Playing by ear

Wasn't sure where exactly to post this, but I figured this was just as good a place any. But feel free to move it to another, more appropriate forum if you feel inclined.

Anyway, I was just wondering how many of you guys out there can play by ear, i.e. hear a song on the radio and figure it how to play it on the piano (or any other instrument for that matter)? Personally, I'm amazed by people who can do this. I'm not sure if a skill like this can be acquired or you simply have to be born with it, but it's always something I've wanted to be able to do, even before I really started getting into piano. So I guess my question for Andrew is, is this something that I can eventually learn? Can I train my ear to the point where I can here a song on the radio and within maybe a couple of hours or less replicate it on the piano? And if so do you have any good tips on working towards such a goal?

Thanks,

Joel

FtOrReEeSsT wrote:Wasn't sure where exactly to post this, but I figured this was just as good a place any. But feel free to move it to another, more appropriate forum if you feel inclined.

Anyway, I was just wondering how many of you guys out there can play by ear, i.e. hear a song on the radio and figure it how to play it on the piano (or any other instrument for that matter)? Personally, I'm amazed by people who can do this. I'm not sure if a skill like this can be acquired or you simply have to be born with it, but it's always something I've wanted to be able to do, even before I really started getting into piano. So I guess my question for Andrew is, is this something that I can eventually learn? Can I train my ear to the point where I can here a song on the radio and within maybe a couple of hours or less replicate it on the piano? And if so do you have any good tips on working towards such a goal?

Thanks,

Joel

Yup you can train your ear to do this. Basically playing by ear is having the skill of hearing an interval and recognizing the distance. To develop this skill you need to play different intervals and listen closely to them, then ask someone to play those intervals back and you try to identify what they are. An example would be play from C to E that's call a Major 3rd, Now play C to Eb That's called a MINOR 3rd, there's a slight difference, try hearing the difference, and when you're ready ask someone to play those two different intervals on the piano. Now you turn your back so you can't see, and listen closely. Try to identify which is which. That should start you off on the right track!

If you are willing to spend some money on the subject there are many softwares out there which were created to enchance your ears.
I ve heard about many of them but I cant tell which is the best.
I played with a free one and I think it was pretty good too, nothing fancy but helps to learn the differences.

http://www.gnu.org/software/solfege/

And this ability is called Perfect Pitch, you can naturally possess this skill like Mozart, Jordan Rudess , Bach or Chopin.. or you can learn it. There are lots of courses, one of the most popular is Perfect Pitch but there are also some cools programs that can help you like EarMaster I'm waiting the release for Mac OS >.< meanwhile, can anybody recommend me an ear training program?

JuliaC wrote:And this ability is called Perfect Pitch, you can naturally possess this skill like Mozart, Jordan Rudess , Bach or Chopin.. or you can learn it. There are lots of courses, one of the most popular is Perfect Pitch but there are also some cools programs that can help you like EarMaster I'm waiting the release for Mac OS >.< meanwhile, can anybody recommend me an ear training program?

Maggie's thread on tools for a beginner includes ear training websites:
https://afpa.hooxs.com/general-piano-discussion-f4/learning-tools-for-beginners-the-notes-chords-and-eartraining-t46.htm

Also, if you know how to sing, playing by ear will not be hard because you're almost using solfege to sing different notes, which helps you to play a tune by only listening to it. I'd also recommend for you to go to a conservatory because once you're at a higher level like Grade 9 or 10 there are ear training examinations.

VictorCS wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_pitch

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_pitch

Thanks for helping him out with the links, Victor. Wikipedia is always informative!

What can I get out of going to an conservatory?
Musnt I innroll in a class or course or somthing? Parhaps a dumb question, but ...

thomandy wrote:What can I get out of going to an conservatory?
Musnt I innroll in a class or course or somthing? Parhaps a dumb question, but ...

Professional lessons and examinations, etc. Depending on your teacher you have, he/she will give you lessons for the instrument you're interested in playing.

Jordan wrote:
Also, if you know how to sing, playing by ear will not be hard because you're almost using solfege to sing different notes, which helps you to play a tune by only listening to it. I'd also recommend for you to go to a conservatory because once you're at a higher level like Grade 9 or 10 there are ear training examinations.

Well it is not entire true in the sense the chords have different sound when they are together. Even though I was a choir member I would not say Im great in playing by ear because I can tell that one sound is higher or lower but I cant tell which key or keys where involved.
So the melody line can be manageable but how can you deal with the accompaniment which are usually chords?

FtOrReEeSsT wrote:Wasn't sure where exactly to post this, but I figured this was just as good a place any. But feel free to move it to another, more appropriate forum if you feel inclined.

Anyway, I was just wondering how many of you guys out there can play by ear, i.e. hear a song on the radio and figure it how to play it on the piano (or any other instrument for that matter)? Personally, I'm amazed by people who can do this. I'm not sure if a skill like this can be acquired or you simply have to be born with it, but it's always something I've wanted to be able to do, even before I really started getting into piano. So I guess my question for Andrew is, is this something that I can eventually learn? Can I train my ear to the point where I can here a song on the radio and within maybe a couple of hours or less replicate it on the piano? And if so do you have any good tips on working towards such a goal?

Thanks,

Joel

Hello there about a year ago, I didn't even know how to locate a C on the piano. Today I can say I can almost play anything I have on my mind(although I'm not very technically good yet, when it comes to fingering in faster melodies).

I can play basically anything I hear, although not immediately, it takes a while for me to figure it out, not to long though.

I do not possess Absolute Pitch. I only have relative pitch. Honestly I think its better because then you can play in any scale you feel comfortable in. A friend of mine has Perfect pitch, and that it's very difficult to hear intervals when you have it, also he says he gets annoyed when playing on a piano thats out of tune. Hehe :p

Anyway. First of all you should learn to recognize octaves, and perfect fifths, these are the most important things. When you know this, things become much easier. After this, you have to learn to hear if a song is played in minor or major, basically you must listen for when the song or a phrase sounds "finished" or "complete", and if thats a major or minor chord.

Then learn to recognize chords faster, is it a minor? a major? or maybe a seventh chord or a dim chord?? These 4 chords are the most important ones...

After that it just comes down to learning your ear to hear intervals. It doesn't take long.. start with simple songs and try to play it on the piano then move on to more and more difficult pieces.

maggiekedves wrote:[
So the melody line can be manageable but how can you deal with the accompaniment which are usually chords?

I assume now that the piece is in major. So i'll take a C major as an example
just listen, is the acompanient happy, sad, or diminished?

If its happy, you got 3 choices C, F or G. In another word I, IV or V.
Now listen, does the chord sound like the "beginning chord" or the "ahh, phrase complete" chord? then its definetly the I. Otherwise you only got two choices, IV or V. Just try which one is right.

If it's sad, you got 3 choices aswell. D min, E min, or A min. In other words ii, iii or vi.

Just try which one sounds right.

If it sounds diminished, theres one choice, and thats the vii, the seventh chord of the scale which in this case would be B diminished .

The same thing goes for the minor scale, except that the chords are in a different order .

I hope i answered all ur questions ^^

Jordan wrote:

JuliaC wrote:And this ability is called Perfect Pitch, you can naturally possess this skill like Mozart, Jordan Rudess , Bach or Chopin.. or you can learn it. There are lots of courses, one of the most popular is Perfect Pitch but there are also some cools programs that can help you like EarMaster I'm waiting the release for Mac OS >.< meanwhile, can anybody recommend me an ear training program?

Maggie's thread on tools for a beginner includes ear training websites:
https://afpa.hooxs.com/general-piano-discussion-f4/learning-tools-for-beginners-the-notes-chords-and-eartraining-t46.htm

Also, if you know how to sing, playing by ear will not be hard because you're almost using solfege to sing different notes, which helps you to play a tune by only listening to it. I'd also recommend for you to go to a conservatory because once you're at a higher level like Grade 9 or 10 there are ear training examinations.

Thank you for the link, it is very useful

Great topic. I've only just come across it.

Hi Joel,

In order for you to develop the ability to play by ear, there are skills you will need. Ear training is one of the classes you might want to consider. In ear training, you will be working on Solfege based on movable “Do”. You would have to practice and sight sing a piece in any key with “Do” as you root regardless of what key you are in. This will help you with the ability to sing and identify different scales. For example, when someone plays a C harmonic minor scale, you should be able to identify it.

Identify interval is also part of ear training. For example, someone plays a C and F. You should be able to identify it as a Perfect 4th and sing “Do” “Fa”. Other exercises involved recognizing minor, major, diminished, and augmented triads.

It will take some practice and time to achieve these skills but it will help you identify the chords, notes and intervals when you transcribe songs.

The other classes you might want to consider are theory and harmony classes. With these, it will make it easier for you to transcribe after you know the key. For example, if you know that the song is in the key of D major. Most of the time, the 6th chord will be a minor chord and it’s B. The 3rd chord is also a minor chord and F is sharp in the key of D, therefore it is a F# minor.

Look for some ear training, theory and harmony books or maybe a teacher or taking some classes at your local community college will definitely be very helpful.


Yoke Wong
Take Your Piano Playing To The Next Level
http://www.pianomother.com