learning to play by ear

Here try this site...  http://www.musictheory.net/index.html You'll find some ear training excercises in the trainers section.

Well I started playing at the very young of 55. I started out learning chords, progressions, strum patterns and some scale movements. I can start with the root note on the 6th and 5th strings and play the patterns across the fret board. That does not mean I know each and every note - just the movements. I would not mind being able to play some lead licks ans solo riffs but spend my time playing rythem guitar, and liking it. I have gotten myself to where I can pick up the "beat" or strum patterns fairly easy and begin to play the song. I cannot listen to the song and tell you what the key is but I can tell you if what I'm playing is right or wrong for that song. After some trial and error I can get the song to sound like the CD and am able to play the chord progressions from that key - takes me a little longer to match up the chord changes to the "beat" of the song but I do manage to work that out. After I learn the song in the key of the CD I attempt to play the song in a key that my wife can sing the song in. This means I will have to transpose the chords into another key. Again, this takes me awhile as I can tell the key is not right but, through trial and error, I can get it right. So, I guess my "ears" are beginning to understand the "sound" but I just have not "learned" to reconize the sound. I'm getting to where, as I'm playing, I can tell when one of the strings starts getting out of tune and adjustments need to be made. I have some friends who play strickly play by ear and can play anything. One of my friends who is outstanding as a lead player cannot tell you the key or the notes he is playing BUT he knows the sound and can play the song perfectly, everytime. He say's he does not know the note names ANYWHERE across the fretboard but he knows the sounds all across the fretboard and that is how he plays. He is very good at playing but when we try to play music together he cannot tell you why, what or how to play and, as such, does not make a good teacher. Anyway, thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

Nela