what is your method?

[Rockitman]

Having recently turned from a sheet reading classical piano player into a keyboard/synth player in a rock cover band, I am experiencing much frustration in learning keyboard parts to various songs. My first step is to scour the internet for any kind of sheets that might be out there but usually the only thing one can find is the Piano/Voice/Guitar version on sites like MusicNotes.com. The problem with this version is it does not show the keyboard parts, it shows vocal melodies. Sure, the chord progressions are on it but tryig to figure out the actual keyboard part has proved very trying at times. Many songs, I usually Youtube them, are very hard to pick out the keys as they are usually not the predominant sound in the song. Those dammed guitars drown out everything!

So what I'm getting at is to ask you all what are your methods of learning new songs?

[J. Dan]

Listen to them.

[CEB]

Listen to them.

 

This.

 

It will get easier. It becomes a matter of pattern recognition plus pitch recognition.

 

Example last week learned House of Pain's Jump Around. There is a main riff in the body of the tune sounded like Baby Elephant Walk with a twist on the end of the phrase. Took 2 minutes to learn it. Learned Brokenhearted by Karmin, I vi IV V pattern same song as Stand by Me and a million other tunes. Learned the basic structure instantly.

 

It becomes easier all the time as you learn more patterns in your head. There is only 12 notes.

[Mogut]

youtube videos, synthesia videos.... download midi files and play them on piano viewer... guitar tab websites (user beware)

 

 

midi site http://www.musicrobot.com/

 

 

theres all kinds of stuff to help you out if your stuck on something

[richforman]

That's my method. The specifics really vary according to many factors - how familiar if at all I am with the song before trying to learn it; how much time I have to learn it; where and with whom I'll be playing it (and how many times and for what type of audience or venue); how complicated or difficult it is - these will all affect the approach I take to learning a specific song. (Like, I may be less particular about learning and recreating everything exactly, for a tune being learned for a one-shot fill-in wedding gig the coming weekend, than I would for a band I'm a member of and play large shows with regularly.)

 

Anyway I think many of us here would agree that generally the best method is to start with figuring it out by ear, just working it out and playing along with the recording to get the lines, parts and chords (and sounds) as close to accurate as you can, and then only use extra resources like youtube videos, printed music, online chord charts, as needed as a kind of last resort for parts where you're hitting some kind of wall and can't quite figure out.

 

For material that you're not previously familiar with from having heard many times already, it is often helpful, if you can make time, just listen to it a bunch of times before you even sit down to try to learn how to play it - familiarizing yourself it first - in this way the chords, keyboard lines you want to recreate, the prominent sound textures and the overall structure - will start to jump right out to you with repeated listens, making it much easier to find and play them. Of course sometimes you don't have time for this and only get to hear a song for the first time when you sit down to learn it along with ten others for a last-minute fill-in gig the coming weekend.

 

Have fun, you will come up with your own personal techniques and methods that are effective and efficient for you. And you will learn a lot and become a better player with every tune you learn!

[wineandkeyz]

Listen to them.

 

+1

 

Listen and listen again, again, and again.

 

Use something like the Amazing Slowdowner if you need to isolate a difficult phrase.

 

When there are multiple parts happening and you can't cover them all, try to identify the signature ones.

 

If the song as a lot of difficult sections, take them one by one then put them together.

 

Have fun. This is music, dammit!

[richforman]

+1 on Amazing Slowdowner, very helpful software for learning faster or more difficult passages. (Can't think of the name of it but there's another well-known similar product for IOS; I went with Slowdowner because it works on Windows.)

 

Another good commercial resource is the website jammit.com; for a large library of song,s they offer isolated tracks of each instrument, and transcriptions of the parts. You have to download their free client app and then purchase the songs individually.

[wineandkeyz]

Another suggestion: Since it sounds like you're relatively new to this learning-by-ear stuff, pick some simpler tunes where the keyboards are prominent and work on them. As you add more experience, it will become easier to hear your parts in tunes where the keyboards aren't as front and center.

[Joe Muscara]

+1 on Amazing Slowdowner, very helpful software for learning faster or more difficult passages. (Can't think of the name of it but there's another well-known similar product for IOS; I went with Slowdowner because it works on Windows.)

Capo - works on Mac OS X and iOS.

[Stokely]

First off, I almost never learn actual parts. It would have to be a very, very recognizable part and even then "close" is fine by me if nobody else minds! I realize some bands are note-for-note, that's fine for some people but I'd hate it. For songs that can't be covered as-is (too many parts, sequences playing etc) then like wineandkeyz says, go for the signature. But even then, our band has 2 guitars so we often change the instrumentation to fit our makeup better.

 

I agree with listening, just putting the tune on a flash drive and playing it in my car is huge.

 

For parts that are difficult (for me, I'm admittedly not a monster player) and that I feel the need to learn pretty much as-is, youtube often has great tutorials. Two examples that come to mind: Foreplay/Longtime from Boston and the piano solo from The Breeze by Skynyrd. Much easier to learn those by watching someone go through it slowly than me try to pick everything out (though I still manage to mangle both of them lol)

 

I generally will go to ultimate guitar, which will almost always be the first hit when I google " chords". With luck that will yield accurate lyrics with chords over the words, which is about my speed when reading music anyway. I copy that into google docs, where I keep and share all my song sheets (and can get them on my phone or ipad as needed), generally reformat it to some degree. Then as I listen and play along with the tune I'll make notes on that sheet (ie, "turnaround 1x main progression" etc). Basically whatever I think I'll need to remember things for a given song.

 

I also will maintain a google spreadsheet for patches needed for new songs, though after I know them I don't generally use this. But it's handy for a practice especially if you haven't reprogrammed your synth(s) yet in sets (which I don't, I wait to see what works in a band setting, and also I try to keep my patches arrange by when we play them if possible).

[clavjav]

I think as richforman said, it completely depends on your role the various factors of that particular song/gig.

 

If I need to learn specific parts for a song, I usually find it easiest to get the midi file, and put that into Sibelius (or any other music notation program should work fine). Within a few minutes to an hour (depending on how complex that part is), I can have it turned into a useable chart.

 

Note: This doesn't help my transcribing skills an awful lot, but on the odd occasion where I can't find a midi, I'll just transcribe it myself.

 

Also, if you're into getting 'sheet music' for songs, I use the website scribd.com, where tons of the stuff is available (probably illegally!) as pdfs

[ChiefDanG]

Agree with "Listen, listen, listen". After a few listens, you hear where the changes are headed and what the important parts are, then get into it.

Really want to butt in about this:

The new version of SetListMaker has audio playback at +\- 50%. You can practice with your notes or charts in front of you and playback the song at a slower speed, and loop troublesome sections.

[Brettymike]

My ears have been my most valuable asset from day 1 many moons ago. And in the early days , I definitely got tired of buying printed music books only to find all the "cool licks" almost never printed.

And not only that , there are often many versions of the same song with different keys and notes!.

And beware , the net (including youtube) can be as reliable as a $2 watch , and quite wrong on top of it.

 

Brett

[WesG]

AnyTune Pro works really well on iOS.

 

I do a mish-mash of lots of things. But I also keep a stack of paper with my own notes for each song I learn. Tricky figures, patch choices, chords, lyrics. Enough to definitely jog my memory 3-4 years down the road. Every now and then I scan the stack of papers and save it to a PDF on my iPad, in alphabetical order by title. Just in case an unexpected request comes up that I draw a blank on.

 

Wes

 

[MotiDave]

I play in several tributes, so "close" is just not acceptable. Here's one source not mentioned, you'll find many more obscure scores that someone else already found:

 

http://www.pianofiles.com/

 

you can search my name motidave, I may even have a sheet you can use. Search on both the song name and the band that recorded it (some listings will only have the book name, but not list all of the songs - you won't find those in a song name search). Then look for sheets that claim to be band score, full band score, that sort of thing. Now, just request. some people on the site are a-hole who pretend to be bartering their way to a future of riches. Others, like me, share freely and only ask that you pay it forward.

 

Even there, the sheets will not be exactly correct. but they usually get you in the ballpark alot faster and are closser to "correct" than any PVG ever is. you still must then listen to discern the subtle differences between the actual work and the sheet. Then it depends how exact you need to be. For some cover bands, close is fine. For tributes, exact is really needed unless you are actually doing improvised extended play versions. If you're just playing it different, thats not a good trib. I find, if I can find a band sheet, it saves me alot of time.

[Jazzmammal]

All of the above and then understand that in lots of cases, it's which version are you trying to learn? Lots of classic songs were recorded one way on the original album but then they changed it for their concerts.

 

I also agree unless it's a specific tribute where you MUST cover it exactly, (ugh) then close enough is close enough. Some tunes really do have a specific keyboard signature lick, like the intro to Feelin Alright by Joe Cocker or the first part of the piano solo in Freddie Freeloader. You better learn those licks but others not so much.

 

Bob

[duff beer]

All of the above and then understand that in lots of cases, it's which version are you trying to learn? Lots of classic songs were recorded one way on the original album but then they changed it for their concerts.

Unless the audience is familiar with the original band's concert version, it can come across like the cover band doesn't know how to play it correctly. Most casual fans are only familiar with the version they hear on the radio and anything else sounds "wrong".

[WesG]

Where do those band scores come from?? I have hunted music stores high and low to no avail. But I have found some via bit torrent that have been very helpful. (I have seen the Hal Leonard transcription books - these are a good start, but there is only about 30 songs done).

 

PVG books are often almost useless for me.

 

Wes

[Dr88s]

Another idea is to get good karaoke versions of the songs you want to cover. It's interesting to hear how the pros choose to cover the keyboard parts (or ignore them altogether), and removing the lead vocals may make the backing arrangement much less busy and much easier to pick out the parts you want.

[Dr88s]

Where do those band scores come from?? I have hunted music stores high and low to no avail.

Wes

 

eBay. They're mostly printed in Japan.

[Kenny Ingram]

What's my method? Always the same:

 

1) Listen.

2) Transcribe note for note to the original recording.

3) Either print off my transcriptions, of upload them to a digital format, and then map and learn all of the parts.

[J. Dan]

Method:

 

1) listen to the song

2) put my fingers on the keyboard and figure out which keys match the notes I hear

3) groom myself and dress cool

4) tell the hot chicks that the singer has herpes.

[Bif_]

The short answer is that there is no short answer. It takes time to figure this stuff out. You have to develop your ear, hands, mind and even change how you listen to music.

 

It's not just good enough to figure out the notes, but also what sound is being used. Playing a cool Wurly lick won't sound the same using a DynoMyPiano EP sound. Signature licks and riffs often have signature sounds. Guitar players deal with this same issue (what type of amp was used, what type of distortion, what guitar, etc.)

 

I've done lot's of sequencing where I tried to copy a song. When I listen to music, I still break it down in my head, hearing each instrument that's playing. It's kind of a curse that I've conditioned myself to hone in on these details rather than listen to the song as a whole entity.

[MorayM]

It depends on how complex a song it is. Usually I'll just sit down and play along with the song with the chords from Ultimate Guitar open (mentally compensating for A#, D# etc and capos) Usually I'll write out my own chord sheet.

 

If it's a bit more complex, or there's a particular section that needs to be note-for-note, I'll find a MIDI or Karaoke file and pull it up in Sibelius to find out exactly what's going on. I also use a program called to slow things down, dial in EQ and if I'm really stuck, work out chord voicings. For pop songs, I don't tend to bother trying to find sheet music - IME most sheets are either wrong or horrendous simplifications.

 

In every case, I just listen to is as much as possible, in the car, in the office, everywhere.

[mcgoo]

It becomes a matter of pattern recognition plus pitch recognition.

 

This.

 

Are you still in school? If so, take a Music Theory class. If not, go buy a book & start learning. You'll be amazed at how it will open your mind & quadruple your speed at picking things out by ear. Why? Because you'll start to hear music as patterns & you'll recognize those patterns. Before you touch a keyboard, you'll be able to tell the difference between a major & minor chord, a M7 or m7, or any further extension. You'll be able to hear sus4 or sus2 chords, whether a chord has the root as its bass, the 3rd or something else. You'll be able to figure out the chord changes by recognizing where the chords fall in the scale degree- I,ii,,iii,IV, etc.

 

Learning a song will go from where you are now- painfully trying to decipher everything you hear, to pretty close to knowing after you've heard the song what the chord changes are, the key of the song, etc. Then when you start picking out specific parts, that'll also be quicker because you'll recognze the patterns (gee- that's a Dorian mode scale starting on the 2nd & moving up to the 6th).

 

By the way- learn the bass line. In rock music, bass is tonic of the chord more often than not. That'll be a big head start.

[TrapperJack]

As a person who has spent many years writing thousands of arrangements, literally, I am quietly chuckling while reading this thread.

 

Just think of all the keys players out there all hacking away to cop the same stuff ...

[Six-string-man]

 

It's kind of a curse that I've conditioned myself to hone in on these details rather than listen to the song as a whole entity.

 

 

 

I know exactly what you mean!

 

I am a soundman, and work most weekends. Last month, my band wasn't playing, so I decided to take in a gig.

 

The whole night, i was sitting there, thinking "That lead guitar needs to be brought up a bit, ........those keys need to be a LOT higher in the mix.......the drums are WAY too loud......"

 

I just couldn't relax, listen to the music, and enjoy.

 

 

SSM

 

 

[MotiDave]

Where do those band scores come from?? I have hunted music stores high and low to no avail. But I have found some via bit torrent that have been very helpful. (I have seen the Hal Leonard transcription books - these are a good start, but there is only about 30 songs done).

 

PVG books are often almost useless for me.

 

Wes

 

Did you search on pianofiles.com? As mentioned, there are many band transcription books that come out of Japan or Korea that show full band scores. Another "line" of books is called Rock Score. List a few songs/artists here, I can check for you.

 

PVG are useless, agree.

[EscapeRocks]

Method:

 

1) listen to the song

2) put my fingers on the keyboard and figure out which keys match the notes I hear

3) groom myself and dress cool

4) tell the hot chicks that the singer has herpes.

 

Yeah pretty much this!

[vonnor]

...Use something like the Amazing Slowdowner if you need to isolate a difficult phrase...

 

Or this: http://bestpractice.en.softonic.com/

 

~ vonnor