KnowNotFailPiece - Posted - 09/19/2025:  11:35:51

I've heard a lot of people say that it's important to learn to play by ear and it's something I've been meaning to dig in to more.

Does anyone have any good youtube videos to recommend for trying this out? Some simple tunes I can lower the playing speed on/clearly see the hand motions. Or even just any general tips on learning by ear.

Thanks,

banjomobob - Posted - 09/19/2025:  12:27:17

Try to play along with every song/tune you listen to. Just figuring out the key and the chord changes helps my ear and finding the melody helps me learn the fingerboard.

DerekGoodman - Posted - 09/19/2025:  13:32:44

If you're watching someone's hands, you're not learning by ear.

I don't say that as a "learning by ear" zealot- i think its a stupid and overused phrase. Learn from lessons- that's what they're there for.

Rusty - Posted - 09/19/2025:  13:56:02

After 40 years of playing and learning by tab, I started learning tunes by ear (no tab), best thing I ever did. I started with a teacher who taught tunes by ear. Now it is easier to pick up tunes at a jam by ear.

Edited by - Rusty on 09/19/2025 13:56:50

Texasbanjo - Posted - 09/19/2025:  14:13:46

Best way to learn to play by ear is to go to jams, figure out what chords are being played and try to play along with them.

Watch the rhythm guitar picker and when he/she changes chords, you do too. You'll eventually begin to feel a change coming up and after that be pretty sure what the chord is going to be. At that point, you're hearing changes and the rest is just noodling around finding melody notes and getting them in the right place.

dbrooks - Posted - 09/19/2025:  15:20:27

Everybody has their own approach to learning by ear, and it may take some time to find out what works for your you. Finding lessons on YouTube is helpful for many tunes, and it can help you develop a methodology. 

 

Here's my usual approach. Use the slow-down feature on YouTube or your audio player to make it easier to hear the tune and its components. 

1. Find the key for the tune. This will help you decide which tuning to try. 

2. Figure out the chords and chord pattern. 

3. Find the melody notes on the fretboard. You may need to try several approaches to avoid difficult jumps in where the notes are played. 

4. Experiment to find the mix of melody, chords and brushes that capture the essence of the tune. You can add in hammer-one, pull-offs, etc., later. 

5. Practice slowly to commit parts of the tune to memory. Use a metronome at a slow tempo to keep a steady rhythm and to help with memorizing the tune. 

 

This process has worked for me. Something like it may rise from your playing and work for you. 

 

David

Edited by - dbrooks on 09/19/2025 15:28:12

KnowNotFailPiece - Posted - 09/20/2025:  15:13:37

Thanks for the replies everyone
Seems like something I'll need to work at/is a lot more complicated that I first figured. Maybe I should actually try and learn some theory first, or just practice more generally.

BG Banjo - Posted - 09/23/2025:  07:13:00

quote:

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Originally posted by KnowNotFailPiece

Thanks for the replies everyone

Seems like something I'll need to work at/is a lot more complicated that I first figured. Maybe I should actually try and learn some theory first, or just practice more generally.

---

It came to me in steps. First I started jamming with some friends and they don't do tabs. A combination of watching hands and learning to listen. But what really turned the corner for me was that when I was left at home alone I started playing along with Austin City Limits and MTV Unplugged, both of which I stream. I just sit on the couch and pretend I'm in the band.