Anyone here learn (guitar) songs by ear? help me!

I gave up on tabs plus tab software (but thanks anyway lee, it helped for the time that I used it) since they are so inaccurate, only very few songs are accurate to the way they're supposed to be played. So I started to learn by ear, a very painstakingly slow process but in the end you know it's right and it sounds just as good.

The one song that I'm stumped on is the intro to Master of Puppets.

Most tabs, all of em wrong, show the intro to be played as chords (its like on the E string 7, and A and D strings 9) which just isn't the case if you've watched Metallica play live. They're fretting somewhere around the 12th fret, heres what I have so far:

D -12.---10---9---8
A -12.---10---9---8
E -12.---10---9---8

Anyone confirm this?

Also, for those that do have the knack for learning by ear on this board, I'm pretty much pleading you to help me out on the song called Vermilion Part 1. Download it and give it a listen, I can do the most of the song minus the solo and some of Mick's part, its the part where Corey is singing "I won't let this build up inside of me", listen to the background and you can hear tremelo picking somewhere high up on the fret board, possibly near the 12-15th fret on the 3rd and 4th strings, I have a version that I made up by listening to it over and over again, but if anyone can help me out I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

Oh, and intro to Blackened (the backwards played), I'm damn close just can't get the last few notes, anyone have "their" copy?

Edit:

Vermilion is in drop B tuning, forgot to mention that:

B F# B E G# C# (C# with a dropped B basically, the order from left to right is the 6th string [thickest] to 1st string [thinnest]).

and of course for metallica its standard tuning.

cpt, the way you described as the inaccurate way of playing master of pupets is almost really the correct way:

e -----------
b -----------
g 9----7-6-5-
d 9----7-6-5-
a 7----5-4-3-
E -----------

well thats how most tabs do show it as being played. i just listened to the intro over and over and i think it really might be:

e -----------
b -----------
g -----7-6-5-
d -----7-6-5-
a 2----5-4-3-
E 0----------

the only difference being the E chord is being played an octave lower. i really don't hear any higher pitches on that first staccato beat.

what you might have seen 'tallica playing was something like this:

e --------------
b --------------
g --------------
d -----12-11-10
a -----12-11-10
E 0----10-9--8

mayhaps they were just playing the same thing in a different position? that is like 99.999999998% correct. it's the universally accepted way of playing it. don't stress out too much man. :lol:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lee551

cpt, the way you described as the inaccurate way of playing master of pupets is almost really the correct way:

e -----------
b -----------
g 9----7-6-5-
d 9----7-6-5-
a 7----5-4-3-
E -----------

well thats how most tabs do show it as being played. i just listened to the intro over and over and i think it really might be:

e -----------
b -----------
g -----7-6-5-
d -----7-6-5-
a 2----5-4-3-
E 0----------

the only difference being the E chord is being played an octave lower. i really don't hear any higher pitches on that first staccato beat.

what you might have seen 'tallica playing was something like this:

e --------------
b --------------
g --------------
d -----12-11-10
a -----12-11-10
E 0----10-9--8

mayhaps they were just playing the same thing in a different position? that is like 99.999999998% correct. it's the universally accepted way of playing it. don't stress out too much man. :lol:

---

Hmmm, hold on I'll link you with a video saying otherwise. Although universally accepted, it looks wrong. And if I can't find video, i'll stfu :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkImY...arch=metallica
forward to 44 seconds.
I guess I won't be shutting the fuck up after all :P lol, Kirk Hammett himself ladies and gentlemen. Looks like you're 3rd version was correct:

e --------------
b --------------
g --------------
d -----12-11-10
a 2----12-11-10
E 0----10-9--8

lol, "dead battery" (watch the whole thing)

You could ask Rocktron or GS ..erm ....Afronaut

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cpt_azad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkImY...arch=metallica
forward to 44 seconds.
I guess I won't be shutting the fuck up after all :P lol, Kirk Hammett himself ladies and gentlemen. Looks like you're 3rd version was correct:

e --------------
b --------------
g --------------
d -----12-11-10
a 2----12-11-10
E 0----10-9--8

lol, "dead battery" (watch the whole thing)

---

the second and third versions are identical, just played in different positions. it doesn't matter where you play the chords as long as they're the same. only tony iommi said he used lower-positioned chords because he believed they sounded 'heavier.' :shifty: you of course understand that concept of playing the same chord in different positions right? so while tabs usually are written the first way, the only innacuracy there is the first E chord like i mentioned should be an octave lower.

edit: dead battery. :lol: kirk has a sense of humor i see.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lee551

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cpt_azad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkImY...arch=metallica
forward to 44 seconds.
I guess I won't be shutting the fuck up after all :P lol, Kirk Hammett himself ladies and gentlemen. Looks like you're 3rd version was correct:

e --------------
b --------------
g --------------
d -----12-11-10
a 2----12-11-10
E 0----10-9--8

lol, "dead battery" (watch the whole thing)

---

the second and third versions are identical, just played in different positions. it doesn't matter where you play the chords as long as they're the same. only tony iommi said he used lower-positioned chords because he believed they sounded 'heavier.' :shifty: you of course understand that concept of playing the same chord in different positions right? so while tabs usually are written the first way, the only innacuracy there is the first E chord like i mentioned should be an octave lower.

edit: dead battery. :lol: kirk has a sense of humor i see.

---

lol ya I knew, but when I play I wanna make it accurate as possible (to those who created it of course), Kirk looked really nervous for some reason lol.

:lol: ok, i understand your tribute desires. glad we got this sorted out now.

i agree that he looks a little apprehensive in the vid. :ermm:

Ooo I'm also trying to learn the Lamb of God song "Break You" holy shit it's hard man, this would be the first LoG song I'm learning by ear. Should take a good few weeks to get down, and a month to perfect lol (that's at the rate I practice, which is like 5 min here and there, like total 20 min a day not even, have provincials+exams right now).


This is what I have so far, lemme knwo if its' right (that's if you listen to LoG):

on 6th string:

1p0-1p0-1p0-1p0-10-1p0-1p0 (no idea here about the fast palm muted part after that) then repeat that,

then on 5th string:

7p0-5h8-787-

oh and it's in DADGBe but right now I'm in BF#BEG#C# (almost the same thing cuz the 6th string is dropped in both cases, just sounds more "duller" or w/e u wanna call it, I can't think right now).