Play Piano By Ear

Just about everybody wants to play piano by ear. It always looks so easy and seems to be like magic. Listening and being able to play piano by ear is certainly important. After all, music is a listening art. The real magic is being able to see in the mind's eye and continually expand your awareness. This implies that you can learn continually and integrate what you learn. I've never met a person with a normally functioning body and brain that didn't do both those things, to one degree or another, naturally.

There are a number of exercises anyone can do to learn and improve their ability to play piano by ear and we will discuss one of them here. It is important to remember that playing piano by ear does not mean that reading music is unimportant. On the contrary, the two of them go hand in hand.

Having said that, let's look at a simple exercise to expand your ability to play piano by ear. Notice I use the word expand which implies you already can do some things by ear. Whatever level you are at, everyone can do something by ear. That means whether you can play chords or just a couple of notes here and there, you can already do something by ear. Did I say 'do something by ear' enough times? :-)

OK. Let's do something!

Here's a little exercise that will sharpen the imagination for everyone.

Take something simple at your own level. For example, if you are a concert pianist, please do not take the hardest thing that you are working on, like a Rachmaninoff piano concerto. If you are a beginner, please do not select a piece of music that is out of your reach and you're dying to play. Take a short thing that's one bar or two bars long and you are semi comfortable with. If it is something totally new it has to be doable. That generally means it is at half your grade level or ability to play all out.

Now that you've got your 'middle ground' short device or section, relax and concentrate. Remember, you're trying to improve your ability here. Play slowly or at a medium pace, and stay relaxed. Just take in the sound. It is important to play in an effortless fashion, don't struggle physically. The main thing here is to take in the sound.

All set?

1. Relax, and take a few breaths......
2. Stay relaxed and played the little section or device slowly......
3. Now play it a second time and close your eyes..... (If you need to watch the keyboard or the music a few times before you can do this with your eyes closed, then go ahead and do that now.)
4. Now take your hands off the piano, keep your eyes closed, and imagine the exact sound..... (If you cannot get the exact sound, just get as close as you can.)

Check Point

So, how was that for you? Depending on your level right now, you may be able to tell the notes, chords, intervals, or nothing specific at all. For the purpose of this exercise right now it does not matter. The whole point is to open the ear and absorb the sound. In most cases, part or all of the sound will have dissipated. And that would mean that you could not hear it clearly; or, if you did at first, it began to evaporate very quickly thereafter.

A Little Remedy

To remedy aural evaporation, here is a little exercise I like to call the imagination sandwich. The imagining part of this exercise gets sandwiched between two slices of playing and listening. It goes like this:

• Play slow or medium and listen
• Remove your hands from the piano and replay the sound in your imagination
• Play exactly the same thing again

Eyes Open Or Closed?

If you need to watch while you play, this exercise will still work for you. I just find that my listening perks up when my eyes are closed, and therefore I prefer to close my eyes whenever I am training myself to play piano by ear. This is going to sound really simple. However, take it in as objectively as you can. In order to play piano by ear, first you must listen to piano by ear. The exercise we have discussed here will heighten your ability to do just that.

Use It And Have Fun

The beauty of this little exercise is that it can be taken and used at every level of experience in playing piano by ear. You could use this technique and adjust it to literally any level of difficulty, up or down. As well, the exercise could be any length at all, depending on where you're at; or how you feel. Remember to use it over and over as you progress. I hope it serves you well.

Here's some more of my experience in ear training, including valuable information about Perfect Pitch and Relative Pitch.

If you feel like doing a little ear training with audio clips for basic chords visit Piano Chords. It's quick and simple.

Play Piano By Ear

Back to How to Play The Piano Page

From Play Piano By Ear to Home Page

New! Comments