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Hey, I'm just beginning to learn how to play piano, and playing by ear seems really interesting to me. I can't really do any playing by ear though, except for very simple melodies. I was wondering if anyone knew of any ways to approach this, other than just playing random notes and figuring it out? Maybe some books or something that can help? I heard about pianomagic.com in the other thread, but it's kind of expensive for me right now, so I was looking for something a bit more affordable. Basically, how to get started with the whole "playing by ear" thing.

Also, I don't know a lot of theory (at all), so I was wondering if anyone knows a good way to get started on that? Should I just ask my piano teacher to teach me theory? Or is there another way I can learn it (effectively), without wasting lesson time?

Thanks for any help!

MDespot, if its a book your looking for to teach playing by ear, isn't that contradictory? lol

i would suggest memorizing a few chords, c, d , e , f, and g and playing them with your left hand using bass c for the root, then trying your right at a melody starting around middle c.

i would highly recomend spending as much research time with music theory as possible, and no i don't believe any lesson time is wasted.

Hi MDespot

I you want to play by ear?...then pianomagic will enable you to...in the simplest most straightforward way

Is it expensive? see-ing as you can have daily interaction with Mike and all the other members in the forums for a YEAR and ask a zillion questions (like me, if you want to) until you get it.

I'd say its priceless.

I've been playing Mikes way for a little over 2 years and its definitely working so far and I'm only scratching the surface as I'm getting into the more advanced stuff.

I could prattle on and on about how good it is, and how its changed my life, and how I've lost thirty pounds in 4 weeks on the pianomagic diet blah blah, but, the proof of the pudding is in the eating (so they say)

So, take a listen to a couple of my latest recordings (played by ear the pianomagic way) here:-

http://uk.geocities.com/lee.holt@btinternet.com/

If thats the kind of thing you'd like to be able to do?...then give it a try


Lee

Most books that I've seen promote playing by using fake books. While it's nice to be able to play thousands of songs (eventually) by using the fake books for the chord progressions; that is not playing by ear. To play by ear, you not only have to be able to pick out the melody (which takes practice all by itself) but you also have to know what the chord changes are on-the-fly.

So far I've looked at two true play-by-ear courses: PianoMagic.com and "Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Piano" video course.

Mel Bay's course is very inexpensive (about $10 for the hour long video). If you are *EXTREMELY* self motivating, then you could probably learn how to play simple songs by ear with this course.

PianoMagic, while initially more expensive, is an on-going course that teaches step-by-step from the very beginning and also teaches how to know what the chords are going to be in the song that you're humming. (If you can't hum the song, then you won't be able to play it by ear.)

There are challenges to learning to play by ear for those of us with prior piano experience:

1. We're used to fully voiced pieces that we learn or read from sheet music. It's tough to go back to the basics and learn from scratch. But if you want to make music from thin air, this is what you have to do.

2. Some *think* they know lots of theory, so they rush in to add advanced chords before they're ready. They may know that an advanced chord goes in a particular spot in a particular song, but they don't know why, so it's not going to help them in a different song.

So, if you really want to learn how to take a tune that you have in your head and play it on the piano, and you want some guidance while doing it, then so far, PianoMagic is the only course I've seen that does that. As I said, other courses use fakebooks as a crutch.

Oh yeah

forgot to mention..you get Bob and I thrown in for free!! (thats got to be worth a couple of bucks at least? )


Lee

Ok, thanks guys. What do you mean I have to be able to hum the song or I wont be able to play it by ear? Like, I can hum the melody to the star wars theme right now, does that mean I'll be able to play it? And if I cant hum it, will I be able to play it after listening to it then?

Also, are there any more people who have used pianomagic on here? I think I'm gonna need a bit more support for it before I can convince my parents to order it.

I'm just starting to work on more improv. so I have barely got started. If your humming a melody like Star Wars, just go to the keys and try to pick out the tune.
Sight-singing (trying to play a note and see if you can sing the next as in intervals) helped me a lot with picking out tunes a little better. I would think the more you did it, the easier it would become.
Don't be afraid to ask your teacher about showing you some theory. Theory can be taught also in the context of the music your learning . . . looking for scales, intervals, chords within the music. Your teacher should be able to give at home assignments without using lesson also. Start learning intervals, scales, and basic chords, then go to chord inversions, then progressions, and your on your way!

Hi MDespot

Hey...you could always ask Santa , Xmas is coming thick and fast!

And yup, sarabande is on the right track, if you know a song? hum whistle and sing it and then try and hunt and peck out the single melody notes. However, that is unfortunately only half the battle I'm afraid to say, you also need to find matching chords to harmonize the melody ...(its a heap of work to figure out on your own but to some it comes easy)

If you want to play by ear there's any easy way or a hard way...unless you are born with a natural ability to do it off the bat (which definitely ain't me)...then we've shown you the door to an easy way.


Good Luck


Lee

"What do you mean I have to be able to hum the song or I wont be able to play it by ear?"

Exactly that. How can you possibly play a song at the piano if you don't even know it enough to be able to hum it?

Like, I can hum the melody to the star wars theme right now, does that mean I'll be able to play it?

Well, you're comparing an orchestral work with just a piano, but yes, that's the idea.

"And if I cant hum it, will I be able to play it after listening to it then?"

As long as you can hum it accurately after listening to it, yes.

"I think I'm gonna need a bit more support for it before I can convince my parents to order it."

Christmas is coming up.

Why don't you spend a few weeks dinking around on the piano before and after practice. See if you can pick out the melody to some tunes you know. Star Wars, Mario Brothers, the Star Spangled Banner, whatever. As I said, that's the easy part. The hard part is knowing what chords to play.

Once you can pick out the melody to a few songs, ask your teacher if they can spend a few minutes learning how to find the melody. Can your teacher play by ear? If so, that would be very helpful. Unfortunately, even if they can, they may not be able to explain why they pick a particular chord to play during a tune.

What do you mean I have to be able to hum the song or I wont be able to play it by ear? You don't need to be able to hum it perfectly, but you have to know how it goes in your head. For me, I often find the song lyrics online, print them out and take them to piano. Using the lyrics, it jogs my memory of how the song goes.

It's something that can probably be learned, but I think it's one of those things that you just need to "have an ear for". Honestly, I have no idea how I do it. No one ever taught me-- I just sit down at the piano and it comes out. I know that doesn't sound like much help to you, but if you have a lot of patience, just sit there and try playing around until you have something that sounds like the song. And like someone mentioned, knowing how to play the chords (and common chord progressions) is really helpful.

I would just think the more you "do", the easier it would get to "hear" the notes you want or like.

For melodies, I could always pretty well figure them out. I've always been able to remember lots of tunes and all the words probably from listening to so many "tunes" on records, via singing songs, etc. as a kid. However, I have never had a natural ear for just picking out chords or adding anything interesting along with the melody. It wasn't until I learned chords, inversions, and chord progressions before I thought I might be able to put some chords with a tune, varying rhythms, adding to it overall . . . with a lot of practice!!!

For melodies as well, I found I could more readily pick them out by training myself to identify intervals by ear. For example, the beginning of the Star Wars theme is an interval of a 5th and if you remember what that sounds like you can hear a 5th elsewhere.

That's an excellent idea!!!!

I aways used to think that playing by ear meant you cannot read music. So that meant having to master the piano keyboard until you can sit down and play to a standard, that becomes variable according to your ability, in the art of playing the instrument and degree of mastery of it.

Many hours of practice are required but it is said that it is a gift one is born with (in the genes). Hard to describe to those that hav'nt got it,or indeed what it is that we have.

In my case I first learned the sounds all the keys in an octave produce. Chords are the same. The practice hour time numbers would be very high.

'Greenlee' desribes exactly as with me on her way of playing.

It can annoy others that this is possible and especially if they are dependant on the score for their playing. But equally, I wish I could sight read and do all that classical stuff.

I quite often play along with jazz from the Hi Fi player in order to learn new compositions. Like Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson and so on, as two of my heros. I need to practice scales and the fingering constantly to keep up with the natural ability to master the keyboard.

Finally, I fill my day by playing all the jazz 'standards' I like so much on the CD and tape players whilst I earn a crust for the table.

It's a good job I restrict my jazz to the more mainstream and trad for that's my era.

Alan

PS. I sometines watch another pianist trying to find the correct note while sight reading and I think well it's 'that note! why are they stumbling?

You can accompany many songs using just three chords - tonic, subdominant and dominant. For example, if you play in D-major, you use D,G and A. Try it with a simple melody! If you get more professional you can learn how to put melody in there. It comes with practising.

Maka

Hi swingal

Thats the way it used to be? ...now it can be taught to and learned by the "not so gifted" (like moi)

I'm living the dream (today) and I was one of those people that thought (wrongly) for the past 30 (ahem) odd years that I couldn't play by ear! (WRONG!)

Up until ten years ago "Mike" also believed he had a god given gift and couldn't describe what it was he did...then, he had a dream and the rest... as they say "is history"!


Lee

Lee, I'm most intriqued by your new playing by the 'PianoMagic' method. Glad to see it works. I would be very interested on reading more about your new found piano playing as it progresses and wish you all the best for the future.

Alan

Seaside Lee

I have no doubt that PM can teach how to
play by ear very simple stuff if you can hum or sing a song.

However, any intermidiate can plunk out a melody on a piano keyboard, and most can put a simple I-IV-V 3 note chord progression behind that melody...but this is certainly not always the standard on many songs, maybe hymns, not pop songs. Which BTW I have yet to hear just ONE
pop song someone was able to play using the PM
method. Is there any out there to listen too?

Is PM mostly geared toward the piano
beginner?

Howdy swingal

I knew you'd be intrigued I've read many of your posts and I often get a sense of your inner battle (that you can do what you do, but, don't really know how to explain it). You remind me of Mike (pianomagic) in that he was exactly the same up until about 10 years ago and his dream (where he dreamed of a way to show people what he did)

I am just a small part of his "on-line workshop" where we are all learning together (even Mike who is still learning himself how to present what he knows in a better way). There is of course a natural progression as his online students are becoming more advanced and are asking deeper and deeper questions, questions that even he may not know the answers to, as no-one yet has advanced enough to ask them

So, I'll will definitely try to keep you informed..I'm sort of on a trip that I can't get off of now.

I have played publicly a few times recently(for free) and I now know that I can entertain a crowd.

So, here's the thing, I DJ on the weekends through an agent, who also happens to be a booking agent for bands and entertainers and I have been chatting with him about some day soon playing piano at weddings before I do the disco etc.

Playing publicly has been a dream of mine since I was a little child (when even though I was told I was talented I jacked it in ) and it has been gnawing away at me ever since). I thought I'd never be able to play by ear...in my heart of hearts I knew that I couldn't achieve it, it was far too late (I was 41)...now?...I'm not so sure?

I'm getting closer by the day to really going for this (however, I may be getting divorced at this rate? if I have to tell "Mrs H" (aka "she who shall be obeyed!"...LOL) that I want to gig with the piano on top of everything else! )

regards


Lee

Exactly, you don't have to be even that knowledgeable to put melody to a 3 chord
progression. In fact I get bored outta my
mind doing it sometimes.

That's why I think PM is not for intermediate
musicians with a little knowledge. Everyone
regardless of their musical knowledge has to
practice what they do to get "comfortable" with
what they want to accomplish...That can't be taught, it's just what has to be done if you do
not have natural talent toward such movements.

Hi sirch 59

Will Dionne Warwicks "Walk on By" do?

If so? I've been playing for *only* 2 years so far and you'll find my recording here:-

http://uk.geocities.com/lee.holt@btinternet.com/

If not?...I might do a request

Is it for beginners?...If you play by ear already you don't need it. If you cannot play by ear you have to start with the basics and work up from there

Mike's been playing for...oooh...erm...a long time (about 37 years) and his online workshop has been running for about 3 years, so his most advanced students have been only learning for 3 years max!

Will we get more advanced? ...you betcha (have a listen to Mikes playing publicly available at the website front page to hear how advanced you can get)


Lee