Welcome to this lesson on playing by ear for beginners.
Playing by ear seems really tough when you first start out. That's because most people start out trying to learn it all at once. I tried that method, sitting at my piano for hours listening to the same song over and over and over…
It doesn't work.
Then I took a course in college called “Aural Skills” (a fancy phrase for ear training) that helped me learn to play by ear in about 4 months.
The secret is to start with just 3 notes. You learn to play by ear within the parameters of JUST those 3 notes. Until you've mastered them. Then you add a couple more notes. Master those. Then a couple more. And so on until you've learned all 12 notes.
This is the first lesson, which covers learning to play by ear with just 3 notes. I'll explain more in the video…
Note: this is a lesson taken straight from my Play By Ear Mastery course, so I may reference other materials in that course.
Key points from the lesson:
1. To learn to play by ear, you start with only a few notes, master those notes, then slowly add more notes.
2. Start thinking of notes in terms of scale degrees (1, 2, 3) instead of note names (C, D, E)
3. Practice singing and playing these notes together. Then slowly take away the piano so you can hear the notes in your head without playing.
4. Test yourself to make sure you're hitting the correct pitches.
Exercise on Scale Degrees 1 Through 3:
Here's the drill. Listen to the notes, and sing them back. Go through all the examples. Then go through all the examples again, but this time first sing the notes, then play them back on your piano.
This is how we're going to start developing a foundation of notes in your brain. You'll start to get the feel of each scale degree and how to transfer it from sound in the air, to a pitch in your mind, and finally to the piano.
If you still don't understand, click the “Watch the Video Explanation” below:
1 2 1 2 1
1 2 1 2 3
1 2 3 2 1
2 1 2 3 2
2 3 2 1 2
3 2 1 2 1
3 2 1 2 3
3 2 3 2 1
Before you go on and take the quiz, download this checklist if you haven't already. Some of it won't make sense yet, but you'll be using all the “clues” as you go on through the course.
Quiz on Scale Degrees 1, 2, and 3:
Click here to take the quiz and test your knowledge!
Action Step:
Time to take action! Go through the exercise, then take the quiz. If this is easy for you, congratulations, you're ahead of the curve! If not, don't get discouraged if you can't get it at first. It may take a couple days to drill in, and that's fine. Regardless, it's a good idea to repeat the exercises tomorrow just to make sure it's really drilled into your brain.
How to Expand Your Ability to Play By Ear
Ok, so now you know scale degrees 1, 2, and 3. Next step is to add on 4 and 5. Then 6, 7, 8. And so on.
If you're interested in this, I have a full Play By Ear Mastery course available. It takes you from nothing to full on playing by ear. And right now it comes bundled with my Music Theory Mastery course. You can find out more about it here.
Oh, and if this is within your first 7 days, don't forget to go through this link to get your 50% off.
Happy practicing!
-Zach
Thanks for inspiring me, you really helped me believe that I can do this too. I tried your techniques, and last night I had like a break through and I was so overwhelmed with triumph that I just teared up. I really hope to inspire people one day just like you.
-Katelyn M. – Play By Ear Mastery Member