Learning To Play By Ear

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. so if you have ever wanted to learn playing by ear this is your chance.

The real key to playing by ear is learning and knowing 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. Here is three things you must try to train yourself in.

. 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).

Master the patterns rather than memorizing stuff: Stop asking the question, “How do you memorize thousands of songs?” The answer is you don’t. you just understand patterns because a couple dozen songs may follow the same exact patterns — so to a regular person, they think I know 36 songs but all I’m doing is playing the same pattern. Yes, the song may be in a different key (there are 12 keys but once you understand scales and patterns, you can instantly play ONE song in all TWELVE keys very easily). The song may have a different melody, but at the end of the day, it will almost always share the same chords and patterns as many other songs.

Learn to listen: Playing by ear is not reserved for geniuses. It’s all about listening. Do you hear tones going up? or down? Does a chord sound happy (perhaps its a major chord) or sad and serious (minor chord). Maybe it’s a scary chord… spooky (diminished chord). How about a blues chord… very soulful-like (dominant chord).

See… all these chords have feelings attached to them. Those that play seamlessly what they hear and feel have simply learned how to unlock their ears. In “The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear,” there are many ways to build your listening skills.

Become a pro at recognizing intervals: “Intervals,” in music, are distances between notes. As easy as that. There are very small intervals out there like unison, seconds, and thirds and there are larger ones like fifths, sixths, and sevenths. These intervals actually help to name the chords that we play. When you say the name “major chord,” you’re actually referring to a particular interval in that chord that gives the chord its main sound quality.

The same applies to minor and other chords.There are different kinds of intervals: melodic and harmonic.Melodic intervals are distances between single notes, played one after the other. Like “melodies.”Harmonic intervals are distances between notes played at the same time (i.e. – “chords”).Songs contain both melody and harmony (chords) so becoming a pro at recognizing these allows you to hear the stuff songs are made of! And if you can do that, then it’s just a matter of putting this interval with that interval and you get chords and progressions.

And one last thing you should not forget is It doesn't matter at all whether the instrument you use is a piano, an electronic keyboard (such as a Yamaha, Casio, Roland, etc.) or a synthesizer or even an organ -- it's all the same. You play the tune with your right hand, and learn to match chords and keep the beat with your left hand.