[kung_fu]

I know the feeling. I don't think i've used tabs since my first year of playing and now i can pick up most things by ear. I've been trying my hand at some more tricky parts lately, mostly Eric Dolphy compositions. Can be frustrating at times if it is more atonal or has a lot of fast modulations in it, but it feels good when you finally figure it out. Sometimes if I'm experiencing writer's block, I'll start a guitar pro file and transcribe some things by ear.

Originally Posted by JJ Rodriguez

I've seen ads for those ear training kits, but they all look like sketchy companies out to sell you some stupid package and rip you off.

Not to mention the dude in the advertisement usually looks completely insane. I'VE DISCOVERED PERFECT PITCH!!!!!!!!!

[ChaNce]

I haven't learned a cover song in probably over 20 years. It sounds insane, but I'm terrified that Ill cop a riff or part in my own stuff. I also don't have the patience, since I don't play along with songs. Basically, I can only play my stuff and that is it.

[Xtremevillan]

Really, a lot of tab books are "off"? I use the official Necrophagist one and soon to be Arsis one.

Originally Posted by ChaNce

but I'm terrified that Ill cop a riff or part in my own stuff

That's also a huge scare of mine. I do not want to copy someone.

[bostjan]

Yeah, I've seen Tab books where the staff doesn't even match the tab.

You can do a little experiment. Take a well known song by a well-known band and actually analyze the tabs for the same song from different books. I've seen different keys, tunings, bridges, etc all for the same band and the same song.

[JJ Rodriguez]

Good Ear - Online Ear Training Site

If I just sit there and do that shit for like 20-30 minutes a day, will that really help my ear?

[bostjan]

It couldn't hurt. I'd suggest working with a person, but online computer stuff like that really works with some people. Not me, though.

[JJ Rodriguez]

How do you work with a person?

[bostjan]

My guitar teacher started off making little cassettes of chord progressions and sent them home with me for homework. Once I was good enough at that, he would turn his back and play something whilst I figured it out. I feel that I really came a long way through ear training this way.

With my students, I try to describe the various intervals, like how a perfect fifth sounds full and powerful, and how a minor second sounds like Psycho, etc. Then I usually dig up some old 1960's surf rock with really simple melodies and send it home for them to figure out on their own. It's a very direct, yet pedigogical method. With adults, it's often better to have them pick songs they know very well to do first. Movie soundtracks with distinctive melodies are great for first time figure-outs, because the melodies are usually already ingrained.

[PostOrganic]

Originally Posted by JJ Rodriguez

I can't play by ear, and ear training is such a daunting task. I mean, I don't feel the NEED for ear training, since my chops and creativity are what's really lacking now, and I never need to transcribe anything No point in trying to transcribe a crazy ass death metal song if I don't have the chops to play it.

I think it could help with creativity though... if you get some crazy riff in you're head then it would be easier to figure it out on guitar. At least for me, I don't know how many times I've thought up something cool in the past, and then tried to play it on guitar... then totally got off track because I couldn't find the note I needed.

[garthfluff]

Originally Posted by JJ Rodriguez

I only ordered the second one because the US dropped, and I figured what the hell, I'm a single dude making decent money, living in his parents house That's all the justification I need. How the bloody hell do you even develop perfect pitch, or is perfect pitch something you're just born with? I've seen ads for those ear training kits, but they all look like sketchy companies out to sell you some stupid package and rip you off.

Absolute pitch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia