Article: Don't try to sing or practice along just yet-- you'll be practicing the wrong words and melodies until you know the song well. Listen for the lyrics, the melody, and how the singer reacts to the band or backing track. Most music has a consistent pattern of "beats" that keeps the entire band playing at the same time. The easiest way to learn the rhythm of a song is to tap your feet along with the song. Each "tap" is a beat. In modern songs, listening to the kick drum (the deepest sounding drum) is the easiest way find rhythm if you are unsure. This is usually found in jazz or metal, or old song's without consistent beats. Time signatures, like 4/4 or 3/2, are used to write out rhythm. The first number tells you how many beats are in a measure, and the second tells you the length of each beat. 4/4 is the most common, and it means that the song repeats 4 beats of 4 quarter notes (1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, etc). Any instrument that plays notes and chords is a melody instrument. Often, finding the root note is usually as easy as finding the first note played. The song's key most important part of it's melodic structure, and is the first thing you need to know to figure out a song.  To find a song's key, look for the one note that you can play over every section of the song without sounding bad or "out of key." It can help to hum to a song. Our brains are wired to understand melody, and often the first note you will try to hum is the song's key. Find the note on your instrument that matches your humming and you have the key! Sheet music is a blueprint for playing a song. If you play an orchestral instrument or a piano, reading music is essential to learning new songs, but all instruments can benefit from written music. Spend some time every day practicing reading music and look up notes or symbols your don't know.  Reading music can also help teach music theory, which will help you decipher songs that you can't find music for. Guitars, bass guitars, and drums are often written in "tablature," a simplified way of reading music that tells you where to place your hands or drumsticks instead of what notes to play. if you cannot buy or find sheet music. This can be difficult for some songs, but start by finding out what key the song is in and what tempo it is at. Then experiment from there with relevant scales, chords, and rhythms until you feel confident that you know the song.  Write down the part as you figure it out so you don't forget anything. Work slowly, writing out 2-3 bars of the song at a time before moving on. Bring songs you are struggling to learn to a teacher or experienced player and see if they know the part or can help learn it.
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Listen to the song 3-4 times in silence. Learn the song's rhythm. Some genres and bands will "play" with rhythm-- changing it mid-song or "hiding" it in other rhythms. Find the song's key if you play a melody instrument. Learn how to read music. Learn the song by ear