First, you should already know how to tune a guitar, and be able to play basic chords. Of utmost importance is listening to music in which you can hear the guitar clearly. You need to be able to hear every note the guitar is playing. Select a recording that you like to learn to play.
Use a tuner, harmonica, or piano for standard tuning: E, A, D, G, B, E, from biggest to smallest string. Some recordings have the guitars tuned down one note, as with Stevie Ray Vaughan or AC/DC. When that happens, you have to listen to the first bass note on the recording. Then, find a chord on your guitar where the lowest note of that chord is close to the bass note. Tune that string to that note while you hold the chord, then let go of the chord and tune your guitar to that string.
The next step is to find your key. That first note of the bass in the recording is the root note. The key of the song has the same name as that note. Play the major and a minor chord. Whichever one sounds like it fits, is the 1st or tonic chord of the song.
Next, find the 5th chord. This is the dominant chord. Count 5 notes from the tonic chord, in the series ABCDEFG. When you hit G, loop back to A and keep counting. As an example, if your tonic chord was E major, then the fifth note you count should be B. The dominant chord is always major, so B major is the 5th chord.
Now, find the 4th chord in the same way. If the root was minor, the 4th will be minor. If the root was major, the 4th will be major. This is called the subdominant chord.
Always remember, that everything in a song centers around the most important tonic chord. An important part of Western tonal music is the movement from the 5th to the 1st chord. It often appears at the end of verses or choruses, and almost always at the end of a song. The 5th is often played as a 7 chord, such as D7 in the key of G major.
Many things may happen before the 5 to 1 change. A basic pattern is 1-4-5-1. You hear something like this a lot in country and rock, usually as 1-4-1-5-1. Jazz songs may use a basic theme of 2-5-1. This 2nd chord, the supertonic chord, is minor for a jazz song in a major key.
In rock and pop, the 6th chord, or submediant, is often used in to make verses or chorus chord progressions more interesting. You also hear it often as the first chord in a bridge. It is a good way to add variety when you are already using three other important chords.
As you learn more songs you'll start to see common patterns. It will be obvious that some artists use the same pattern over and over. This makes it easy to learn more of that artists songs.
Try this stuff. You will start enjoying yourself almost immediately. The more you do it, the easier it will be to learn new songs. Trying different styles will make you even better. After a couple of months, you will be proficient at simple songs. After a few years, you will be confident about learning most songs you hear.
Use a tuner, harmonica, or piano for standard tuning: E, A, D, G, B, E, from biggest to smallest string. Some recordings have the guitars tuned down one note, as with Stevie Ray Vaughan or AC/DC. When that happens, you have to listen to the first bass note on the recording. Then, find a chord on your guitar where the lowest note of that chord is close to the bass note. Tune that string to that note while you hold the chord, then let go of the chord and tune your guitar to that string.
The next step is to find your key. That first note of the bass in the recording is the root note. The key of the song has the same name as that note. Play the major and a minor chord. Whichever one sounds like it fits, is the 1st or tonic chord of the song.
Next, find the 5th chord. This is the dominant chord. Count 5 notes from the tonic chord, in the series ABCDEFG. When you hit G, loop back to A and keep counting. As an example, if your tonic chord was E major, then the fifth note you count should be B. The dominant chord is always major, so B major is the 5th chord.
Now, find the 4th chord in the same way. If the root was minor, the 4th will be minor. If the root was major, the 4th will be major. This is called the subdominant chord.
Always remember, that everything in a song centers around the most important tonic chord. An important part of Western tonal music is the movement from the 5th to the 1st chord. It often appears at the end of verses or choruses, and almost always at the end of a song. The 5th is often played as a 7 chord, such as D7 in the key of G major.
Many things may happen before the 5 to 1 change. A basic pattern is 1-4-5-1. You hear something like this a lot in country and rock, usually as 1-4-1-5-1. Jazz songs may use a basic theme of 2-5-1. This 2nd chord, the supertonic chord, is minor for a jazz song in a major key.
In rock and pop, the 6th chord, or submediant, is often used in to make verses or chorus chord progressions more interesting. You also hear it often as the first chord in a bridge. It is a good way to add variety when you are already using three other important chords.
As you learn more songs you'll start to see common patterns. It will be obvious that some artists use the same pattern over and over. This makes it easy to learn more of that artists songs.
Try this stuff. You will start enjoying yourself almost immediately. The more you do it, the easier it will be to learn new songs. Trying different styles will make you even better. After a couple of months, you will be proficient at simple songs. After a few years, you will be confident about learning most songs you hear.
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For more information on all aspects of guitar playing visit How To Play Guitar By Ear or to find out about a fantastic guitar learning course you can download, read my Jamorama Review
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