by If you can play bass by ear, it changes everything – and I mean EVERYTHING.
If you can play by ear, you can learn lots of songs and learn them quickly.
That means if the ‘regular’ bass player for a band can’t make it, and you can step in and learn a band’s entire song list, they won’t have to cancel their gig and you’ll be their savior.
If you can play by ear and you find yourself at a jam session and someone starts playing a song you don’t know, you can figure things out FAST. That means you can play songs you’ve never even heard before and sound like you’ve been playing them for years.
If there’s a band auditioning for new bass players and you can learn all their songs by ear without asking them for notes or chords. Then you’re free to jam with them on any of their songs, and if you can do that, then chances are you’ll nail the audition and get in the band.
If you get asked to play at a church that plays completely different songs than you know, and you learn their repertoire by ear, do you think they’ll get you back to play again and again? Hell yes they will!
But there’s just one problem…
Playing by ear can be confusing as hell if you’re just starting out.
Should you use ear training apps? Study chords and music theory? What about intervals? Working with drones? Do you need to know all your scales? Can you get away with ‘reading’ the guitarist’s chord shapes or the keys player’s left hand to make your bass lines?
Or should you just give up on playing by ear and go crawling back to the tab sites?
You might start to wonder:
“Is it even possible to learn to play by ear?”
I promise you it absolutely IS possible, and today I want to show you how to get started.
In this lesson, you’re going to learn:
- Your secret weapon in the battle to play by ear (You already have it, you just need to use it)
- What you should START with when trying to play bass by ear (Hint – it’s not any bass line)
- The simple question you ask yourself that will get you playing by ear faster than you might think
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Free Bonus Video- How To Hear ANY Bass Line (Without Needing To Strain Your Ear)
Don't spend hours trying to figure out hard-to-hear bass lines. Master this skill and you'll be able to do it in a single listen.
Obviously playing by ear is a HUGE subject and it’s not exactly easy to cover it in a single 12-minute lesson, so if you want extra help and want to start playing bass by ear – even if you’ve never done it before – make sure and sign up for the free video above.
It’ll show you extra tools and ways you can get further towards playing everything you want using nothing but your ears. No tabs, sheet music or YouTube covers needed.
Good luck with the lesson and happy playing!
Cheers,
This is how I played back in the beginning.
Luke, I’m learning the notes too and I purchased a Beatles song book. Did Paul use the drop down D? I’m seeing on the tabs that no one uses it. Example, Something. The tabs are no where near the music on the sheet.
Thx,
Hey Phil – I’m pretty sure Paul used standard tuning for most things, but wouldn’t be surprised if he experimented with drop D. If you used that tuning, does it fix everything? Is it possible you’re reading the tabs ‘upside down’? If so, this video may help: https://becomeabassist.com/bass-tabs-everything-you-need-to-know/
Thanks for this lesson. I never thought I could play by ear but with your instructions here, I believe I can. Looking forward to more on this topic.
You can absolutely do it Sandy – I believe in you!
Enjoy all you do 👍
Thanks so much Gary – really appreciate it.
12 minutes of simple but invaluable advice .
Going to concentrate on this challenge as my next target .
Can’t sing and struggle to play by ear but I suspect this is going to change …
You can do it John!
I have sent my email address several times to get the free started pack for bassists and I never do get an email enabling me to download the material. My email address is as follows:
[Blocked]
Thanks,
Randy
Hey Randy – you would have been sent a confirmation email, but depending on your email provider, it could have been routed to your ‘spam’ or ‘junk’ folders. Give those a check, click the green button in there, then whitelist the email address so you actually get the things you request through the site.
Hi Luke -I’m really interested in the Level up your ear standard course-Are there any discounts or promo codes available to bring the cost down nearer to the $100 mark as a one off payment?
Thanks
Hey Keith – thanks so much for the interest! I really appreciate it. I’m afraid there aren’t any promotional codes or discounts though. If it’s a bit too far out of your price range, I totally understand – that’s why I’ll keep sharing a ton of free material as well.