Discover How to Train Yourself to Play by Ear on the Piano

Learning piano is a great hobby, and anybody can learn to play if they put their mind to it. But what makes a pianist stand out from the crowd, is if you have that little extra sparkle in your playing by having the skill and ability to perform and play by ear. When musicians play by ear, they have a lot more freedom and expression in their playing, and people can connect more to the music, rather than just reading from a musical score sheet.

If this is something you would like to achieve below are some top tips on helping you learn this skill. In the long-term it will make you a more rounded musician and performer.

If you have been learning for a little while then take yourself back to one of your first complete pieces of music you'd learn from a score. Make sure it's a song you are very familiar with and you are 100% happy with how you are playing it.

Run through it a couple of times with the music, and then break it down into the main sections, so intro verse and chorus.

Try and memorize each section without the music. Look at the music, then close your eyes and try to play. If you prefer just look away from the music. Keep doing this until you have mastered it.

Another suggestion is to get a copy of the song and play along to sections of it, joining in where you can but without relying on your music.

Listen out for extra parts you could put in, from the original song, to make it more expressive and colourful. You do find sometimes with sheet music that they simplify the song a little and make it sound a bit bland, so try to listen out for anything additional that you can add into it.

When learning a new song, try not to rely on the music. Have the original song on CD that you can refer too, and use the musical score as a reference. When you then go to perform a song, you will find that it is more expressive and that you have a better connection with your audience.

To master playing by ear, the trick is to learn the song in small sections and avoid looking down at your hands or at the music. If you are disciplined enough with yourself you will soon learn this skill.

There are some great free courses to teach anyone from complete beginners to advanced pianists to Learn How to Play Piano. A great way for beginners to learn is to start off with some really Easy Piano Songs which will get you started and help build that all important confidence.

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