Can you sing it?

I’ve been learning some jazz songs by ear recently and one main thing that I do before I try to play something on my instrument is sing it. I listen to it enough times where I can sing it.

To be incredibly specific I’ll make sure I listen to the recording at least ten times before I try to play it on my instrument. After that tenth time I’ll likely be able to sing it, and if I’m not I’ll keep listening. I’ll listen as many times as I need to in order to be able to sing it.

This is useful because once you can sing it, you can slow it down as much as you need and hear each note separately. That’ll make it much easier to learn on your instrument. It also means that you remember it well enough to hear it accurately in your head. That’s something else that’s necessary to be able to play something on your instrument by ear. You’ve got to know how to hear it.

Next time you learn a song by ear make sure you can sing it before trying to play it.

ISJ