5 Tips On How To Play Piano By Ear

By: John Musiconi Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Has the thought of leafing through music sheets turned you off from pursuing a plan to study piano? Are you having difficulties with your vision? Do you desire the skill of playing a tune on the piano solely from listening to it?

It may come as a surprise to you that many excellent musicians didn’t attend formal classes. They acquired the skill of learning how to play piano by ear; after listening to a tune, they’re capable of playing it on the piano instantly.

You too can learn how to play piano by ear by using the following techniques:

1) Get the things you need in order to begin. You can choose from a keyboard or a piano, which has to be in tune. Rearrange your schedule to fit in time for practice daily.

2) A piano is comprised of 88 keys while a keyboard has less. If you count the regular notes, sharp notes, and flat notes, there are 12 notes in all. The white notes start off with an A note, followed by the B, then C, then D, then E, then F, and G. Then it repeats itself starting again with the A note. The notes are repeated 7 times until the white notes are complete. In the same way, the black notes – including the sharps and flats – are repeated.

3) To know where the Note C, or Home Key, is located, find the white note situated to the left of the two black keys. In the middle of the keys is the C note. That would be where the C chord is located. Position your right thumb on C, that’s number 1. Starting at that point, count the keys moving to the right. Include the black keys.

When you reach 5, place your middle finger on it – that’s the second note of the C chord. Then, count from 5; count the notes to 8. Place your little finger on that key – it’s the final note of the C chord. Play all these notes simultaneously and you’ll find that you’ll make a striking sound.

4) Get to know this sequence by heart…1, followed by 5, and 8 in counting. Remember that when starting a note, count the sharps and flats too. Utilize these chords to be your base. This can also be done when you want to start on a sharp note. It means that this is a sharp chord.

5) Consider practice as the single most important thing in learning how to play piano by ear. By repeatedly counting and listening, you’ll soon find it to be a simple task. Let me give you an example: if the number 5 in the chord goes down by 1 key, you’d be in the number 4 key, with the major chord turned into a minor.

To play a C minor chord, your finger only has to slide one key to the left. Through listening, you’ll have the ability to recognize each note. Spotting slight tune changes can be easy; the only requirement is that you have perfect hearing.

A Piece of Advice

Don’t limit your practicing to the middle of the piano or keyboard; you can choose from other keys. With much practice, you will be able to use all the fingers on both hands when you play. Now that you’ve gained insight into how the experts did it, you’ve surely realized that learning how to play piano by ear isn’t that unattainable after all.

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