How to learn a song is a common question. Especially from players who are beginning their musical journey. Let’s see if we can take some of the mystery out of it.
Where To Start
Listening is the first step. Listen to the song a couple of times without distractions. Don’t try to sing or practice along just yet. Get to know the song first. Listen for the lyrics, the melody, and how the singer reacts to the band or track.
Learn the groove of the song first. Most music has a consistent pattern that keeps the band driving the song forward. The best way to understand the pulse of the song is to tap your foot along with the track. Each foot tap will be a beat (such as 1-2-3-4). In modern songs, listening to the bass (kick) drum is the easiest to confirm the rhythm of the track.
Different Rhythms Within A Song
Some styles of music (Prog rock, Jazz) will use different time signature markings such as 4/4 moving to 5/4 and back to 4/4, or more syncopated rhythm over a constant time signature within the song.
Find the song’s key so you have your starting point. Since we are bass players, we will first find the root notes of the song to help give us what the chord changes are and to confirm the key of the song. To shorten your learning curve, it’s a good idea to at least have some basics of learning to read music. Sheet music is the blueprint of the song.
Spend some time every day practicing reading music. Look up notes or symbols you don’t know. Reading music will assist with understanding the theory of music, as you will start to notice similar musical patterns. Really, it helps!
Guitars and basses are often written in “tablature” (a simplified way of reading music that tells you where to place your hands). This can also be a big help.
Pattern Repetitions
The song chart above shows the melody and chords of this song. The song has a format of what is known as A-A-B-A. At the beginning of the chart, you see repeat signs with first and second endings indicated. The first time through A, is 8 bars long.
The second time through A (the repeat), is 8 bars in length. The B section is 8 bars in length. The last section is also called an A section because it is a repeat of the first two A sections.
When you are learning a song, you should look for these types of repetitions. In the example above you find that there are really only two sections to learn. The first A section (which is repeated two more times) and the B section.
The Chart
Once you have the pattern understood then start playing the chart with the music. Either the recording or the video. When you play along with the recording you find out what you may not have correct, and you start to set the song pattern into your memory.
Keep in mind that if you are starting from a chart that is available, by the time you play with the recording you may hear differences. Be prepared for this as it is not that unusual.
How to learn a song is a common question. Especially from players who are beginning their musical journey. Let’s see if we can take some of the mystery out of it.
Spend some time every day practicing reading music. Look up notes or symbols you don’t know. Reading music will assist with understanding the theory of music, as you will start to notice similar musical patterns. Really, it helps!
Guitars and basses are often written in “tablature” (a simplified way of reading music that tells you where to place your hands). This can also be a big help.