Guitar Lesson – Learn How to Figure Out a Song by Ear

Have you ever wondered why some guitarists seem to be able to figure out a song "by ear" with ease? This is a skill that anyone can develop, but the guitarist with more experience will develop it faster. Foremost in learning a song by ear is the simple commitment to see the task through to completion. Sit down with your guitar and CD player and determine that you will slowly break the song down and learn it.

Learning the basic guitar chords will put you in a position of strength for figuring out songs by ear. As you develop an understanding of chords, you will come to recognize that the same chord patterns are repeated over and over again in all of the songs you listen to. With experience you'll learn which chords are most often played in combinations together. Also, it will be helpful to learn some basic music theory. Learning scales will be a big plus, too!

Here is another tip: Follow the bass notes in the song you are trying to learn! If the bass note is E, it is most likely the root of the chord. The chord will likely be E major, E 7th or E minor. Learn to listen for the changes--and the timing of the changes. Bite off a little piece at a time and analyze each little segment of the song. If you are willing to commit to this, everything will come together! As you gain more experience learning songs by ear, the process will become much easier for you, and it will take you less time to learn a new song. The more songs you learn, the larger your frame of reference will be for learning the next one you wish to tackle.

Copyright © 2008 Lee Griffith. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Griffith is an avid acoustic guitar player and a vintage instrument enthusiast. He invites you to receive a FREE REPORT on a revolutionary acoustic guitar lesson kit, along with his weekly newsletter via email. just click on http://optin.flatpickpost.com

Check out Lee's blog, "The Flatpick Post" at http://flatpickpost.com

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