Is It Really Possible To
Play The Piano By Ear?
Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece
of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it
repeatedly. The majority of self-taught musicians began their education
this way; they picked up their instrument and began playing an easy melody
from a well-known song, slowly picking out the notes as they went along.
And even after these musicians master their instruments or a particular
song, playing by ear still plays a large role.
Many pop and rock bands don't play or write their
songs based on sheet music, they figure the songs out by playing by ear. It's
even common among non-musicians. Ever sit down a piano and mindlessly pick out
the tune to "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? What about grabbing a guitar and suddenly
finding yourself playing the opening licks to "Smoke on the Water"? That's
playing by ear. You're able to play part of the song just because you've heard
it so often.
Playing by ear is a valuable technique for many
musicians; learning songs based solely on hearing them is a great way to
understand song and chord structure. In fact, a great number of rock and pop
musicians learned to play their instruments this way. Instead of picking up a
book or taking lessons, they concentrated on figuring out the notes and rhythms
to a song until it was mastered. Then they moved on to another song. And
another. Gradually, they learned their instrument just by playing by ear -- and
in the process learned how to effectively structure a song in that particular
genre.
Playing by ear is also beneficial in helping a
musician develop his or her own style; sure, they'll at first mimic the style of
the song they're imitating, but the amalgamation of the music that they're
playing by ear will help them create something distinctive, something indicative
of them only.
Though classical musicians are generally educated
based on tons of music theory and sight reading, some methods rely on playing by
ear. The Suzuki method of musical training, for instance, claims that learning
music is the same as learning a language; it's acquired by years of hearing it,
eventually coupled with formal training. Just like we pick up our language by
listening to our parents and subsequently attending school, we can learn music
by playing by ear and later taking formal lessons.
So can the average person ever hope to play
their piano by ear? Maybe not to the degree that some extremely talented
musicians do, but anyone can learn enough about the basics of playing by ear if
they learn the following skills:
- Being able to hear a tune and have a general sense of the contour of the
melody -- when the tune moves higher or lower as the song progresses.
- Learning to chart that melody contour either on paper or in their memory.
- Learning to match the melody to appropriate chords.
Playing by ear is really a
combination of of three factors:
| 1. Using your tonal memory to recall music you have heard:
2. Using your ears and fingers to help you reproduce what you
recall;
3. Using "melody contour" (the "shape" of the tune), "chord
structure" (how to form the chords on the keyboard to match the tune),
and "chord progressions" (the path chords take as they move through
a song). |
Obviously, the first 2 steps you can take more or
less by yourself -- you can mentally rehearse recalling a particular tune; you
can sit at the piano for hours and through trial and error pick out tunes,
chords, and rhythms. But the real key to playing by ear is learning how to chart
the shape of a tune, learn how to construct chords, and then determine the
likelihood of chord progressions -- in other words, which chord comes next.
When you get an understanding of step three, you
will be in a MUCH better position to understand and profit from steps one and
two!
For a complete course on playing the piano by ear,
please click here or on the picture below:
