are there any good resources or any insider knowledge here on how you learn to play things by ear?
i've been wanting to learn a few songs for a while but the extent of information about them online is just chords, and that doesn't help me with finger picking patterns at all so i was wondering if you had any good tips on getting started with it because i have no idea where i'd even begin. (i know i can just google "how to learn to play by ear" (and i am doing that as well) but i like to ask here as well because it's nice to hear directly frmo real people)
plus i think playing by ear is a really good skill to have in general so i don't have to rely on tabs and youtube videos to learn songs.
I've played my instruments by ear my entire life. Best tip I can give is that you have to learn the basic techniques and methods of your instrument before you can really start playing stuff.
If you got all that down than it's just simply getting some good headphones, sitting down with your instrument, and listening then trying to play along with the song you're learning. Of course also memorizing basic music theory like key notes and how they correspond to your instrument's set up, and how they sound goes a long way in helping too.