The Basics of How to Play the Piano by Ear
You can actually learn to play the piano by “playing by ear,” but it’s not the common route. The usual way to learn to play the piano is to learn and read music at the same time. 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. Of course, playing by ear CAN be a born talent. It is said that Mozart as a small child could play and compose beautiful compositions before he even 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 playing technique and a thorough understanding of music theory, playing by ear will be very difficult for most people. So spend time with your scales and positions because it’s important. These tasks, though boring, should be part of every piano session. They help to develop good habits, and just as important, they help to train your ear. We may not all be Mozat, but we can learn some of his skills with regular 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 will usually combine this skill with regular music-related teachings.
Whether you want to play for fun or become a professional, or to make music for friends and family, you’re best bet is to first learn to read music and then by ear. But don’t worry because it’s never too late to start if you’ve ignored either. There are even Internet or computer-based courses, such as Rocket Piano, that teach these skills.
Start searching, start learning, and have a lot of fun in the process. Once you have a beautiful piano and piano light, and you can both read music and play by ear, you’ll be a complete pianist!