the opposite. The bass parts would get in the way of the low end of the guitar. I recommend you to use SMPlayer and SMTube for learning songs by ear. It's free. You can slow down MP4, MP3, KZbin, etc. It also has a ten band EQ for removing or enhancing different frequencies. I use SMPlayer to remove bass/Low frequencies when I am learning guitar parts. Then I remove or lower higher frequencies when I am learning bass parts so I can feel the bass and hear it more clearly. Once you start doing this you will notice the difference !

[@wharfrat7773]

Thanks for this ..I am 45 and starting over playing guitar..after not picking one up for 20 years..due to personal and health reasons..u are an inspiration..have watched several of your vids and just subscribed 🎸🤘

[@shadymuzic3048]

I think it gets a lot easier if you know what key the melody/song is on. And if you know what notes that key has then you just try to recreate that with the notes from that key

[@zedroguinha4221]

Acho que vou aprender inglês só pra assistir seus vídeos!❤👏

[@kennyleong6500]

This is what we do back in the day when we have no internet . It's hard for younger generation too much social media everybody teaching different way . Back in the day if you want to learn a new song fast learning by ear is only option or you can wait till the lesson book come out that you can buy .

[@GeorgeGeorge-xj2bc]

The distance in hertz among the notes is not equal so is easy to mess minor third with the major third and this distance is doubled in higher octave.In practice is way more difficult that it seems in first place.

[@sidnotthesloth1827]

Lom suprisingly happy birthday only took a second to play by ear for me to play maybe cause i tried it on the high e string but it gives a lot of competition.

[@MarcusFHurt]

Best advice I can give is to look into intervals and ear training on intervals.... Such as "Jaws Movie Theme" = m2 (minor second) and "Here Comes The Bride" = P4 (perfect fourth)

[@RachelfGuitar]

Practicing intervals has helped me here as well!

[@eddiemattison7792]

Yea, Rachelf, the twinkle twinkle little star song helped. Am also looking at how to play it by chords. Am trying to "get it" how you progressed. :-) Thanks.

[@DumbLuck_64]

At 3:21i threw my phone and lurched at my guitar going "that looked like 5575..." Then I sat there and played the new song you just tought me to teach myself

[@raulperez2308]

it's actually really easy to do by learning some music theory, if you get a nice grasp of scales from a theoretical perspective you basically know what notes should go in there by hearing it just two or three times, at most

[@RachelfGuitar]

For sure, music theory can help a lot!

[@MrBX5]

That's something I've been meaning to start doing for a while. I've been playing guitar for 4 (inconsistent) years and that's the thing that I'm lacking the most. My problem is that when notes are close appart I can't really tell if they go higher or lower, I'm not sure if that's due to my ear not being developed or if I really have a bad ear and that will be a problem that will remain.

[@Salehalanazi-7]

Hey Rachel how do you know which string to choose when doing this? Also can you hum everything on one string or you have to change?

[@konrione5349]

So, what I would say is that she isn't choosing the string, she's more just finding a pitch which is most similar in her head, then finding other notes relative to that initial note

[@Sanderson890]

I can play a melody that someone sings or plays for me, but my problem is, that in the song, I have a hard time hearing the guitar right over the other instruments (especially Within Temptetion songs like Heart of Everything). And another problem is figuring out a tuning in which the song is played, so I kinda "learned" Raise your banner song, that sounded ok in drop A on 7 string, only to later find out that the song is in F# played on 8 string. xD

[@ianmusicstein]

Nice video. I was going to offer you a side challenge, offering you to try learn one of my released songs (as you like Metal I would suggest my metal band, Aftermath Excursion) and when you want the tab or info I could give that, however there are no video references for you. I must admit I would be curious to see how close you get. Def some songs on that album would be easier than others to work out.

[@isaaharel3395]

I do this and it fun