Trying to learn a song by ear. Startrek Voyager

Harmony & Theory
#1

I’m struggling with this melody, wondering if anyone can help point me in right direction.
I’m assuming its in major, but there are various points I just can’t find… I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I have tuned my guitar by ear to whatever my low E is atm, and I assume the theme is in G, I’m purposefully not looking this up. The key don’t matter really, only the jumps in pitch. The intervals. I fall apart on the lower notes. Perhaps I am acually tone deaf? …

I really don’t think I’m tone def, I’m not, But I do think I have issues with different quality of notes, so perhaps tone deff in a way? I really hope not…

Beyond octaves, most likely my interval recognition is terrible, And it is, so probably that.

I think It might be the timbre that throws me off… This might be something that messes me up a lot… Any advice getting over that? It’s almost as if I recognize the same note but with a different feel as a totally different note.

#2

What is the upside? The downside seems endless.

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#3

huh? lol

I tuned the four strings relitive to my low E.

#4

Because your E isn’t E. lol So it can make communicating things odd - this piece is really in F#/Gb, not G (you are down a half step).

Anyway, I have tons of experience transcribing non-guitar stuff like this for students over the years. You start off right, but then the rhythms/intervals in the actual melody become a little trickier, and perhaps because you aren’t actually listening to it at the moment I think you are sort of improvising it in your humming, and some of those notes are off.

You got your assessment of the key on your guitar correct, and it only uses those notes until a good deal further in. It doesn’t go any lower than Eb (E 12th fret on your guitar) for the part you’re doing. You’re almost there.

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#5

So the main melody is all major right?
Just so I can hammer away at it. :slightly_smiling_face: Gota learn by ear. Just the lower notes go over my head but have to try hear better.

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#6

Yeah, everything from :18 - :53 is just in the one key. At about :57 it starts doing the typical James Horner-style “we’re in space” shifting between majors a major third apart.

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#7

Start by singing the melody. Internalize the pitch, get to a point where you can whistle it, sing it, fart it, burp it, whatever. And then figuring it out on your instrument should be much easier, lol. :grinning:

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#8

I can probably fart it lol My one talent. Especially with the meds I’m on lol

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#9

@WhammyStarScream use your tuner to perfection on every string so they are exactly right and not off by 1/2 a semitone or whatever the error is. This should help you find notes!

Right now your guitar does not have the actual notes of the Voyager theme.

#10

I agree, I should tune it. But, does it matter? If my key is off, the steps are what matter right. The intwrvals, I won’t correct that spelling lol

I don’t have perfect pitch, so it’s most important to be relatively tuned? Even if I am flat.

You are definitely right, I need to tune it, I was thinking trying to tune it to my ear would help, but I`m probally tripping myself up from the start doing that. I do have a tuner n will get it now. Ehhh… its in my room… It’s in my room…

are the tuners you can get on your phone good enough? I have never used them. Going to download one n try again

I downloaded the fender tuner on my phone n it worked perfectly, and I hate it @kgk

multitool of the devil. I’d like to upload vids again with tuned guitar but youtube won’t let me…

#11

https://imgur.com/a/O3PE1QA

#12

So you can search the neck for a while and find the first note! If you can’t figure it out, ask @Riffdiculous for the first few notes. Then, once you’re started, you should be able to keep everything perfect. Why have self-inflicted damage through bad tuning when everybody agrees that the A4 note is 440Hz? (Well, some say 441Hz, and others say 443Hz, but it is just a tiny fraction of a percentage difference.)

But always stay perfectly tuned, it makes finding things easier, and once you find them, you can play relatively but still get perfect notes.

Somebody with perfect pitch could listen to the Voyager theme and just write down the notes on sheet music without having an instrument with them.

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#13

Well take a run at trying to figure it out by ear, then find a transcription somewhere, mess with it a bit, rinse/repeat.

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#14

Is it self inflicted damage or self inflicted learning :stuck_out_tongue:

I have tuned my guitar better but there are still a couple notes that just sound wrong.

#15

Thank you scott, but I ain’t looking at the tab, I’m trying to learn it by ear and whatever struggles I face are things to learn from, tab will be me just playing a visual pattern.
If I had to play this in a preformace I’d definitely look it up.

#16

Practiced some more today, Would you be able to tell me if I’m correct in this?

I think it’s the last forth down that I struggle with in the main melody.

Sorry you said it was g flat, not e flat, I just a bit excited that I heard it lol. That lower note is E flat right? You did say no lower than E flat. That has to be right lo,

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#17

Consider this a SPOILER WARNING, because I am giving you four answers below. lol

!!!
First, your 12th note is wrong - you play Bb on the 8th fret of the D string, but it is really Gb 9th fret on A. Everything else is right. The mystery low note is Eb 6th fret A. The following two notes are Ab and F (could play them as 6th fret D then 8th fret A).
!!!

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#19

You know, it’s totally okay to have a reference to spot check yourself; Improving your ear is a “babysteps” kind of a process with lots of trial and error and a ton of mistakes along the way. Again, the best advice that I could give is to always start by singing it. Internalize it. Then, play along with your reference piece even if you are completely wrong in some spots; you’ll hear it. Or maybe somebody else will hear it and point it out to you and that’s completely okay. Just keep trying, tomorrow you’ll be better than today, and a year from now you will be muuuuch better. You got this.

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