This was really helpful. Singing is really important. BTW, I use the 'Any Tune' software. It let's me put markers anywhere I want, so I can quickly jump to whatever section want to listen to without scrubbing around the recording trying to find the part I'm interested.
I surged out my first basslines of a number by ear two weeks ago and it feels so great, this was before I saw your video's on the subject today, I must have listend to the number at least 200 times but I got all the notes right and a compliment from my teacher, I'm almost 60 bye the way and started playing bass last year.
This is sooo how it is, and the demonstration inspiring. In less than 11 minutes, a no nonsense, personable and easy to follow tutorial on one of the elements to better musicianship- Kudos !! ( I’m gonna go transcribe some stuff now😁) Overheard quote from a few years ago: You kids today will never know the struggle of vinyl records😂😂😂
Ha But, if they would like to learn how to transcribe, they can use the technology of today end slow down the music and practice it this way. I do wish them well and will tell them that their bass playing will increase greatly by being involved in this kind of work. In my case, I never used LP's but recorded the music from the record player onto my cassette machine and would transcribe from there. I got so good with the Pause button that in a fast uptempo solo, I could pause on (say) the second or third note of a group of notes if I couldn't hear the whole phrase.
lumpyjazz 😝- you probably kept playing while pausing with one hand! but you are correct- modern tech takes the guesswork out of it- And as long as folk are using their ears, the end justifies the means- some great tools out there.
Thank you Mr Berlin! I find it very comforting to literally SEE how someone, who is a great bassplayer, deals with this!! I’m always jealous of people who can play anything they hear in a second. I always thought that it is something you have or you don’t. Now i can see that I can train my ears to do that! 🙏
Thanks for the video, Jeff, good points for sure! Hey this reminds me of when I was in my teens, and a friend and I wanted to play "Bourré" by Jethro Tull. I sat there figuring out the bass for myself and then the flute part for the entire piece and taught it to my friend on the guitar. And we did it! Still have the recording from 40 years ago...lol.! I did this all the time and developed a fantastic ear. Once I played on a jazz gig at a big exhibition, 16,000 visitors during the day for 3 days, didn't know any of the songs since I was new to jazz but the bandleader knew me and was confident that I could pull this off just by ear (he also knew I can't read music...lol). That's the stuff that grows hair on your chest... hahahahaha. But having a good ear is a wonderful gift. Another thing I noticed is that I don't think in notes but in intervals. That means you don't really care what key the band wants to play song in, you're good either way...
Pretty much exactly how I learned every piece of music I’ve had to learn! I write and play original music most of the time these days. I joined up with a side project doing covers specifically to get more gigs, but with the intent of having to learn songs I wouldn’t otherwise. The trick has been that some songs are rearranged or keys changed by the band. So I have to unlearn a little and rethink how I play it. The really hard part is when the band has been playing something wrong for a long time...
Hi RNGRZULU Learning is different than playing. The better that you become by great learning, the better that you will play. But, it always begins with learning. Best regards Jeff
This is absolute golden! It’s truly a blessing to be able to watch this man work through this stuff and teach me. I’ll be doing this on piano and bass practicing everyday to train my ears. Thanks Jeff !
Jeff... seriously... thank you for your channel and videos like this one. I’ve been doing this type of transcribing for years and try to impart this to others as well. This is the kind of stuff that makes musicians better and you explain it so well.
Awesome lesson! It's very cool to watch an experienced pro work out a solo! I've never attempted to work out a Miles solo on bass, but this has inspired me to do it! Thanks, Jeff!
Thank you Jeff. I think I see the point of transcribing now. It's another way of getting the music inside you. The more perspectives you see/hear it from the better you can play. I'm a late bloomer.. 71 learning to read the dots and more important the rhythm. I've always learned tunes by ear, so transcribing the melody is easy for me. But, nailing the rhythm makes my brain hurt. Happy new year !!
You're a great teacher, #JeffBerlin! Thank you for being my mentor... now, for decades. You and #AllanHoldsworth made a huge difference in my life for my love and study of progressive music. 🙂
Dear Lumpy, Continuing my thoughts, I'm currently transcribing one of your most beautiful bass solos... the outro solo on Allan Holdsworth's "Road Games." So beautiful I'm tearing up as I listen repeatedly to the last 10 bars, working on capturing all of your notes. :D Thank you, V. (your solo) ua-cam.com/video/25OCxf3ewXk/v-deo.htmlm24s
Hi Jeff, love your vids. I played guitar my whole life and became adept at transcribing. It’s easy compared to bass which became my primary instrument 2 years ago. Bass transcribing can be HARD because it’s not as up front in the mix. I am looking for a vid you might have made about HEARING the bass line to transcribe. Bless you for all you do Jeff.
... hi Michael, in all the bands I ever played in, I found that no one ever expected me to copy the bass exactly. Rather you develop a library or a vocabulary of grooves and bass runs of your own and also a feeling for which music needs what kind of bass line. After all, that's what the guy on the original recording did too. When you get good at that, you only need a chord chart and you're cooking. All you do then is to groove away and carry the song your way. It's like a handwriting, each person has a different one, and a different way to play bass grooves, and that can make things much more interesting. Of course there are exceptions where the bass plays riffs that defines the song, but that's less common than just pumping away on a good, generic groove...
Great stuff Jeff. Yes, indeed the technology can certainly help these days. Especially looping and tempo changes. I remember so well having to do the same ear transcription process from vinyl as I’m sure you’ve used Jeff. Lifting the needle off and when putting it back down was always in slightly different place. Inexact science of the day. If I was holding a phrase in my mind and then checking it with the record, by putting the needle down in the wrong place meant the other musical sounds were competing with my memory. Sometimes you struck lucky, other times not. All helped I guess develop a sense of musical concentration. So good to see this lesson from you today Jeff. Many thanks for everything!
Thank you Jeff! This clip of ear training is how I learned to sing, play piano, guitar, bass and drums. in the 60's it was the only way to pick up a tune, by listening to the lp slowed down from 33rpm to 16rpm which was kind of tough as the pitch was considerably lower, but, hey with midi and digital recordings the pitch doesn't change, unless you want it to. one of my faves to practice is Joe Zawinul's "A Remark You Made"(Heavy Weather)
Bam! The way it was, it is, and should be done! People don't realize it will also help them learn their fretboard! How does one eat an apple? One bite at a time. Excellent information and execution. Thank you
You are correct! This is a WAY more positive way to learn one's fretboard except to practice etudes or harmonic exercises on it, that is, in the academic paradigm.
What a lost art. I remember sitting by the radio with my finger on the record button to catch the newest killer tune so I could learn it. Would take a week sometimes when I was a kid, but it was so cool to blow minds once I had something down. Was extra fun considering back then I was 80 percent guitar and 20 percent bass. Figuring out chords is a blast when you are clueless! 90 percent bass 10 percent guitar these days... bass is just too much fun!
I do this a lot, but mostly on guitar (sometimes keyboards). I don't own a bass guitar, but I still learn bass lines by ear and play them on my guitar sometimes.
Also a great challenge: find popular songs you know with fantastic vocal performances, but that you've never attempted to learn in any way, and based entirely on your memory, play the vocal lines as close to the original as possible against a karaoke version of the same song. For instance, Janis' vocals of "Me and Bobby McGee," or Garfunkel on "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It's not jazz harmony, but it's really, really great practice for timing, tone, expression, etc. Thank you, Jeff Berlin, for your music and wise tutelage.
In the early eighties I sat with a cassette going through exactly this process with Jeff's tune Joe Frazier. It took several days to get the notes down and the intervening years learning to play it! I tell my students transcription is a vital skill (and great fun!), and this vid from the great man demonstrates this perfectly. I'm going to make them watch it. Bless you, Jeff, you still hit the nail on the head every time....
Cheers to you Andy. Keep up the good work. You can be a better and better player as you focus on the right musical things that will get your there. I wish you luck.
Thanks Andy. Learning is so simple and really so narrow an experience. When people catch on to this, there should be a shelf in how people will want to be taught.
Thanks for this Jeff. I've been playing for decades. Learned all the theory, learned my instrument and learned "music" well enough to play out and enjoy playing my bass. Problem is, I feel like I've plateaued for a while. Deep down, I realize it's my ears or lack of them (it's much easier for me to read a piece of music (not tab) than learn it by ear). This has been great motivation to take the leap off the plateau and get to the next level. 15 minutes a day. Start now!
lumpyjazz. Thanks Jeff for the feedback but I’m confused. I can read. It’s playing by ear/transcribing that I have difficulties with. That’s why this video was good for me to see.
Yeah Jeff you hit the nail on the head here is to hear LOL I have pretty much been doing this for over 50 years of playing bass. Weather it's transcribing solos or just learning basslines to anything. It.s then I make my choices of how I use what I have learned to infuse parts or to improvise on it as to my liking, as I take critsism at times, like "hey your not playing it right!" I know I am not, I'm playing it how I want to play it, my rendition, as most of my musician friends get it and smike when they hear it. That's what makes it even more fun and it's not just the notes but how we phrase it and even the groove. One great thing is the more we do this the better we get and the faster our ears tell the brain what is really heard. By that I mean not to search so much for the right notes but know them as we hear them.I saw in your example you jumping around for the notes, what I used to do and still at times do is slide up to the note. It's about ear training, the more we do it the better we get. Times I have been pulled away from playing daily in my life, as when I return there is always a period of retraining my ear. That's just how it is. Keep doing what your doing Jeff, I've been listening to your stuff for I dont know how many years.. Back into the 80's I think maybe more?
To train the ear is that you do this everyday over a variety of musical pieces. I do it whenever I listen to music and play along. After a few week or months the ear and your brain know where to go with what you hesr without searching around for the pitch. If I don't know the key I will just do a slide up on any string and I will hit the tonic or root of any key, then the rest becomes pretty automatic. If the piece is very complex then I might slow it down and break it into sections. Usually once I grasp the basics of a piece, I improvise my own take on it or do variations to find different ways in phrasing a piece and have fun with it. Do rounds of different variation you can come up with from your mind as you play. It cracks me up so much when I find a variation, and doing this with other musicians is so fun case we all start cracking up on each other's take or rendition. You'all know what I'm talking bout? Right? If you don't then keep on trying that ear and eventually come to this point where you can just litrally play about anything. To me that's the culmination of ear training. The problem is how long the ear retains this. For example if for some reason things happen in your life that you can't ear train daily. May be you can't play for a few weeks or a month or a year, ouch. When you come back you will see you you lose from where you were and have to bring it back in almost like starting over. At least that's what happens when I have had any breaks in my playing. The longer your away, the longer it takes to get back to where you were. Sometimes referred to "getting your chops back" I don't know who made that up using the word Chops? Anyone know?
This a great example of how to deal with music. I do not always agree in certain topics with Jeff Berlin but this time it is really inspiring. If I had three thumps I would put them all up. Thanx for this JB and kind regards from Germany.
Thank you Wolfgang. When people say that they don't agree with some points of learning, it is hard to prove them by writing my thoughts. If we ever meet at a bass clinic in Germany, please bring up your thoughts and I would be pleased to try and show you why I conclude about learning that I do. In fact, anyone reading this is invited to do the same thing. :)
My point is not that there is right or wrong. I hope you don't misunderstand me. Experience has taught me there are many ways to learn. I do not classify. Everybody has to find out wich way for him/her is the most effective. In many topics I agree with you and in others I do it less or not at all. You've made your experiences and I made mine. That's all. I really appreciate your playing and teaching. All the best for you and your family.
Hi Wolfgang. In being self taught, there are limitless ways to learn. But, in the teaching of academic music for pay, there most definitely is a right and wrong way to be taught. If there wasn't then why should anyone pay to learn? Consider that almost everything that is taught in vocational schools or universities is based on the teaching of facts to be learned. I think that bass should be taught to students as everything else is. Thank you for posting Wolfgang.
Great stuff, Jeff. This is the best way I've found to sharpen up my listening skills. (I use Seventh String's Transcribe software to slow things down and loop sections).
I like your bass playing since 1979. I found your bass on Light'n up please from Dave Liebman. It gave me inspiration and fun. Legendary with Allan Holdsworth Road games with also Chad Wackerman. I'm working as a nursing expert for out-of-hospital ventilation, but I also play music. You can find me as Mr DAHAMA. Example is DAHAMA HEAVEN IS YOUR PLACE on UA-cam. Best wishes and greetings!
I'm doing this literally as we speak for your live rendition of Lim Poo with Watanabe - cannot wait to do a cover of it soon! You've been my favourite bassist since I discovered Kazumi, even before I started bass itself. I was always worried/concerned about tackling some of your playing but it's going well so far!
It’s a blast that I can now see melodies almost instantaneously these days on the bass. Of course, you got it right, Jeff! BTW, I “earred out” your bass solo on WATER ON THE BRAIN Pt. II. Fantastic solo! Tough to play. You’re a master!!!
"You are seeing me struggle...." 😂😂😂😂😂 To watch someone struggling with transcription, I should upload a video. Amazing tutorial! I will now drop down the phone and continue transcribing a solo I am working on. Thanks!
Singing is one way to do this. But, this doesn't actually help people to identify the notes. What this actually means is that people heard the notes and duplicated them vocally.
That’s a great lesson Jeff! Thank you. Transcribing for me was and is still a bit of a “thing” for me. I try, and than think I can’t do it etc etc. to see someone else do it makes it a bit more accessible. 🙏
thank you for your insight... i need to get off the tab train and start to learn how to do this on my own... one chunk at a time with my god given ears.....CHEERS tim
Thank you so much! Inspiring to see a real pro transcribing! I always feel and am so slow doing this but I am 1/1000 the musican you are. I was curious if slowing the music down would be considered cheating or less beneficial? And thanks for the tip of doing it 15 minutes a day! That makes it managable and doable!
Sure! You can slow down the music if you need to. The reason that none of us did in the old days is because the technology didn't exist. But, there was a benefit that came with this. As with my stance against metronomes and tuners, I found that the more that I was "confined" to music, ear, and instrument, the better I got as a musician, which really is the goal when you stop and think about it. Because we were forced to transcribe solos at real tempos, we developed a skill set that we might not have developed had we slowed down the music. But, here, I have to say that I might be wrong. I don't really know this for sure. Thus, my bottom line contribution is that the notes are Sacred and using your ear to figure them out will get you WAY, WAY FARTHER down the road to musical improvement. If you have to slow down the solos to find out what those notes are, then go for it and do it in peace. Nothing bad is taking place.
My retention is pretty spot on. I deliberately played a couple of notes not exactly as Miles did, because I didn't want to show people how I did this, but how everyone might go about it while fixing their mistakes.
Sure... that's good teaching. I write charts for my bands, when I have a member that can read. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Eventually, when i hear music, i can picture the notation. I still can't hear the music when i look at the notation, though. I can hum along though, clumsily. We've spoken before about sight reading. You know me as Gregg Oliver from NAMM and Facebook and ...well... everywhere but UA-cam.
Great video. I think this idea is super important, especially cuz most of the music you wanna learn to play out there is wrong. Altho, i dunno about anyone else, but the first three notes to me sound like D C B, instead of D C G.
Should I describe solos and melodies of solo instruments on my bass first or bass lines too ? Or maby both ? What do you recommend Mr Berlin ? @Jeff Berlin Music Group ?
He closes his eyes sometimes because shutting down 1 sensory element enhances other ones. Most pictures of the great musicians, they have their eyes closed to really hear everything. This is a great video btw
Hi Cristian. I never regard key centers for anything that I play, nor do I analyze the solos. It is the doing and playing that seems to explain the deeper meaning of what the soloists were thinking when they played their solos. Certainly, analysis could happen, but this isn't something that got me deeper into the transcriptions that I wrote out. Also, I never regard modes as they aren't anymore significant a point of theory/harmony as any other point of learning is.
Wish I could. As a deaf bassist, not being able to identify notes/chords by ear means transcribing is out of the question for me. I could write my own music but not transcribe someone else’s.
![How To Transcribe Vocal Melodies [Ear Training For Guitar]](/img/n.gif)
This is a teacher that explains the thought process. Not only what to do. like most teachers, but what to expect as your doing it.
Thank you for your thought Rick. I appreciate it greatly.
Masterful teaching Jeff, so good to see you online. It's Gary in L.A. from your old Wells days in Hollywood. All the best.
This was really helpful. Singing is really important.
BTW, I use the 'Any Tune' software. It let's me put markers anywhere I want, so I can quickly jump to whatever section want to listen to without scrubbing around the recording trying to find the part I'm interested.
I surged out my first basslines of a number by ear two weeks ago and it feels so great, this was before I saw your video's on the subject today, I must have listend to the number at least 200 times but I got all the notes right and a compliment from my teacher, I'm almost 60 bye the way and started playing bass last year.
This is a brilliant video Jeff. Thank you so much!
I love seeing the thought process, all too often it's the end result that's taught, not the process of how to attain the end result. Fantastic video!
This is sooo how it is, and the demonstration inspiring. In less than 11 minutes, a no nonsense, personable and easy to follow tutorial on one of the elements to better musicianship- Kudos !! ( I’m gonna go transcribe some stuff now😁)
Overheard quote from a few years ago:
You kids today will never know the struggle of vinyl records😂😂😂
Jason Rosner- Bass agreed. Watching one of the best learning is amazing!
Dave Musgrave yeah- it’s the way he lays it out- he doesn’t extrapolate, this should be the standard of education, whether private or in- school
Ha But, if they would like to learn how to transcribe, they can use the technology of today end slow down the music and practice it this way. I do wish them well and will tell them that their bass playing will increase greatly by being involved in this kind of work. In my case, I never used LP's but recorded the music from the record player onto my cassette machine and would transcribe from there. I got so good with the Pause button that in a fast uptempo solo, I could pause on (say) the second or third note of a group of notes if I couldn't hear the whole phrase.
lumpyjazz 😝- you probably kept playing while pausing with one hand! but you are correct- modern tech takes the guesswork out of it- And as long as folk are using their ears, the end justifies the means- some great tools out there.
And tape players which you could slow down but then you were in a different, most probably Non-existing key, hahaha :-D True that!
This is the thing most of people are afraid of: the simplicity. Great lesson, Jeff!
His passion in inspiring , even as a guitar player. Should be more teachers like him.
Cheers DX. I love it more than people know which is why I am alert to things that might not pan out for students even if they are told that they are.
Thank you Mr Berlin! I find it very comforting to literally SEE how someone, who is a great bassplayer, deals with this!! I’m always jealous of people who can play anything they hear in a second. I always thought that it is something you have or you don’t. Now i can see that I can train my ears to do that! 🙏
I love your teaching style !!!!
Just stumbled over your site. I'll be tuning in, your teaching style is great
Not even a bass player, but watching someone transcribe stuff helps to boost confidence about it
Thanks for the video, Jeff, good points for sure! Hey this reminds me of when I was in my teens, and a friend and I wanted to play "Bourré" by Jethro Tull. I sat there figuring out the bass for myself and then the flute part for the entire piece and taught it to my friend on the guitar. And we did it! Still have the recording from 40 years ago...lol.! I did this all the time and developed a fantastic ear. Once I played on a jazz gig at a big exhibition, 16,000 visitors during the day for 3 days, didn't know any of the songs since I was new to jazz but the bandleader knew me and was confident that I could pull this off just by ear (he also knew I can't read music...lol). That's the stuff that grows hair on your chest... hahahahaha. But having a good ear is a wonderful gift. Another thing I noticed is that I don't think in notes but in intervals. That means you don't really care what key the band wants to play song in, you're good either way...
Jeff Berlin, a real treasure and excellent teacher. So grateful for your videos
You're an incredible teacher, Jeff!! I can't wait to look for more of your instructional videos.
Pretty much exactly how I learned every piece of music I’ve had to learn!
I write and play original music most of the time these days. I joined up with a side project doing covers specifically to get more gigs, but with the intent of having to learn songs I wouldn’t otherwise.
The trick has been that some songs are rearranged or keys changed by the band. So I have to unlearn a little and rethink how I play it.
The really hard part is when the band has been playing something wrong for a long time...
Hi RNGRZULU Learning is different than playing. The better that you become by great learning, the better that you will play. But, it always begins with learning. Best regards Jeff
This is absolute golden! It’s truly a blessing to be able to watch this man work through this stuff and teach me. I’ll be doing this on piano and bass practicing everyday to train my ears. Thanks Jeff !
i love jeff i learn so much just by what he says. one of the greats!!!!!
You're an amazing teacher, thank you so much!
wonderful tutorial...very encouraging!!
Maybe someone said that earlier... but I guess you can apply this to very instrument... Great demo Mr Berlin, thank you so much...
Jeff... seriously... thank you for your channel and videos like this one. I’ve been doing this type of transcribing for years and try to impart this to others as well. This is the kind of stuff that makes musicians better and you explain it so well.
This was a phantastic lesson. Thank you very much!!
Awesome lesson! It's very cool to watch an experienced pro work out a solo! I've never attempted to work out a Miles solo on bass, but this has inspired me to do it! Thanks, Jeff!
Great to hear Keith.
Such a great guy! I hope I get to meet you sometime even over the internet.
Thank you Jeff. I think I see the point of transcribing now. It's another way of getting the music inside you. The more perspectives you see/hear it from the better you can play. I'm a late bloomer.. 71 learning to read the dots and more important the rhythm. I've always learned tunes by ear, so transcribing the melody is easy for me. But, nailing the rhythm makes my brain hurt. Happy new year !!
Thank you Jeff. Beautifully explained. I have done this to learn your bass lines ;-)
You're a great teacher, #JeffBerlin! Thank you for being my mentor... now, for decades. You and #AllanHoldsworth made a huge difference in my life for my love and study of progressive music. 🙂
This is so great to hear Vincent. Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Dear Lumpy,
Continuing my thoughts, I'm currently transcribing one of your most beautiful bass solos... the outro solo on Allan Holdsworth's "Road Games."
So beautiful I'm tearing up as I listen repeatedly to the last 10 bars, working on capturing all of your notes. :D
Thank you,
V.
(your solo)
ua-cam.com/video/25OCxf3ewXk/v-deo.htmlm24s
Hi Jeff, love your vids. I played guitar my whole life and became adept at transcribing. It’s easy compared to bass which became my primary instrument 2 years ago. Bass transcribing can be HARD because it’s not as up front in the mix. I am looking for a vid you might have made about HEARING the bass line to transcribe. Bless you for all you do Jeff.
... hi Michael, in all the bands I ever played in, I found that no one ever expected me to copy the bass exactly. Rather you develop a library or a vocabulary of grooves and bass runs of your own and also a feeling for which music needs what kind of bass line. After all, that's what the guy on the original recording did too. When you get good at that, you only need a chord chart and you're cooking. All you do then is to groove away and carry the song your way. It's like a handwriting, each person has a different one, and a different way to play bass grooves, and that can make things much more interesting. Of course there are exceptions where the bass plays riffs that defines the song, but that's less common than just pumping away on a good, generic groove...
Grande maestro, muchas gracias, me a servido arto, gracias, saludos y un gran abrazo, desde Chile.
Super cool to show the process
Most people wouldn’t show that
And I think musicians need to see this early on in their music quest
Great stuff Jeff. Yes, indeed the technology can certainly help these days. Especially looping and tempo changes. I remember so well having to do the same ear transcription process from vinyl as I’m sure you’ve used Jeff. Lifting the needle off and when putting it back down was always in slightly different place. Inexact science of the day. If I was holding a phrase in my mind and then checking it with the record, by putting the needle down in the wrong place meant the other musical sounds were competing with my memory. Sometimes you struck lucky, other times not. All helped I guess develop a sense of musical concentration.
So good to see this lesson from you today Jeff. Many thanks for everything!
Thank you for checking it out Kaunas.
Thank you Jeff! This clip of ear training is how I learned to sing, play piano, guitar, bass and drums. in the 60's it was the only way to pick up a tune, by listening to the lp slowed down from 33rpm to 16rpm which was kind of tough as the pitch was considerably lower, but, hey with midi and digital recordings the pitch doesn't change, unless you want it to. one of my faves to practice is Joe Zawinul's "A Remark You Made"(Heavy Weather)
Great Sand. I think that you are learning very well as WAY more people than just me learned how to transcribe this way.
This is one of the most inspirational, helpful and generous videos on UA-cam. No joke.
How kind to hear Guru.
Bam! The way it was, it is, and should be done! People don't realize it will also help them learn their fretboard! How does one eat an apple? One bite at a time. Excellent information and execution. Thank you
You are correct! This is a WAY more positive way to learn one's fretboard except to practice etudes or harmonic exercises on it, that is, in the academic paradigm.
You understand completely. Your path is wide open...
Well said! One bite at a time. And doing this every day.
What a lost art. I remember sitting by the radio with my finger on the record button to catch the newest killer tune so I could learn it. Would take a week sometimes when I was a kid, but it was so cool to blow minds once I had something down. Was extra fun considering back then I was 80 percent guitar and 20 percent bass. Figuring out chords is a blast when you are clueless! 90 percent bass 10 percent guitar these days... bass is just too much fun!
Yes it is a BALL! Some people call me a genius. I'm not a genius. I transcribed geniuses' sax or piano playing and learned from them.
lumpyjazz - you are a genius teacher, Jeff. Much respect to you.
Awwwwwwww BEANS :) :) :) :) :) Seriously, thank you for such a generous compliment Paul.
I do this a lot, but mostly on guitar (sometimes keyboards). I don't own a bass guitar, but I still learn bass lines by ear and play them on my guitar sometimes.
Ear training, my friend! Great job!
Jeff Berlin, I have been a fan nearly forty years. Like his style or not, he can hang with anyone in terms of pure musical skill.
Thank you BAJ. You are very generous.
Also a great challenge: find popular songs you know with fantastic vocal performances, but that you've never attempted to learn in any way, and based entirely on your memory, play the vocal lines as close to the original as possible against a karaoke version of the same song. For instance, Janis' vocals of "Me and Bobby McGee," or Garfunkel on "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It's not jazz harmony, but it's really, really great practice for timing, tone, expression, etc.
Thank you, Jeff Berlin, for your music and wise tutelage.
In the early eighties I sat with a cassette going through exactly this process with Jeff's tune Joe Frazier. It took several days to get the notes down and the intervening years learning to play it! I tell my students transcription is a vital skill (and great fun!), and this vid from the great man demonstrates this perfectly. I'm going to make them watch it. Bless you, Jeff, you still hit the nail on the head every time....
Cheers to you Andy. Keep up the good work. You can be a better and better player as you focus on the right musical things that will get your there. I wish you luck.
Thanks Andy. Learning is so simple and really so narrow an experience. When people catch on to this, there should be a shelf in how people will want to be taught.
Ha! How kind of you Andy. Wishing you the best of luck.
Most important lesson! Thx
Thanks for this Jeff. I've been playing for decades. Learned all the theory, learned my instrument and learned "music" well enough to play out and enjoy playing my bass.
Problem is, I feel like I've plateaued for a while. Deep down, I realize it's my ears or lack of them (it's much easier for me to read a piece of music (not tab) than learn it by ear). This has been great motivation to take the leap off the plateau and get to the next level.
15 minutes a day. Start now!
Hi Leon. Your plateau can be over as soon as you start to read and play new musical academic principles. Wishing you well with this.
lumpyjazz. Thanks Jeff for the feedback but I’m confused. I can read. It’s playing by ear/transcribing that I have difficulties with. That’s why this video was good for me to see.
Ah, I see. OK! Well, keep up the transcriptions. If you need any guidance, please write me a private message on FB.
Yeah Jeff you hit the nail on the head here is to hear LOL I have pretty much been doing this for over 50 years of playing bass. Weather it's transcribing solos or just learning basslines to anything. It.s then I make my choices of how I use what I have learned to infuse parts or to improvise on it as to my liking, as I take critsism at times, like "hey your not playing it right!" I know I am not, I'm playing it how I want to play it, my rendition, as most of my musician friends get it and smike when they hear it. That's what makes it even more fun and it's not just the notes but how we phrase it and even the groove.
One great thing is the more we do this the better we get and the faster our ears tell the brain what is really heard. By that I mean not to search so much for the right notes but know them as we hear them.I saw in your example you jumping around for the notes, what I used to do and still at times do is slide up to the note. It's about ear training, the more we do it the better we get. Times I have been pulled away from playing daily in my life, as when I return there is always a period of retraining my ear. That's just how it is. Keep doing what your doing Jeff, I've been listening to your stuff for I dont know how many years.. Back into the 80's I think maybe more?
To train the ear is that you do this everyday over a variety of musical pieces. I do it whenever I listen to music and play along. After a few week or months the ear and your brain know where to go with what you hesr without searching around for the pitch. If I don't know the key I will just do a slide up on any string and I will hit the tonic or root of any key, then the rest becomes pretty automatic. If the piece is very complex then I might slow it down and break it into sections. Usually once I grasp the basics of a piece, I improvise my own take on it or do variations to find different ways in phrasing a piece and have fun with it. Do rounds of different variation you can come up with from your mind as you play. It cracks me up so much when I find a variation, and doing this with other musicians is so fun case we all start cracking up on each other's take or rendition. You'all know what I'm talking bout? Right? If you don't then keep on trying that ear and eventually come to this point where you can just litrally play about anything. To me that's the culmination of ear training. The problem is how long the ear retains this. For example if for some reason things happen in your life that you can't ear train daily. May be you can't play for a few weeks or a month or a year, ouch. When you come back you will see you you lose from where you were and have to bring it back in almost like starting over. At least that's what happens when I have had any breaks in my playing. The longer your away, the longer it takes to get back to where you were. Sometimes referred to "getting your chops back" I don't know who made that up using the word Chops? Anyone know?
Ha! We are getting old together Lawrence.
This a great example of how to deal with music. I do not always agree in certain topics with Jeff Berlin but this time it is really inspiring. If I had three thumps I would put them all up. Thanx for this JB and kind regards from Germany.
Thank you Wolfgang. When people say that they don't agree with some points of learning, it is hard to prove them by writing my thoughts. If we ever meet at a bass clinic in Germany, please bring up your thoughts and I would be pleased to try and show you why I conclude about learning that I do. In fact, anyone reading this is invited to do the same thing. :)
My point is not that there is right or wrong. I hope you don't misunderstand me. Experience has taught me there are many ways to learn. I do not classify. Everybody has to find out wich way for him/her is the most effective. In many topics I agree with you and in others I do it less or not at all. You've made your experiences and I made mine. That's all. I really appreciate your playing and teaching. All the best for you and your family.
Hi Wolfgang. In being self taught, there are limitless ways to learn. But, in the teaching of academic music for pay, there most definitely is a right and wrong way to be taught. If there wasn't then why should anyone pay to learn? Consider that almost everything that is taught in vocational schools or universities is based on the teaching of facts to be learned. I think that bass should be taught to students as everything else is. Thank you for posting Wolfgang.
Great stuff, Jeff. This is the best way I've found to sharpen up my listening skills. (I use Seventh String's Transcribe software to slow things down and loop sections).
Thank you, Jeff. You are a natural mentor!
I like your bass playing since 1979. I found your bass on Light'n up please from Dave Liebman. It gave me inspiration and fun. Legendary with Allan Holdsworth Road games with also Chad Wackerman. I'm working as a nursing expert for out-of-hospital ventilation, but I also play music. You can find me as Mr DAHAMA. Example is DAHAMA HEAVEN IS YOUR PLACE on UA-cam. Best wishes and greetings!
5:44 that's great!! TWEEE😂 not only a great teacher and of course one of the greatest bass player ever but a very funny guy also
Amazing, such a brilliant bass player and educator! Love the way the process is run through right from the start.
Thank you Ross.
Exceptional video!
great stuff. truly. (and great source material too!)
I'm doing this literally as we speak for your live rendition of Lim Poo with Watanabe - cannot wait to do a cover of it soon! You've been my favourite bassist since I discovered Kazumi, even before I started bass itself. I was always worried/concerned about tackling some of your playing but it's going well so far!
I am amazed in how to the point you are in this video. Thank you so very much!
This video will be required watching for all my students. Thank you Mr Berlin!
How very kind of you JGS. Good luck with your students.
It’s a blast that I can now see melodies almost instantaneously these days on the bass. Of course, you got it right, Jeff! BTW, I “earred out” your bass solo on WATER ON THE BRAIN Pt. II. Fantastic solo! Tough to play. You’re a master!!!
Thank you Sir for such a kind thought.
absolutely appreciated seeing such a great bass master willing to teach and show the fundamentals in person. nice job.
Thank you so much Ben. I hope that you get something positive out of my videos.
I'm glad that you got something positive from the video Ben.
I'm glad that you got something positive from the video. I hope that it guides you to a higher level of bass playing. Cheers from Jeff
This is the Hot Jeff........we all love....thank you for your time
Great to hear Shuzies!!
Gracias Jeff from buenos aires
Thank You so much for this video!!!
"You are seeing me struggle...." 😂😂😂😂😂 To watch someone struggling with transcription, I should upload a video. Amazing tutorial! I will now drop down the phone and continue transcribing a solo I am working on. Thanks!
Good luck Miguel.
Excellent, singing it first is a great idea 💡
In my experience playing it is actually the easy bit - singing the phase accurately is often the tricky bit.
Singing is one way to do this. But, this doesn't actually help people to identify the notes. What this actually means is that people heard the notes and duplicated them vocally.
This is so helpful! Thank you very much ❤️
My pleasure. Shalom!
Great video Jeff!
Thank you.
Good lesson.
That’s a great lesson Jeff! Thank you. Transcribing for me was and is still a bit of a “thing” for me. I try, and than think I can’t do it etc etc. to see someone else do it makes it a bit more accessible. 🙏
Great to hear. Just do it! Everyday even if just a few minutes.
Great demonstration, Jeff! It helps a lot!
I am glad that it did BD.
Great to hear.
Thank you bdm. Best of luck with your playing. Keep up the good work.
thank you for your insight... i need to get off the tab train and start to learn how to do this on my own... one chunk at a time with my god given ears.....CHEERS tim
Absolutely brilliant ! Learning bass live!!
Great to hear Acusticsix. Get off the tab train ASAP because music will change your playing life. Good luck!
awesome! Thanks Jeff 😊😇
Cheers Luki.
He's a master Bass player, probably the best bass ears in his business.
Brilliant Jeff!!!
Thanks, Jeff! Great video.
Great videos Jeff - Thank you
I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
Absolutely :)
That is the way I have been transcribing parts since 1965, in three or four note increments. Best way to learn.
Mr Jeff Berlín. Despite his performance, a very kind person
Thank you so much! Inspiring to see a real pro transcribing! I always feel and am so slow doing this but I am 1/1000 the musican you are.
I was curious if slowing the music down would be considered cheating or less beneficial?
And thanks for the tip of doing it 15 minutes a day! That makes it managable and doable!
Sure! You can slow down the music if you need to. The reason that none of us did in the old days is because the technology didn't exist. But, there was a benefit that came with this. As with my stance against metronomes and tuners, I found that the more that I was "confined" to music, ear, and instrument, the better I got as a musician, which really is the goal when you stop and think about it. Because we were forced to transcribe solos at real tempos, we developed a skill set that we might not have developed had we slowed down the music. But, here, I have to say that I might be wrong. I don't really know this for sure. Thus, my bottom line contribution is that the notes are Sacred and using your ear to figure them out will get you WAY, WAY FARTHER down the road to musical improvement. If you have to slow down the solos to find out what those notes are, then go for it and do it in peace. Nothing bad is taking place.
Excelente explicación Jeff! Muchas gracias!
Mi placer Awa. Mi intention es compartir informacion que puede ayudar bajistas en tocando mejor. Perdona mi mal escribiendo en español.
Jeff. Your the man.
Thank you for your kind words Franklin.
Thank you Jeff!!!
Omg great video and thank u so much for sharing 🎶
you are great (and carismatic), thanks for the lesson
I hope that you get some benefit from it Ricardo..Take care.
Thank you Ricardo. You are very kind. Enjoy the lesson.
Thank you Ricardo. I hope that it helps you to raise up your playing.
This was very cool to watch!
Ha! I am glad to hear it! :)
Thanks Jeff 🙏
My pleasure David.
I don't recall ever doing it another way... and you DO have good retention.
My retention is pretty spot on. I deliberately played a couple of notes not exactly as Miles did, because I didn't want to show people how I did this, but how everyone might go about it while fixing their mistakes.
Sure... that's good teaching. I write charts for my bands, when I have a member that can read. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Eventually, when i hear music, i can picture the notation. I still can't hear the music when i look at the notation, though. I can hum along though, clumsily. We've spoken before about sight reading. You know me as Gregg Oliver from NAMM and Facebook and ...well... everywhere but UA-cam.
Hi Gregg. Thanks for your thoughts. I'll see you in a few months in Anaheim.
This is great- thanks
wonderful man
Excellent demonstration, Jeff. Could you outline your equipment used?
For this demo, I used a Cubase Recording software, but there are much bette softwares to slow music down than this.
The 1000th like on this video is mine
Great video Jeff
Great video. I think this idea is super important, especially cuz most of the music you wanna learn to play out there is wrong. Altho, i dunno about anyone else, but the first three notes to me sound like D C B, instead of D C G.
OMG man! This is beautiful! =)
Should I describe solos and melodies of solo instruments on my bass first or bass lines too ? Or maby both ? What do you recommend Mr Berlin ? @Jeff Berlin Music Group ?
Thank You !
Master bass player, master educator.
Excellent, what's song is?
Grazie!
He closes his eyes sometimes because shutting down 1 sensory element enhances other ones. Most pictures of the great musicians, they have their eyes closed to really hear everything. This is a great video btw
I did this on purpose. In retrospect, maybe I overdid it.
lol nah I think any little piece of info or advice you include could click with someone. I didn't mean that as a slight or anything like that
Great way!
I am glad to help. Cheers.
Intervals training is also essential to transcribe.
Hi Jeff!
you didn't mention if you already had the center key and mode spotted, do you do this going in, or do analyse it theoretically later on?
Hi Cristian. I never regard key centers for anything that I play, nor do I analyze the solos. It is the doing and playing that seems to explain the deeper meaning of what the soloists were thinking when they played their solos. Certainly, analysis could happen, but this isn't something that got me deeper into the transcriptions that I wrote out. Also, I never regard modes as they aren't anymore significant a point of theory/harmony as any other point of learning is.
Wish I could. As a deaf bassist, not being able to identify notes/chords by ear means transcribing is out of the question for me. I could write my own music but not transcribe someone else’s.