Play Piano by Ear: Tips to get Started

March 25th, 2010 by admin

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It may sound extremely difficult to play piano by ear, but you can do it if you are willing to put the time and work in to develop your abilities. If you are ready to practice, you can become a skilled piano player able to recreate almost any song just by hearing it. Not only will you impress your friends and fellow musicians by learning to play piano by ear, you will also enjoy the satisfaction that comes with self education.

Stop Thinking and Start Listening

It may be difficult to understand how to play piano by ear. However, the best thing to do when you begin is to stop thinking so much about the ‘how’ and start actually doing. In order to hone your skills, start by actually listening to the music. Once you do, the understanding will come naturally. Start with a very simple song, preferably something you know very well such as a nursery rhyme.

Listen to each sound within the song. Pay close attention to each individual pitch and pause. Also look for patterns of rhythm throughout. As you begin to pick apart each sound, you can identify that note and find it on the piano keys.

Piano Chords

After you identify individual notes, you can begin to find the chords that match. A chord is three or more notes played at the same time. Before you do this, make sure you can find the individual notes. Once you have done so, you will be more familiar with the piano keyboard and where to find your desired sound as you play piano by ear.

Practice and Reinforce

Make sure to allow for plenty of practice time. One good way to reinforce what you have learned is to try humming melodies. While you sit at the piano, hum the song and locate the chords that match each note. This will take many tries and probably include a lot of failures until you develop your skills and memory of the keyboard.

From the beginning, make sure you choose practice songs that are very simple and easy. These should be songs you know well. Even though you may have a few favorites you are dying to play, do not skip too far ahead. Trying to decipher an advanced song when you are only learning may become frustrating and wind up with a loss of motivation. You will eventually be able to play piano by ear no matter how difficult the song, but until then, start simple.

Stick with It!

The most important thing to remember is to be patient and be willing to put in the time to get to where you want to be. You can play piano by ear, but it will not happen over night. Even the most skilled and talented musicians must practice and develop their techniques. Every player starts with no knowledge at all and builds from there.  Eventually, you will learn the process and become a seasoned musician who can play piano by ear with no problem! 

 

copyright by Lauren Paltrow

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