Long-time lurker, first time post. How do you *hear* music?

[TalentlessIdiot]

so i like to go to youtube and listen to clips of amps to get some kind of idea of what they sound like (i know, youtube quality sucks. not the issue here).
sometimes the person demo'ing the amp might play a single-note passage, or maybe a chord progression, or a riff, that i find resonates with me.
and i think to myself "wow, that sounds really fantastic. i'm gonna get my guitar and figure out what they are doing"
now, these passages are quite simple. no complex jazz chords, or dragonforce weedley-weedley, tappy-shreddy.
yet, when i pick up my guitar, its like trying to read Aramaic

the particular clip starts at 0:55, when he turns down the volume knob and does the passage from 1:00, to 1:17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjBjemq_Gog

i mean, it should be easy enough for me to figure out, right? and i can hear all of the notes clearly.
i have my guitar in tune. and the passage is really simple. right? i think i'm brain damaged

 

[stephen sawall]

Sounds like Am and A blues played around the 5th fret and some double stops on the 5th and 7th fret, with some 7thcords pretty much to me ?

 

[Fenderoid]

First thing i do when i try t learn a song or jam with a backing track is t find the tonality,if it is in A ,Am .....etc.Afterwards i try to visin where it is played n the fretboard and really slowly go from there(nt a great ear myself ).If yu want to 'listen' music better yu shuld focus your study n intervals. Hope that helps a little.

 

[stefvorcide]

I grab a beer and cross my fingers that I hit the right fret

 

[moltenmetalburn]

I grab a beer and cross my fingers that I hit the right fret

+1 but its a joint.

 

[Ben Hur]

First thing i do when i try t learn a song or jam with a backing track is t find the tonality,if it is in A ,Am .....etc.Afterwards i try to visin where it is played n the fretboard and really slowly go from there(nt a great ear myself ).If yu want to 'listen' music better yu shuld focus your study n intervals. Hope that helps a little.

^this for sure!

my ear has gotten better recently, but its taken 10 years of plugging away at it. knowing the key and tuning of the guitar are most important. i think it helps alot how much time you spend with your instrument.

keep plugging away at it!