A good ear is an invaluable tool to any musician, and guitarists are no exception. The advantage that we have as guitar players is that the majority of songs that we hear are played in a few certain keys. Once your ear is trained to hear the subtle differences between the tonal properties of different chords, you will be able to figure out how to play songs that you hear on the radio at work, or in your car, or anywhere—before you even pick up a guitar and attempt to play them.
Some people are born with a good ear for music, and some people will never have a good ear for music, no matter how hard they try. But those types of people are both in the minority. For the rest of us, practice and repetition are the best tools that we can use to develop a good ear.
If you are reading this column, you probably have a serious interest in music. You probably listen to a lot of songs, and if you are anything like me, you have so much music in your collection that it’s hard to keep track of it at times. Your appetite for music can never be satisfied. This is a good thing.
But while you’re listening to your music, and especially your guitar-driven music, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. First of all, forget about the words. I know that everyone likes to drive around in their cars and belt out the words to their favorite songs at the top of their lungs. But just remember—you are a guitar player. Your love for your instrument should drive you to push the words to the back of your mind, and bring that guitar track right to the front.
When you are listening to the guitar being played, there are certain simple questions that you can ask yourself to help you in figuring out parts by ear. A simple question to begin would be, is there more than one note being played at a time? Even the least discerning of ears should be able to tell if there is just one note being played at a time, or if there is a combination (a chord, remember?). Listen for the individual tones. Are there one, two , three? After three it gets a little trickier, but at least you have something to start with.
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