The Metalhead
Ear we go, says Cradle Of Filth’s bassist Dan
One of the most useful and coveted talents in a musician is the ability
to pick up music by ear and quickly translate that into playing. Some of us appear to have a natural ability for it, while others don’t. For the most part, it simply comes down to training your ear – and when the pressure is on, it’s an invaluable skill to have.
If you feel that your ears could use some improvement, try concentrating on working parts out without relying on resources such as tabs or videos. In my early days of playing guitar I often went straight to online tabs, and although they can be useful, much of what’s out there isn’t accurate. Thankfully, magazines such as the one you’re reading are a lot more reliable! I still see them as a potentially useful reference, but one that should be properly scrutinised. If training your ear is your goal, try working something out on your own, then referring to these resources afterwards for comparison.
If you want to make the process a little easier, using software to slow songs down while retaining the original pitch can be very helpful; you can also try to bring the bass out in the mix by giving the bottom end an EQ boost. The more you learn songs this way, the more accurate your ear will become and the faster you’ll get at doing it. In my case, the bands I’ve played bass in have tended to write pretty fast and busy music, which isn’t always conducive to picking out my parts from past records. This is what I’ve usually had to do in preparation for gigs though, especially for Cradle Of Filth, where I perform many old songs that I had no hand in writing.
I certainly don’t claim to have an expert ear, but with some perseverance I’ve come a long way over the years. A somewhat stubborn attitude has helped, as I aim to avoid approximations or simplifications and remain as faithful to the originals as possible. I’ve found that striving to discern all the various subtleties of a bass track in a busy mix is perfect training for the ear, and it’s appreciated by the die-hard fans too!