Learning to Play By Ear

How do you learn to anticipate what chord's coming next?

It's called ear training, and like everything else it takes time and practice. The best way to start is to listen to songs that have mostly guitar, and are easy, beginner songs. If you can find a simple recording of folk, country or bluegrass songs, and if there aren't keyboards, electric guitars or too many instruments, it's fairly easy to get started. The first step is to just listen to the songs and try to hear when the music or chords change. Most of the time it's pretty easy to hear, and if you're having trouble, listen to the bass player if you can. When the chords change the bass will usually do some kind of a walk or bass run to transition to the next chord.

Once you can hear the chord changes, get your guitar and try to play along

I hear the same thing all the time; "I'm tone deaf," I can't carry a tune in a bucket," I just don't have a good ear," and on and on. A surprisingly small number of people are truly tone deaf, most have just not been trained or not exposed to that much music. Beginning guitar students almost always have a difficult time at first, so don't be discouraged if you can't pick up your guitar and start playing along. When I try to figure out a song, I try to figure out either a note or a chord that matches what they're playing. After that, it's trial and error or using a basic understanding of music theory to figure out the rest.

Music Theory, the circle of fifths, and how music goes together

Here's where finding a good guitar teacher can help. If you're still having trouble playing by ear, the next step is getting help. Read up on music theory, have someone explain the circle of fifths, and/or harmonized scales. With a little basic knowledge you'll find that figuring out songs becomes much easier. Next time we'll discuss why music teachers use the circle of fifths and how it can help develop your ear.