How To Find The Key Of A Song By Ear On Bass: The Intuitive Method
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2018
- ►► Join my 28-Day 'Ear-Opening' Challenge to "unblock” your ears and learn 20+ bass lines completely by ear - in just 28 days, and practicing just 15 minutes a day → becomeabassist.com/ear-openin...
►► FREE: Not sure if the key you've picked is the right one? Get the free bonus video, "Key Certainty" and make sure that you're using the right key every time → becomeabassist.com/how-to-fin...
Knowing how to find the key of a song by ear is a huge win for ANY bass player. Once you know the key, you’ll be able to make very educated guesses for notes that are in the song.
Even better though, it means that you can safely avoid notes that aren’t in that key. This means no more fumbling through tons of ‘bad’ notes hoping that you’ll eventually land on a good one.
It also means you can go beyond just playing the roots of a song. If you know the key, then you can use notes from that key to:
1. Spice up ‘boring’ or ‘dull’ bass lines
2. Create bass fills
3. Improvise
There’s both an art and a science to doing this, but in today’s video, we’ll be focusing on the ‘art’ side of things.
Using the ‘Intuitive Method’ of finding the key doesn’t require any music theory knowledge at all. The only things you’ll need are your ears and your voice.
You’ll notice that the Intuitive Method uses a lot of trial and error. This is great because if you don’t nail it the first time - it’s OK! You can keep trying until you’ve found the key of the song.
If you think you’ve found it, but you’re not 100% sure it’s correct, then you can test it using the free bonus lesson: Key Certainty: How To Make Sure You’ve Found The Right Key. In there, you’ll get a process that will help you know with 100% confidence if you’ve found the key.
If you haven’t, chances are you’ve made one of two mistakes that a lot of bass players make when they try to find the key. The Key Certain method ensures you won’t ever make them again.
Along with the video, you’ll also get the flowchart for diagnosing the problems you could be having in finding the key - as well as the Key Cheat Sheet. This is simply all the keys with all their notes listed for you in one convenient PDF.
To get the video with all the bonuses, just click the link below, fill out the form and I’ll send it straight to your email address. You can get started right now.
becomeabassist.com/how-to-fin...
This lesson is the first of 3 videos all about the different methods of figuring out the key of a song. If you’re not comfortable using your voice or you haven’t developed your ear yet, the next 2 methods might be a better fit for you. Keep an eye out for them in the next little while.
Of course if you have any questions, just leave a comment below. I’d be more than happy to help you out however I can.
Cheers,
Luke
►► FREE: Not sure if the key you've picked is the right one? Get the free bonus video, "Key Certainty" and make sure that you're using the right key every time → becomeabassist.com/how-to-fin...
It works great. Right after seeing your lesson I've listened to a new song from one of the bands and instantly found that it's in Aminor.
Awesome! That's exactly what I love to hear Adam! Thanks so much.
Once you find your root, a quick way to figure major or minor is to play back and forth between the root, and a half-step lower (one fret down). If it sounds good, it's major. If it doesn't, try it a whole step lower (two frets down). If that sounds good, it's minor. If neither sounds good, keep going back and forth. One of them will pop out.
Why the hell did no one tell me this 30 years ago? I might’ve actually stood a chance of sticking with it first time around.
That is just the most helpful lesson I’ve ever watched. Luke, you’re a gem!
I have been learning Bass from several different UA-cam Channels but your lessons are resonating more than all others.
Great practical advice Luke. So much better than being told by other musicians "Just feel it in!". If you're a bass player who also plays six string guitar the trick I've often used when stood at the back of the band is to get to recognise the chord that the guitarist is playing from the back of his hand.
Thanks kigtod! You’re absolutely right about recognising chords that other people are playing. I use that trick all he time of I don’t k ow the song that’s being played.
Can I ask how you know what key it's in just from the chords, as many keys use similar chords? Do you just memorise which sets of chords are in which key?
@@TheMOReviewers Hi Lupin. I used to be in the backing band for cabaret artists that were often singing and playing guitar. The singer was out front so I could only see the back of their hand. I found I could spot when they were playing a ‘G’ for example because the hand has to be positioned in a particular way. That gave me a clue to the chords in the song. Then, as you say, you can have a good guess at the key. For example if they played G C and D the key was probably G.
Great advice on finding the key. When guessing the root note I subscribe to Rock = E or A | Country and folk = G or C | Jazz = Bb or F
Haha! I like these rules of thumb!
I like this approach. It leads you experiment around songs you actually like...
Great job on this video. I have solid ears, don't know scales and just learning theory.
Your videos are awesome I love how you break it down and make it simple. Keep up the awesome work.
Thanks so much Daniel - I really appreciate it. I try to make everything as accessible as possible, so I'm glad you like my teaching style.
Thank you for making this channel. Your videos are informative and very helpful. Godbless you :)
Thank you so much for your great lessons
Really encouraging that I guessed the same notes as you did on the first two. Hopefully I can do this. I'm feeling like with Beatles or Costello songs, and some others, there are songs that seem to shift key. I guess do the process twice, then, once for each section.
Absolutely great instruction, or let's call it help; thanks you very much!
Thank you for this
Wow, I had never realised this - great tip that will make such a difference.
Thanks so much Tim - glad to hear it's helpful. And good to hear from you again!
Great video. After 4 years, I feel I'm finally getting somewhere. lol
Awesome Sarah! Keep going! And if you have any questions, just let me know.
Very helpful, straightforward
Great to hear DeGeest! Glad I could help.
This is awesome.. Would be of great help.
A+ Luke, Thank you so much.
That's really helpful, thank you sir 👍
That's great to hear Krzyszard! Thanks for watching.
really helpful
this is the BEST hack i have heard!
This is starting more progress for me
I mean what an amazing piece of information
Thank you very much, this is very usefull.
No worries Richard! Glad to hear it's useful for you.
Great video!
Thanks so much refayet salman. I'm glad you liked it!
What a tremendous little tip. Thanks!
You’re welcome Derek. Thanks for watching!
I already suspected it, but after this vid I am sold, I cannot hear the "bright" or "sadness" between a major or minor. The major song sounded sad to me and the minor song sounded happy to me. I think that rule is too subjective to work for someone like myself. Still helpful vid though.
Nice
Great video.
Thanks Cap!
helpful for a person who doesnt know anything about bass haha thank you!
Very very good.
Glad you think so friend!
Thank you c:
You’re welcome! Thanks for checking it out.
Thanks! Good Method, Greetings From Italy (and..Sorry For my bad english..😅)
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it. And your English is fine!
Wish it was that easy for me. I’m a deaf bassist and learning songs by ear is out of the question. It’s sheet music, charts, tabs, videos and whatever resources I can find.
Wow, that’s awesome. I struggle enough with being able to hear. So you feel the notes through your body rather than your ears?
Respect, good luck!
@@jasonminton9681 It’s mostly feel, yeah. Visual too.
Solid
Great video!!! Pj - Puerto Rico
Cheers PJ! Thanks for watching.
Which string actually do tou use to find key??
I laughed too hard at "this is the deeeeee." Good lesson, in all seriousness.
nice bass... what make and model ? thanks.
After hearing the song, I immediately knew what tone it was, and I immediately tried it on the bass. Do I have good ears?
Sounds like you might @Zavier
Okay this is creepy good. I have always felt my EAR was pretty good, but my voice is WILDLY bad. I cannot sing a note. Seriously. I sing a line from a favorite tune I've known for 50 years and cannot get one note right even though I can HEAR how off I am. That said- BOTH examples here- I was already humming the note perfectly when Luke chimes in.
I get it- he likely picked two obvious choices. But my mind is blown. More research to come!
Hey Luke, I am a beginner musician, and I am wondering if it's true that the bass notes played are usually the chords to a song. I ask this because I am practicing figuring out chords to songs.
Just search whats root notes
What’s the name of your bass?
It's a Warwick custom shop....top dollar for those but there are some nice cheaper versions
Apologies I think it may be a Spector...🤔
Video start at 1:06
Nicr
Nice teacher YOU are good
I think I'm tone deaf cuz I hear it d same... Bass might not be for or even music....
Sounds like stimming
I get it, you have a good angle of finding the general key, but too much talking. Better to just get to the point. Video could be 1:45 and very effective, but 9 minutes, too long. Lost interest.
Thanks Rob, but I'd rather make a lesson that answers all the potential questions that come up for people who aren't familiar with the ins and outs of all this stuff. You could boil this lesson down to one sentence: "Find a note that works over the whole song and that's your key" But that alone is not particularly helpful. I'd rather go one step further and explain how to do it, and where possible, actually demonstrate what I'm talking about. It sounds like my approach doesn't work for you, and that's fine. I hope you find someone whose style is a better fit.
Personally I found it to be spot on, length and content wise. I’m not a very experienced player though so probably need the extra input.
Again, thanks Luke, awesome lesson.