Playing Piano by Ear 101
You can actually learn the piano by “playing by ear,” but it’s not the common route. The common way to learn piano is to learn to read music simultaneously. Most professional musicians can play by ear regardless of how they learned, but this was a talent fine tuned with years and years of practice, reading music and listening. That being said, playing by ear is sometimes a case of being born with the talent. It is said that Mozart could play and compose great and complicated compositions as a child before he ever saw a sheet of music.
Reading music, however, is an important basic and most beginning piano instruction will include music reading. It will give you all the basics you need to learn to play by ear. Without good technique and a solid understanding of music theory, playing by ear will be much more difficult for most people. So spend time with your scales and positions because it’s important. These seemingly mundane tasks should be a part of every practice session. They help to develop good habits, and just as important, they help to train your ear. We’re not all Mozart, but we can gain some of his skill with practice!
Once you reach an intermediate level, you may need to search for a teacher skilled in the art of playing by ear. This will give you another boost in your playing abilities. They can help you learn the tricks of the trade for listening that will help you identify chord progressions that form the foundation of any piano playing. They usually take this skill and combine it with teachings related to music.
Whether you want to play for your own pleasure, play for friends and family, or even make a career in music, you’ll be well-served by opting to both read music and hone those playing by ear skills. If you’ve ignored either, it’s never too late to start. There are even Internet or computer-based courses, such as Rocket Piano Software, that teach these skills.
Start searching, keep learning and make sure you have fun in the process. Once you have a beautiful piano and piano lamp, and you can both read music and play by ear, you’ll be a complete pianist!