Playing Ukulele by Ear

Does anyone know how to chord songs by ear? I want to know more about when to change chords (I've got it pretty well figured out), and what about the notes in a phrase that don't really fit the chord? ld:

No but I can fiddle with my belly button!

Seriously, a lot of it is chord progression recognition. Jim DeVille is a great source http://www.playukulelebyear.com

Hope this helps

No, I can't work out chord sequences from listening to music. I really admire those who can. Exactly when you change from one chord to the next is sometimes variable, within very small limits, as is the use of passing chords, and the way you phrase the lyrics. You can stick closely to the original, or introduce your own flavour, or emphasis.

That's my excuse, anyway. If you make a mistake, repeat it a couple of times - they might think it's jazz.

John Colter.

The easiest way for me is to first try and find the starting or ending chords, these are usually but not always the key of the song.

It also might be helpful to start working with the Circle of Fifths.

If you can start thinking of chords as being in "families" then you will have a better idea of what chords work together. For instance, if you have a chord progression of C, F, G then you can use any of the chords in those "families" to either write a song, correct a song that is chorded wrong, or embellish a song. This Circle of Fifths shows 3 chords in each "family". That opens up your 3 chord song to 9 potential chords, and the more chords you learn in each "family" will increase choices. If you add new notes to your Circle of Fifths as you encounter them then you will eventually have a fairly extensive set of options.

As for the rest.... listen to the songs you're trying to play. Listen to them until your ears bleed. Then bandage them up and listen to the songs some more...

Phluffy, I know about the circle of fifths and the chord families, and I know lots of them. What I want to know is when does one change chords? Does one just FEEL where to change or LISTEN for it, or is there a system to it? I already know some songs, and, with prodigious effort, I can maybe memorize the words, but so far I've been changing chords just whenever it seems right. Is that all there is to it, or is there a better way? Am I making it more difficult than it really is? ld:

Down Up Dick said:

......so far I've been changing chords just whenever it seems right. Is that all there is to it, or is there a better way? Am I making it more difficult than it really is? ld:

Click to expand...

Yes.

Think of it like driving. Your eyes takes an input, brain translates the input through a decision algoritm, and the output is impulses to hands and feet (steering, braking, acceleration, etc.). "Ear playing" is no different - substitute aural for visual, the decision algorithm changes to accommodate the input/output requirements, and the motor response (hands-fingers) occurs accordingly.

As with all input-output learning processes, repetition reinforces recognition (of input and resulting output) and the more repetition, the greater the processing speed. After a while, it's all "second nature."

The "learning curve" is different for every person. It took me a couple decades, while it took my granddaughter a couple weeks. Just relax and enjoy the ride....

Another vote for Jim De'Ville

I was at a ukulele festival and for some reason I was changing chords early, even looking at them on the overhead. The guy leading the group told me that he appreciated that I had so much enthusiasm and excitement that I couldn't wait. I think he was just being nice.

I know who Jim DeVille is. I watched all 26 lessons, but he's way too basic for me. I'm much farther along than that. I have a habit of over analyzing stuff especially if I get interested in it, and I think I've been doin' it again. Thanks, All, I think I've got it. Now it's time to get strumming and listening. ld:

Try this section of Jim D'Ville's website:
http://www.playukulelebyear.com/category/3-chord-club/

Each week he puts up three songs to play along with, and give some hints on what chords to play. Sometimes the hints include the key and/or progression.

I don't play by ear, heck, I don't even play by eye. But I learn by watching AND listening, over and over. I have a friend who has played banjo, tenor guitar, and bairtone uke for 6 decades, and he still carries around a chord sheet he made up with all the basic chords in each popular key....

Gary52, I looked in at your suggested website, and it looks pretty interesting. I listened to a few tunes, but I had to go eat dinner. I don't miss dinner! Thanks for the tip, I'll give it another listen. ld:

I listen to the bass line in most pop songs. Usually if the bass changes, it's either the next chord or an inversion of the current chord, unlike jazz where the bass actually does more than hold the bottom haha.
Also try to get the rhythm in your foot - most songs are 4/4 (common time) which makes it easier to spot the chord change. Like everyone has said, listening is everything! These two kind of give you something to listen for and help you spot those changes.

When you look at songs with chords/words, the chord changes are usually just about the words. Are you able to follow them. If so then just keep repeating the song till you eventually don't need to look at the chord changes and you should be able to hear/feel where they need to be changed. Also listen to some backing tracks for songs and play along. You will then have to keep up with the chord changes.

When to change chords is a little different. Like I said before, keep listening to the song you're trying to play until you know it really well. Then listen to it some more.

Personally, I like to keep things simple. I rely a lot on the rhythm of the songs I play because I either play rhythm in a group or I sing while I play. Strum patterns (and more recently picking patterns) will almost always govern my chord changes. Since chord changes almost always happen in a predictable manner, I try to find patterns that compliment the song which can be timed so the chord changes occur organically. Strum patterns can almost always be used to pace your chord changes. Most songs can be played with different strum patterns that will more or less work, but the more strum patterns you know, the more likely you are to find one that fits the song and accommodates natural, fluid chord changes.

What do I mean by that...? Okay, quick example: Angel in Blue by J. Geils Band: The rotation is C, G, Am, F, C for the verses. The chord changes occur on the last word of each verse. So, as you play it the chord changes look something like this:

(Tacet)We met in a (C)bar
Out on Chesapeake (G)Bay
With her white satin (AM)boots
And her blouse red (F)lame'
A table top (C)dancer
She would smile on (G)cue
Oh the lips of an (AM)angel (F)
Angel in (C)blue.

I play this song two ways. I'll probably figure out other ways to play it in the future because I tend to learn songs that I want to play and I play this one a lot. You could do a pretty good version of this if you did the chord changes as I have them notated before the word, but ideally they should occur right at the first sound of the word where the chord change takes place. Playing it over and over again is the only way I know of to get the timing just right.

The first way I learned to play it is with a DDUUDU strum pattern. Each note gets 2 repetitions until "Oh the lips of an (AM)angel (F)", then the AM and the F get one repetition of the DDUUDU pattern. Once you have the meter of the song in your head, you simply adjust the DDUUDU pattern to the speed of the song, and the changes will just fall into place. One problem I have with this version is that I can never come back to the 3rd verse singing in tune after the bridge. But, the song also has a solo after the 3rd verse. So I adapted it to play the solo after the bridge, which allows me to come back into the 3rd verse singing in tune. The song structure makes that sound funny though, so now I play it with the bridge and solo AFTER the 3rd verse when I play it this way.

The second way I play the song is with a picking pattern that gets 8 repetitions then 4 and 4 for "Oh the lips of an (AM)angel (F)". Again, the timing of the pattern makes the chord changes pretty natural. It also changes the mood of the song from sad & soulful to downright depressing...

Sometimes you have to just say "To Hell" with what sounds right and play what you can work with. Recently I posted a Blue Oyster Cult song that I basically had 3 choices on. I could A. Play the song wrong but as close to right as I could manage while I sang the lyrics . B. Play the song correctly without singing the lyrics. Or C. Have a psychotic episode trying to play the song correctly while singing. I opted for A., because I only had a week to work with the song, and it kinda needed the lyrics to make sense. Since I only learn songs I love to play though, there's a pretty good chance that I'll pick it up again at some point and have an "AHA!" moment and figure out a way to play the song a little better.

This is a pretty basic example of how I go about figuring out the timing on chord changes. On a somewhat related note, when I play songs with multiple strum patterns, I break down the individual parts of the song and practice the sections separately, then go back and figure out how to make it all work together. One song I play frequently has 3 distinctly different strum patterns (UDDD for the intro, DDDD, and DDUUDU) and each strum pattern makes the chord changes fall into place while I sing that section of the song.

Anyway, this post turned out considerably longer than I intended it to be. Sorry about that. I hope it helps. Your mileage may vary...

Down Up Dick said:

Phluffy, I know about the circle of fifths and the chord families, and I know lots of them. What I want to know is when does one change chords? Does one just FEEL where to change or LISTEN for it, or is there a system to it? I already know some songs, and, with prodigious effort, I can maybe memorize the words, but so far I've been changing chords just whenever it seems right. Is that all there is to it, or is there a better way? Am I making it more difficult than it really is? ld:

Click to expand...

I listen a lot. Over and over. I try to work off a sheet of lyrics, or a sheet of paper where I can plot out a "map" of where the song is going. Verse, bridge, chorus, next verse and so on, writing the chord names down, erasing, listening and going back. I can sometimes grab the main chords and then will keep going back until I figure out the chords in between. So, it is like connecting the dots for me. I can't always make it work and I come here to get help in the song help section, which is wonderful. Folks here have such a wealth of knowledge.

As far as when to change, if it feels right and sounds right to you, then I say it is right. You may tweak it as you listen and perform the song over and over.

I'm an avid whistler, and, if I know a tune (including classical), I can whistle it. The same with my mouth harps and now (pretty well) with my flutes. And that's what I'd like to do with my Ukes.

Lately, my memory seems to have returned, and now I'm learning a few songs. The tunes are no problem; I can whistle them 'til I learn them. The words are no problem right now either. It's the darned chords. I know the chords, but I can't remember where the heck they go. But I've been listening more intently, and now I can sorta "hear" where they go. So I am making some progress. I can play if I use music, but reading the words and the chords and remembering the tune is sometimes overwhelming. Being an old musician with everything fading is a grind, but at least I can still learn (slowly) and play.

Sorry for this tirade. I guess I needed to vent. ld:

Most music follows a 1/4/5 progression. In the key of A, A-1, D=4 and E=5. In the key of C, C=1, F=4 and G=5. Knowing what chords can be played in each scale helps you get used as to what to expect.

I like to tape this to the top of an 'ukulele. It is the Chord Progressions and Vamps for different Keys. It makes it easier to follow along when Keys are changed. This also shows the Hawai'i Vamp (turn around) for common keys.

Key_Chord Progression.......................Key_Vamp

C - ..C.....C7....F....Fm....G7....C...........C -...D7...G7...C....

F - ..F......F7....Bb..Bbm..C7....F............F -...G7...C7...F....

A - ..A.....A7....D....Dm...E7.....A...........A -...B7....E7...A...

G - ..G....G7....C....Cm...D7....G...........G -...A7...D7...G...

D - ..D....D7....G....Gm...A7....D............D -...E7...A7...D...

If you play each line left to right twice through on each line every day for two weeks, you will develop muscle memory for each of the chords and also familiarity with the chords most commonly played in the common keys of C, F, A, G and D. For the fingering for these chords, I highly recommend:

http://ukuleletonya.com/files/beginner_lesson_pkg.pdf