Hearing the bass and drums clearly: learning parts by ear with solo

In most recordings the bass is felt more than heard, and the drums are a wash of cymbals. Separating the song and listening to one part on its own makes both much easier to learn by ear.

Why the bass is hard to hear

• Low notes are covered by everything above them. Guitars, keys, and vocals sit over the bass and draw your attention.
• Small speakers barely play low notes. On phone speakers and many laptops, you mostly hear the bass's upper harmonics, which makes the notes easy to mistake.
• The bass and the kick drum play together. Their attacks blend, so it is hard to tell which one you are hearing.

Learning a bass line

1. Separate the song and press S on Bass. Only the bass plays.
2. Use headphones or speakers that play low notes. With the bass on its own, turning it up is safe: the fader goes up to 150%.
3. Find the root notes first: the note at the start of each chord. Most bass lines are built on them.
4. Then fill in what happens between them: passing notes, octaves, rhythms.
5. Turn the solo off and play along with the whole band to check.

Learning a drum part

Solo the drums to hear the pattern without the other instruments. Listen to one part of the kit at a time:

1. Hi-hat or ride – the steady pulse: eighth notes, sixteenths, or a shuffle? Open hi-hats?
2. Snare – usually beats 2 and 4; listen for ghost notes between them.
3. Kick – the part that changes most from song to song. Write it down beat by beat.
4. Fills – where they come (often the bar before a new section) and which drums they move across.

The “Drums” part includes the whole kit and usually other percussion, such as tambourine and shaker.

Listening to two parts together

Solo works on more than one part. Press S on both Bass and Drums to hear the rhythm section on its own: how the bass follows the kick, and where they play different rhythms. This is the best way to learn the groove before you play along with the full band.

Bass players can also do the opposite: mute only the bass and play along. See practicing with your part removed.

Slowing a part down

Fast passages are easier to follow slowly. Save the soloed part with the ↓ button, then open the MP3 in Loop Trainer, a practice player on this site that loops a section and slows it down without changing the pitch.

Things to watch out for

• Traces of other parts. A soloed part can contain a little of the others — for example, the low thump of the kick drum in the bass, or a vocal note in “Other”. If a note seems odd, compare with the full mix.
• Synth bass and low keys may be split between “Bass” and “Other”.
• Sound quality. The separated parts are estimates. Use them to hear what is played, not as a reference for the instrument's tone.

See how AI separation works for why this happens.