In this lesson, we will learn how to play the guitar by ear.
In order to play the guitar by ear, you must know chords, this is just one of the many things to know, as you play by ear.
This is the first foundation you must use, playing by chords.
Like a builder, building his house, if he uses concrete, it will be strong. Strong enough to then start laying down multiple parts, for his house.
Yes! Different parts you will have to use, to play the guitar by ear.
I will teach you the different parts, the different methods, to accomplish this.
First, let’s start with chords, as one of our foundations.
Learning Chords
Now, if you already know chords, you can just skip over this lesson, if you want and read on to the next section of this article.
I would recommend learning open chords first and then barre chords next and then learning your power chords, last.
The reason you should learn open chords first is that they are way easier to learn than barre chords and power chords because you just have to stay in one small section of the guitar, to play them, which are in the areas of the bottom of the guitar, which only covers three frets, sometimes four.
So learn your chords.
There are plenty of ways to learn them, with plenty of books and online articles, that will teach you how to do them.
But since this article is about how to play the guitar by ear, I will keep it more centered on learning to play by ear.
QUICK TIP: Remember that chords will always sound fuller (bigger) than single notes because chords have more notes than single notes!
Learning The High And Low Sounding Parts Of The Guitar
Once you get comfortable playing chords, you will begin to realize, that some of them sound higher and lower than others.
Especially barre chords because they can be played up and down the guitar, which in turn, causes them to sound higher in sound, as you go up the guitar. And then lower in sound, as you play them going down, on the guitar.
Herein lies one of the secrets to playing the guitar by ear.
The highs and lows of the guitar. The high sounds and low sounds of the guitar.
Each chord has them. One will sound higher or lower than the other.
In the barre chord areas of the guitar, this happens and even in the open chord area of the guitar, this happens also.
But let’s talk about the barre chord area of the guitar first. And then I will talk about the open chord area, later on in this article.
The Barre Chord Area:
Above is an illustration of a barre chord.
This same barre chord can be used to play all over the guitar. Yes, up and down the guitar.
As you can see in the picture above, is a person playing an e-shape barre chord, starting on the F chord area of the guitar.
If he was to move this same shape barre chord up one more fret, it would become an F# barre chord. And if he was to move it again up the guitar, one more fret, it would become a G barre chord.
We can then, continually going up the guitar on each fret, go on to the G# fret, the A fret, A# fret, B fret, C fret, C# fret, D fret, D# fret, E fret, F fret, F# fret and so on, as you can keep going up the guitar, till you reach the end of your guitar, which is usually the 19th or 20th fret.
You notice that as you play all these chords going up the guitar, they will sound higher and higher, in sound.
If you were to reverse the process of these chords and start to go down the guitar, starting at, let’s say, the A fret chord, starting at the 17th fret, you would then play the A fret chord, the G# chord, the G chord, the F# chord and so on, till you get back down the guitar, in which you would end up on the F chord again, which would be the 1st fret.
Now as you go down the guitar, you will notice that all the chords you are playing, will sound lower and lower from each other.
So to summarize some of what I just said, if you play the barre chord going up the guitar, the chords will then sound higher and higher, as you keep going up the guitar.
And if you play the barre chord going down the guitar, the chords will then sound lower and lower, as you keep going down the guitar.
So with this playing of the barre chord, going up and down the guitar, comes the knowledge of playing the guitar by ear.
Because when applied, when done, it is a step of how to play the guitar by ear.
Because the guitar does this when playing barre chords, you can then play the barre chord using your ear. So when you’re playing a song and the key goes higher, you can then play the appropriate section of the guitar, the fret, and match it to that exact key.
Or when you’re playing a song and the key goes lower, you can then play the appropriate section of the guitar, the fret, and match it to that exact key.
So how do I match the right key to the song I am playing, with my barre chord?
I’ll tell you how, in this next paragraph.
How To Match The Right Key Of The Songs You Are Playing Using Barre Chords
So when the key sounds higher, go higher up the guitar and play the barre chord, on that section of the guitar.
And when the key sounds lower, go lower down the guitar and play the barre chord, on that section of the guitar.
The sections of the guitar will be the frets of the guitar, of course.
We can then say the sections of the guitar, the frets of the guitar, are the keys of the guitar when using barre chords or any chord for that matter.
So how do I find the right key, the right section on the guitar, to match the song that I am playing, when using barre chords?
This is what playing the guitar by ear means, finding the right keys to the songs, using chords and single notes.
Now to answer the question of how to find the keys of the songs you are playing.
Every song has high and low sounding keys.
Your job is to find the right key.
You do this by realizing the song you are learning by ear, has low and high sounds in it and you pick the right key by saying to yourself, is the key, the sound, going up or going down?
Let’s say, you hear a part of the song you are playing, going down in sound, in key.
You would then start to play your barre chord, going down the guitar.
So you know your only option is 12 keys to choose from because the guitar only has 12 keys, to choose from.
Move your barre chord going down the guitar and then play one of the 12 keys, it would be.
If you find yourself playing the wrong key, then you know you have now, 11 more options, to choose from.
And if you then play the wrong key again, then you know you have only 10 more options, to choose from, and so on.
Keep searching for the right key, until you find it. You will know you found the right key, when the key, the chord, sounds exactly like the chord of the song, you are playing.
Now I hear you asking, what are the 12 keys?
Glad you asked that.
Now I’ll explain it in this next paragraph.
What Are The 12 Keys Of The Guitar?
The 12 keys of the guitar are quite simply, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
These are the keys you must use, in order to play the guitar by ear.
The 12 keys, in this case, are the 12 frets of the guitar, which repeat again after the 12th fret.
Once you find the right keys (which are the frets) of the songs you are playing, you will have then played the songs by ear.
Keys can also be called notes, frets, barre chords, power chords, open chords, single notes, bends, hammer-ons, slides, pull-offs, etc., whatever you want to call them.
I’m sure there are hundreds of songs you’d like to play by ear.
You will find that the more you practice finding the right keys to the songs you are playing, you will get better and better at finding the right keys.
So how do you get better at finding the right keys? The answers are simple.
One is you must use the up and down method.
The Guitar Fretboard Goes Up And Down In Keys
You must use the guitar fretboard as your path to playing the guitar by ear.
Because the guitar fretboard goes higher and higher in key as you move up the guitar. Or lower and lower as you move down the guitar, you must use its fretboard, to play by ear.
So how do you know which parts of the guitar fretboard sound higher or lower in key?
Well every time you play the guitar fretboard going to the right of the guitar, it will sound higher and higher in key, as you keep playing barre chords, on it.
And every time you play the guitar fretboard going to the left of the guitar, it will sound lower and lower in key, as you keep playing barre chords, on it.
Now That You Have More Knowledge Keep Practicing
Now that you know that the guitar has high and low sounding keys in it, which are chords, you can then start to keep practicing, playing the right keys, to the songs you are playing on your guitar, just like I have said already when I was talking about the keys, which are chords.
Keep on playing the barre chords until it matches the right chords of the songs, you are playing.
If that chord doesn’t sound right, use the other chords, out of the 12 keys, I told you about until you find the right key, the right chord.
Ask yourself, is the chord sounding like it’s going up the guitar or down the guitar?
For example, play this easy song, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles or any song that you want to play and play a barre chord, for the first chord in that song, until you find it.
If your first chord was wrong, then play another one of the 12 keys, the barre chords, I told you about.
Keep doing this until you play the right chord, the right key. You will know you have hit the right key when it sounds exactly like the chord of the song, you are playing by ear.
Remember, you only have 12 keys, 12 barre chord keys, to choose from, so this will make it easy to find the right chord, the right key, for the first chord, in this song, as well as its other chords.
As you keep doing this, you will get better and better, at finding the right chords and keys, in the songs, you play by ear.
It may take you several attempts at finding the right chords but you will get to the point where you will find the right chord.
It may take months to get good at this, other people, years, but you will someday get to the point of finding the right chords.
It depends on how much you play the guitar, the more you practice, the better you will get, of course!
Some day you will get so good, that you will always play the right chords.
But until then, you will find the right chords 20 percent of the time, 30 percent of the time, and on up to 90 percent of the time, till you reach perfection and nail the right chords, all the time.
Sure you will fail to do it sometimes when you get real good at it but most of the time you won’t fail.
Because we are all human, we will make mistakes.
To get a better understanding of the up and down method of playing barre chords up and down the neck of the guitar, then type this on YouTube or watch the video below, titled: “Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 3” It is by dancetech.
The barre chord in the video above you just watched is the e-shape barre chord.
Which looks like this, as illustrated below, on its 6th string position:
And as illustrated below, on its 5th string position:
Play these (above) illustrated barre chords, which will be the same ones you just saw, on the video above titled: “Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 3”
How To Match The Right Key Of The Songs You Are Playing Using Single Notes
Just like chords are keys, single notes are also keys.
So apply what I told you about chords, to single notes, also.
Single notes are basically played, one note at a time, all over the guitar.
Play your single notes with the shape of barre chords but play them one finger at a time but never break the barre chord shape when playing single notes! But you can use your pinky finger, to play outside the shape, though!
And you can also play your single notes with the shape of open chords, also but play them one finger at a time but never break the open chord shape when playing single notes! But you can use your pinky finger, to play outside the shape, also!
Play your single notes with the shape of barre chords but play them one finger at a time but never break the barre chord shape when playing single notes! But you can use your pinky finger, to play outside the shape, though!
And you can also play your single notes with the shape of open chords, also but play them one finger at a time but never break the open chord shape when playing single notes! But you can use your pinky finger, to play outside the shape, also!
On the guitar, there are single notes.
Use them to go up and down the guitar, using your ear, to tell you where the right single note is, which will be the right key, when you find it.
Just like you did with barre chords, you will also do this with single notes, using the up and down method of when the key sounds higher, go up the guitar, until you find it. And when the key sounds lower, go down the guitar, until you find it.
Keep doing this until you find the right keys, the right single notes, to the songs you are playing.
Say to yourself, is the key, the sound, going up or going down?
Let’s say, you hear a part of the song you are playing, going down in sound, in key.
You would then start to play your single note, going down the guitar.
So you know your only option is 12 keys to choose from because the guitar only has 12 keys, to choose from, which I told you earlier in this article, which are the A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G# keys.
Move your single note going down the guitar and then play one of the 12 keys, it would be.
If you find yourself playing the wrong key, then you know you have now, 11 more options, to choose from.
And if you then play the wrong key again, then you know you have only 10 more options, to choose from, and so on.
Keep searching for the right key, until you find it. You will know you found the right key, when the key, the single note, sounds exactly like the single note, of the song, you are playing.
You must use the guitar fretboard as your path to playing the guitar by ear, with single notes also.
Because the guitar fretboard goes higher and higher in key as you move up the guitar. Or lower and lower as you move down the guitar, you must use its fretboard, to play by ear, just like I told you with chords, do this with single notes, too.
So how do you know which parts of the guitar fretboard sound higher or lower in key, with single notes?
Well every time you play the guitar fretboard going to the right of the guitar, it will sound higher and higher in key, as you keep playing single notes, on it.
And every time you play the guitar fretboard going to the left of the guitar, it will sound lower and lower in key, as you keep playing single notes, on it.
Now that you know that the guitar has high and low sounding keys in it, which are single notes, you can then start to keep practicing, playing the right keys, to the songs you are playing on your guitar, just like I have said already when I was talking about the keys, which are single notes.
Keep on playing the single notes until it matches the right single notes, of the songs, you are playing.
If that single note doesn’t sound right, use the other single notes, out of the 12 keys, I told you about until you find the right key, the right single note.
Ask yourself, is the single note sounding like it’s going up the guitar or down the guitar?
For example, play this easy song, “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, or any song that you want to play and play a single note, for the first single note, in that song, until you find it.
If your first single note was wrong, then play another one of the 12 keys, the single notes, I told you about.
Keep doing this until you play the right single note, the right key. You will know you have hit the right key when it sounds exactly like the single note of the song, you are playing by ear.
Remember, you only have 12 keys, 12 single notes, to choose from, so this will make it easy to find the right single note, the right key, for the first single note, in this song, as well as its other single notes.
As you keep doing this, you will get better and better, at finding the right single notes and keys, in the songs, you play by ear.
It may take you several attempts at finding the right single notes but you will get to the point where you will find the right single notes.
It may take months to get good at this, other people, years, but you will someday get to the point of finding the right single notes.
It depends on how much you play the guitar, the more you practice, the better you will get, of course!
Some day you will get so good, that you will always play the right single notes.
But until then, you will find the right single notes 20 percent of the time, 30 percent of the time, and on up to 90 percent of the time, till you reach perfection and nail the right single notes, all the time.
Sure you will fail to do it sometimes when you get real good at it but most of the time you won’t fail.
Because we are all human, we will make mistakes, just like I told you in the barre chord section of this article.
So mix both chords and single notes, in the songs, you are playing by ear, using the methods I told you about, in this article.
Remember, what works for chords, when playing the guitar by ear, also works with single notes.
Once you find the right keys to the songs you are playing, you will have then played the songs by ear.
For more on how to use single notes in your playing, which will make it easier to use them, and to use them with chords, click here
How To Match The Right Key Of The Songs You Are Playing Using Open Chords
Realize that open chords sound higher and lower in key, from each other.
The A open chord is the lowest sounding chord and the G open chord is the highest sounding chord when it comes to open chords.
So A will the lowest sounding, B will be the next higher sounding, C will be the next higher sounding, D will be the next higher sounding, E will be the next higher sounding, F will be the next higher sounding and then G will be the highest sounding, of all the open chords.
So, from the lowest to the highest sounding open chords, are as follows, in this exact order, they are, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G open chords.
So now that you know the lowest and highest sounding open chords from each other, use this knowledge to play these open chords by ear, to the songs you are playing.
Just like with barre chords and single notes (which I already told you about,) when the song goes down in sound and key, play one of the lower sounding open chords, until it matches the exact key, of the open chord of the song, you are playing by ear.
And when the song goes higher in sound and key, play one of the higher sounding open chords, until it matches the exact key, of the open chord of the song, you are playing by ear.
You’ll know you’ve played the right key, the right open chord, when it matches the open chord of the song, you are playing by ear.
Do this until you find the right open chords, eliminating the open chords that are not the right ones, that you picked, until you find the right ones, in the song.
Once you find the correct open chords, play the same song again because by then you will know what chords to play.
Yes, you will forget sometimes, the correct open chords but then you can just use your ear if you forget.
Keep doing this to all the songs you are playing by ear and you will get real good at it.
Of course mix and combine open chords, with barre chords and single notes, when the song is playing them, whenever the song calls for them.
If you want to know how to play open chords the way that professional musicians do, that makes it real easy to play them, then type this on YouTube or watch it below, it is called……. “Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 1” It is by dancetech. He explains it REAL well in this video. He Guarantees that it will be easy to learn. And IT’S no joke. It is spot on QUALITY music playing. AND you will be playing quality music too, if you learn these Open chords, in The Busker Technique, my friend.
This one is the first lesson….
Because I also know too what ALL the Open chords sound like, by months of practicing them. And you too will know what they sound like in your mind as you practice them, for a time.
There are 7 chords here. (In the open chord area, using The Busker Technique) It’s ALL the chords you NEED!
All you need to play in this area of the guitar, for some GOOD OL ROCK AND ROLL!
You can also use it to play ALL KINDS of styles of music, anywhere from Rock to Soul to Pop Music, etc., any songs, practically! This open chord area will be JAM PACKED with ALL KINDS of jams to be played here.
Also, type in on YouTube or watch it below, it is called……. “Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 2” It is by dancetech, also, to make sure you learn ALL 7 chords, in the open chord area, including the B chord! This one is the second lesson….
The chords in the video above you just watched are the A, B, C, D, E, F, and G chords.
Here they are as listed, on a guitar fretboard, in the open chord area:
When you form the G chord (illustrated above), you can start to play any of the other open chords, which I told are the, A, B, C, D, E, and F chords (as illustrated above.)
So when you form the G chord, then you can just use two fingers to play all of the other chords, with just two fingers, that’s right, two fingers.
That’s why this guitar technique is so easy and powerful because now all you just have to do is use two fingers.
The two fingers you will use are the index finger and the middle finger when moving around, playing those chords. (Which are the, A, B, C, D, E, and F chords)
Just make sure you form the G chord like this….. Your index finger will be on the 5th string, your middle finger will be on the 6th string, your ring finger will be on the 2nd string and your pinky finger will be on the 1st string, just exactly like you saw it being done, in the above video.
And so to summarize what I just said and to say a little bit more!…. Once you form the G chord, you will only move those two fingers for ALL the other chords. And you will never move any fingers when you are playing the G chord but once you do move from the G chord, then, of course, it will ALWAYS be two fingers, you will move but make sure you keep the G chord shape, except those two fingers, which you will use, to move to other chords, using your index finger and middle finger, to play them.
Which fingers never move? It will be the ring finger and pinky finger. They will never move. (Even when you’re playing the G chord, they still won’t move! And when you’re not playing the G chord, they still won’t move.)
Except if the song calls for it, you can move any fingers, from time to time! BECAUSE RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN, SOMETIMES IN ROCK MUSIC OR IN OTHER TYPES OF MUSIC, ALSO!!!
OF COURSE, you can play any open chords I told you about, which are the A, B, C, D, E, and F chords, without forming or playing the G chord at any time!
Except if the song calls for it, you can move any fingers, from time to time, when using the Busker Technique, when you’re using open chords! BECAUSE RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN, SOMETIMES IN ROCK MUSIC OR IN OTHER TYPES OF MUSIC, ALSO!!!
And that’s why it will be so easy, to do this style, this technique!
Have fun!!!
Excerpt: When you play the D chord, never play the top string, which is the highest sounding string and which will be the 1st string (the thinnest string) because it will sound too high pitched (will sound too loud.)
Only play the 2nd and 3rd strings at the same time, as a chord (the D chord) ALSO, let the 4th string ring open, as you play the D chord. And of course, use your pinky finger (around the D chord area, 3rd fret, 1st string) to play this string by lifting your pinky finger up and down, as the song calls for it, just like you saw in the video above, titled: “Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 1”
Also, when you play the A chord and E chord, instead of playing the two notes that each chord has, with two fingers, (the index finger and middle finger,) which I told you about, you can just play the two notes of the A chord both at the same time, with only your index finger. And you can play the two notes of the E chord both at the same time with only your index finger, this will make it way easier to play them if you do this. (Of course, you can use two fingers or one finger when playing the A chord and E chord but it will be way easier if you use one finger, playing them. It’s your choice!)
You should be able to play any songs you can think of and play open chords, with them! Use these songs, which will be hundreds and thousands of them, and start practicing them and playing them!
Some songs you can choose to practice and play with, open chords, are, as follows: “Hotel California” by The Eagles, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Horse With No Name” by America, “Get Back” by The Beatles, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” by Guns N’ Roses, “Back In Black” by AC/DC, “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber, “Hello” by Adele, “Shut Up And Dance” by Walk The Moon, “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias, “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder, “Beat It” by Michael Jackson, “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, “All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix, “The Thrill Is Gone” by B.B. King, “La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens, “Check Yes Or No” by George Strait.
After you get good at playing open chords songs, then mix in barre chords and single notes into them, as the song calls for it (as the song is doing them.) And you’ll be on your way to playing some good ol rock and roll or other genres of music or types of songs you like, maybe, country music, rhythm and blues, hip hop, rap music, mumble rap, soul, blues, 50’s songs, Spanish music, rock or pop music or more…….
Did You Know That You Can Play The Same Song With Different Types Of Chords? Or Single Notes?
Did you know you can play the same song, with different types of chords? Or with single notes?
Well yes, you can!
Well, what do you mean? You ask!
What I mean is, the same tune, the same song and its melody, its riff, the guitar parts, the way it sounds, or whatever you want to call it, can be played with different types of chords, than it originally used. And can also be played with single notes, different, from what the song, the tune, originally used.
And the different types of chords are open chords, barre chords, and power chords.
Take this song as an example, which everyone knows, which is, “Twist And Shout” by the Beatles.
This same song can be played with different types of chords or with just single notes.
Go ahead and listen to it and get the guitar riff in your head, listening to the way it sounds.
Now that you listened to it, start to play it with only, open chords.
Now play the same song, with only, barre chords.
Now only play it with, power chords.
Finally! Now, only play it with, single notes.
What you will find is, that, no matter what type of chords (open chords, barre chords, power chords) you played it with, is that the songs guitar riff still sounded the same, and even when you only played it, with single notes, its guitar riff, still sounded the same.
So whenever you hear any song, just know that you can choose any type of chords to play them with or with, just only, single notes.
Of course, you should only play the songs with the right type of chords or single notes (the original chords and single notes) it is playing. But if you can’t figure out what type of chords or single notes it has, feel free to choose what type of chords or single notes to use, when playing the guitar parts, of the songs, you are playing.
Also, remember that you can mix up open chords, barre chords, power chords, and single notes all in the same song! Using only, barre chords and open chords, in some songs. Or just with only open chords and single notes, in some songs. Or single notes and barre chords only, in some songs. Or power chords and single notes only, in some songs. Or any mixture that you want and can think of….. Well, you get, what I’m trying to tell you!!!
Just remember, that, whatever you choose to use, the song’s guitar part (riff, melody, guitar sound, etc.) is still, going to sound the same, no matter, what type of chords you use or if you use, single notes. Of course, it may not always sound exactly the same, sometimes, on some songs but you still will have played the song, the guitar parts, the way it sounds.
Of course, try to play the right type of chords or single notes the song is really playing. But soon you will get so good at telling what a song is doing (what type of chords or single notes it really has,) and then you will have played it, the proper way, the right way, yes the correct way! The original way!! Just keep practicing and listening to songs closely and you will get it right.
The popular rock group, “AC/DC” says, that when people try to play their song, “Back In Black” by ear, some people play it wrong because It sounds so powerful, that most musicians assume that it is using barre chords at the beginning of the song, which in fact it is not!!! It is using open chords at the beginning of the song but the song will still sound the same, if you use barre chords, at the beginning.
I think one secret, to being able to tell, what type of chords a musician is using or if they are using single notes, in a song is… if it doesn’t sound quite right, then maybe, then maybe, it will be another, type of chord or maybe, single notes.
Which will then lead me to pick, another type of chord, or I will use single notes.
So do that, when the song you’re playing by ear, doesn’t quite sound right, then pick another type of chord or use, single notes.
Then you will have picked the original, type of chords or single notes, in the song. Hopefully!!!!
If You’re Having A Hard Time Playing By Ear Do This
If you’re struggling to get good at playing the guitar by ear, just remember, if you can hum a song with your mouth, when you hear a song on the radio, then you can also play the guitar by ear, after you hear a song on the radio.
How’s that?… Well, you know when to go up and down in key when you hum a song, so you can learn to go up and down in key on your guitar, also.
You see, when you are humming a song, you hum higher, when the song goes higher and you hum lower, when the song goes lower, this is what happens when you are humming a song and this is why you are able to accomplish this.
Of course, learning where or knowing where the higher and lower parts on the guitar are, will make you accomplish this.
I have told you in this article earlier, how to tell where the lower and higher parts are on the guitar.
So go up and down in key on your guitar, just like you do when you’re humming a song.
So, next time you are having difficulty playing a song by ear on the guitar, just remember that you can hum a song to make it sound exactly like the song, so you can play a song on the guitar, to make it sound exactly like the song, also. And by using all that I’ve said in this article, you’ll be playing the guitar by ear.
Play By Ear All Kinds Of Songs
Keep practicing songs by ear that you’ve heard on the radio, your cellphone, YouTube, movies, Pandora, Spotify, and TV. Soon you will be not practicing them but playing them by ear.
The more you practice them, the sooner you will be playing them by ear.
Remembering Your Chords And Single Notes!
Remembering what your chords and single notes sound like, goes a LONG way, in playing a song by ear, as you’re playing the guitar! Because if you can remember them and know what key it is, then you’ll know exactly where to go, to play them on the guitar!
Of course, you’re going to have to know what key it is (where it is on the guitar) while you’re doing all this, so use the approach of all that I have said in this whole entire article, to figure out the keys.
Also, remember what your chords and single notes sound like, and remember the keys, when you’re not playing the guitar! Do this as your thinking about the guitar, as you’re sitting on the couch, as you’re working, as you’re going from place to place, as you’re driving or walking around or laying down. In other words, whenever you get the chance, think about it.
You’ll be surprised what your mind can do, you’ll get so good that eventually by the time you play your guitar for real, you will have played the right chords and single notes, those that you have thought about.
Yes!! It will be so good that, it will be as good as, if you were playing the guitar, for real but you are just thinking about it.
All because you were thinking about them beforehand. Before you even picked up the guitar.
This is visualizing or visualization! Visualization is seeing what’s in your mind and then doing it in real life or as some say, doing it for real!
Of course, this power only comes from both practicing and playing your guitar enough to know what the chords and single notes sound like, to be able to remember them in your mind and know what key it is.
And remember what they sound like and what keys they are, from the songs you hear on the radio, your cellphone, YouTube, concerts, etc., too, of course! When you’re thinking of the chords and single notes and keys of the songs when you’re not playing the guitar.
Eventually, you’ll get there, to be able to accomplish this!!!
Also click here to read my article, where I talk about listening to songs and then being able to play them by ear, to those very songs. This will help you very much if you do!
Remembering what your chords and single notes sound like, goes a LONG way, in playing a song by ear, as you’re playing the guitar! Because if you can remember them and know what key it is, then you’ll know exactly where to go, to play them on the guitar!
playguitarbyearanysong.com
Practice And Play Tab Music And Sheet Music
Practice and play tab music and sheet music.
Now, wait a second! I thought you said this article was about playing the guitar by ear!
Well, it is but if you learn and play sheet music and tab music, it will help you see the guitar fretboard and its chords and single notes in your mind, and then when you get good at that, you can then apply what you’ve learned from doing that by playing the guitar by ear, without having to look at sheet music and tab music.
Plus, by using sheet and tab music, you can then learn techniques like bending, tapping, pull-offs, hammer-ons, etc.
Now, you don’t have to learn and play tab music and sheet music but it can sure help, it wouldn’t hurt to do it.
Now of course, when you play the guitar by ear, you will also begin to see the guitar fretboard in your mind. But by you playing tab and sheet music, you will see the fretboard in your mind, also.
This is called visualization. Visualization is being able to see the guitar fretboard in your mind and then play it on your guitar, in real life.
Quick Tips When Playing The Guitar By Ear:
- Know techniques such as bends, hammer-ons, vibrato, tapping, slides, etc and realize that when you do, to take into consideration, that it may alter the key to which you want to accomplish, especially when doing bends, as you may bend the strings so much, as to make it change into another key, to which you don’t want that key.
- Get your timing down. Timing means to play throughout a song, at the right times, when you’re supposed to play, and without hesitation.
- Learn from the greats, like Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapman, etc. Just like they learned to play the guitar by ear, you can also learn how they accomplished it by reading and watching videos of how they did it. Also, let their stories of how they learned how to play by ear, inspire you to play by ear.
- Visualize the guitar. See the guitar fretboard in your mind. Of course by studying the guitar fretboard and its frets numbers and letters. Do this by learning chords, which will be, open chords, barre chords, and power chords. Also, see the single notes you play in your mind. But be able to play them for real on the guitar. If you need more help understanding this, google other guitar websites by searching: Understanding the guitar fretboard or click to this article, where I wrote on it, here.
- Play with others, which will force you to get good on the guitar, when playing by ear. You’ll be surprised at how good you get when others are watching. You’ll then make sure you are picking the right chords and single notes. As you do this, you will notice yourself getting better and better at playing the guitar by ear, till one day, you will be playing it by ear.
Now you will be able to play any song by ear by doing what you’ve read here. Remember, it will take time.
The more you work at it, the faster you will learn it.
Most of all, learn from others.
Let other musicians who have learned to play the guitar by ear, inspire you to get better, whether it be famous rockstars or musicians you meet, or your friends.
And then one day you too will be able to play the guitar by ear.
Photo credits:
2008-11-25 02:18 Weatherman90 2849×2384× (951395 bytes) ANGUS YOUNG Angus Young live with AC/DC on November 23, 2008 in St. Paul, MN PHOTO BY MATT BECKER www.melodicrockconcerts.com matt@melodicrockconcerts.com photo attribution and credit to Weatherman90 at English Wikipedia:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
AC/DC musicians, on stage playing, black and white photo courtesy of LiveJpegConcert5 from flickr.com https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
Jimi Hendrix holding a v-shaped guitar. The Late Jimi Hendrix photo courtesy of Lou from flickr.com https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Video credits:
Video by dancetech teaching: How to learn to play guitar!! The fastest way to learn guitar!! On open chords: Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 1
Video by dancetech teaching: How to learn to play guitar!! The fastest way to learn guitar!! On open chords: Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 2 (the fake B chord: Ed Sheeran example)
Video by dancetech teaching: How to learn to play guitar!! The fastest way to learn guitar!! On barre chords: Learn To Play Guitar The Fastest Way – The Busker Technique 3
