Learning new songs

Experienced players and instructors, if you guys hear a song and you want to learn it, what is your process? or maybe ways to go about it?

I've noticed that free tab over the Internet isn't always accurate. So what do you do? Find sheet music with tab? Try to figure out the key and work it out that way?

thanks,

Dave

Well I dont consider myself an experienced player but I learn songs by myself sometimes :) Here's what I do.

First, I ask myself: What key is the song in ?
Then : What are the chords or bass notes ? If your "musical ear" isnt fully opened yet, like mine, its a trial and error process. With time you will land on the right notes on your first try almost everytime.
Then I have an idea of what scale they might have use. It helps me to find the notes faster, especially in the solos. Its also good for improvising later on (I like to pitch in some of my ideas in the song here and there just for kicks).

Then I play a part of the song - rewind - play - rewind -play - rewind play and so on :) Untill I have all the parts of the song down. A good way to not get discourage is to learn the songs by parts. First verse, then 2nd verse, then chorus and so on. Splitting the solo in different section is also good if you pick a song with a 5 min solo :)

Try using song surgeon. You can slow the songs down and it dosnt affect the pitch.

sounds like a good place to start. Thanks!

Hi StalkingEagle,

I like to listen the the bass notes, it almost always will tell you what chord to play. I'll slide up my E/A string until I match the note. "Happy" or "Sad" sounding will give you "Major" or "Minor"

If I get really stuck on something, I'll just take it one measure at a time until I figure it out.

From what I know, our instructor Anders Mouridsen has a secret trick: he listens to songs over and over very closely before ever picking up the guitar. While driving in traffic, etc. I think he tries to get the entire thing memorized in his head (the leads, etc.) and can sing along with every note. I agree that's a very good way to internalize a song. Because if you don't even really know how the song goes, it'll be that much harder.

There was some great guitarist (I think it was Steve Vai or Joe Satriani) who said that if you can hear it clearly in your head you can teach it to yourself.

That's why Anders always says to watch through the Performance video a few times before trying to play along.

-Carl.