Listen, hear, find, play. 
Wash rinse repeat.
1 Like
As someone who has solely used Justinguitars lessons and zerotoheroguitar videos I must say this lesson is an insane jump in difficulty but it might be time to start working on hearing songs. I just wish there was a middle step because Iāve never struggled as hard with anything as I do on this lesson.
Thanks for the explanation everyone.
2 Likes
Iām really glad I had a go at doing this after watching this lesson. I remember trying to do the āhappy birthdayā melody way back in one of the beginner modules, I think it was an ear training lesson. I was terrible at it and gave it up. However, yesterday I found all the notes for āhouse of the rising sunā without too much difficulty. Just a bit of trial and error. It was actually really satisfying and fun! And today had a go at āyellowā by Coldplay. My attempts donāt sound anywhere near as cool as Justinās with all the embellishments, but itās a start and something Iāll keep doing from now on.
Thanks for the lesson!
2 Likes
This is a very good lesson. If you know at least one major scale pattern, it will be a whole lot easier to find the notes.
2 Likes
I havenāt tried this one yet, but I am glad I read this thread first. Thanks!
I think I will try it gently, basically listen carefully and at a specific moment just trying a note. A one note melody! Slowly trying to find notes that fit and where to place them, building from there.
It doesnāt seem that different than improvising on a scale over a backing track.
2 Likes
Great lesson. Donāt think Iāve ever come across it before. Really helpful with some of the stuff Iām currently trying to do.
2 Likes
This is a great lesson. I find it quite tricky frankly. Justin goes quite fast when he gives the examples and uses some embellishments.
I found almost all the notes for the verse of House of the rising sun, but I canāt find the note thatās being played on the word āoneā. Any suggestions? 
1 Like
Think its an A note S2,O or a minor chord.
This is really my first crack at this stuff and its not easy though.
Especially when your trying to match a minor chord sound to a single note.
1 Like
Iām finding this exceptionally difficult. I agree with @CorynF, itās a huge jump in difficulty and feels very out of reach based on what Iāve learned thus far. From transcribing a couple of power chords to thisā¦
Iām starting with Let It Be and Iām not actually sure exactly what a melody is? I think itās the tune the singer is doing? It doesnāt seem to be what the piano is doing. I got three bars down and then checked UG & the lesson videoā¦ mostly wrong 
.
Iām curious to know if any beginners who have come through Grade 1 & 2 and are now trying to do this are having much success?
3 Likes
Hi jkahn, Iām not going through Justinās course and Iām not a beginner, but I am a beginner at transcribing. Iāve always considered myself to have a terrible ear (I donāt sing at all), so transcribing is a big challenge.
The melody that youāre trying to figure out is the vocal melody, not the piano. After a lot of time, I managed to figure out Let it Be. I used Justinās hint of the first 2 notes (E - G) and then went one note at a time, trying to figure out if itās going up or down. I often had trouble when 1) the note stayed the same (I was hunting for a lower or higher note) or 2) when the jump is larger than one or two notes.
I was probably helped by the fact that I know the song well: I learned the solo (not based on the melody, though) in addition to the chords and play it often. I think it also helped that I wrote out the chords on tab paper and wrote down the correct notes (together with the corresponding word in the lyric) as I found them.
I would encourage you to keep at it. Iāve since tried doing Hallelujah and, though I havenāt gotten all of it yet, parts of came pretty quickly. It feels like itās getting easier, somehow.
2 Likes
Iād add that āmelodyā is used here in the sense of what is sticking out, or what you are likely to hum to yourself. In most pop/rock songs, it would be the vocal line or an instrumental solo.
1 Like
Thanks for the tips @jjw and @Jozsef.
I think what sticks out is different for different people, I find it a huge challenge to hear melody in vocals. On guitar I find it much easier (but not easy).
Yes the hardest parts are where notes are repeated or have large jumps for me as well. And finding the first note is super hard.
Iām still curious to hear from other beginners that have come through grades 1 and 2.
1 Like
Have you tried slowing the video playback speed down? Canāt help with the note.
I assume the S is String and the O is open? If so then it would be A note S5, O. The string numbering convention is for the high e string to be string 1.
Needless to say that I am no expert, that said, yes, the melody would be what the lead singer is singing during the verse and chorus. I say lead singer as there may be backing vocalists singing in harmony. I canāt hear Let It Be fully in my head and would probably be beyond me anyhow, so canāt say what the piano is doing. It could be harmony, could be chords played as arpeggios, who knows, I donāt?
2 Likes
Hereās an example of two Beatles songs and their cover versions that may make it clearer what āmelodyā refers to. In the covers, the guitar follows the original vocal melodies the most closely.
And a slightly different cover of Eleanor Rigby that still retains the vocal melody (with Larry Carlton on guitar):
1 Like
Thanks David, starting to get a picture now. Listening to so much grunge/metal/hard rock & electronic music has not helped me develop a good ear for this melody stuff!
That helped illustrate it, thank you @Jozsef. I wonder how a 2 minute song gets turned into a 12 minute cover 
.
3 Likes
The song I would recommend to play around with as it was something I was practicing at the start of my journey of transcribing the melody (as in vocals line and main riff) is The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana from their unplugged concert. Try it out you should have lots of fun doing it and main riff is literally very close to where melodic notes are hiding on the fretboard 
2 Likes
Great tip Adrian! I know that song well. Thanks
2 Likes
Have you ever listened to Luluās version? Itās a keyboard riff but it could be played on guitar. The rhythm guitar is good too
1 Like
I hadnāt, Gordon. I gave it a spin and enjoyed it.
That said, I canāt be sure Iāve listened to Bowieās either, my Bowie being largely the Ziggy Stardust album and some of the other hits. Iām rectifying that now.
And while confessing, never listened to the Nirvana unplugged cover either, not being into Nirvana (Iāve tried Nevermind so many times and it doesnāt do anything special for me). As for their āunpluggedā version, the riff sounded quite āelectricā to my ears. But I am probably on shaky ground already without opening the pandoraās box as to what constitutes āunpluggedā 
1 Like