Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Let's talk about playing by ear

Bob Muir and others have talked about their interested in playing by ear, so I thought I would start a thread to pick all your brains about it!

I personally have never been specifically interested in playing by ear. I've been more than happy just using the sheet music and playing what's on the page-- until now when I've found two songs I desparetly want to play, one which doesn't have a score available, and another whose score I dislike. So I am setting about making my own arrangements, but ultimately I don't think that what I am doing is playing by ear, because I'm working it all out, then will write it all down, and then I'll just be playing from the score again.

So tell me why you want to play by ear? What does playing by ear really mean, anyway? Does what I described above count? In playing by ear, what can you do that you couldn't do if you relied on the score? Is improvising an imporant element? If yes, does that mean that when you play it the same way after a few times, you cease to be "playing by ear?" What limitations do you feel exist in relying on the score? What limitations are there in playing by ear? From your own personal experience, is playing by ear harder than, easier than or no different from playing from the score? In terms of satisfaction, do you get more, less or about the same amount from playing by ear as you do from playing from the score?

Hmm, that's a lot of questions... please do your best to answer them all! Thanks in advance!

Wow, you sure ask a lot of questions SK! I'll try to answer from my personal perspective:

"So tell me why you want to play by ear?"

Personally, I'd LOVE to be able to sit down at a piano and play any song that popped into my head. Whether that be the theme to Gilligan's Island or "Georgia" or "Time after Time". It takes time to track down the score to a song you want to play, not to mention time to learn how to sightread fast enough to play it once you do track it down. There are other reasons, more on that later.

"What does playing by ear really mean, anyway?"

Playing by ear merely means the ability to play a tune that you're able to hum. At its simplest, it would just be the melody and at best, it sounds like the piece had been learned from a nicely arranged score. Basically, you have to know how to arrange the song on the fly. Fortunately, this is easier than it sounds.

"Does what I described above count?"

Not really. You're arranging the song to a score and then playing from the score.

"In playing by ear, what can you do that you couldn't do if you relied on the score?"

When you play by ear, you make the song sound the way you hear it in your head. In a way, you can make the song your own. You can play it the same every time, or you can tweak it differently every time you play it.

"Is improvising an imporant element?"

Yes because you're improvising it every time you play it. Unless you intentionally play it exactly the same every time, you're going to change different aspects of it. One of the songs I'm practicing to play by ear is Silent Night. You can't get much simpler than this song. It's just a C chord followed by a G chord, then C, F, C, F, C, G, and finally C. But even as a beginner, I'm finding that there can many different ways of playing it.

As a quickie demonstration for us on his website of what can be done with even the simplest of songs, Mike Anderson (Mr. PianoMagic) played "This Old Man, He Played One" for over four minutes and it sounded fresh and amazing the whole time! There's no way you could track down a score for something like that and even if you could, (there are many transcriptions of improvisations out there), it would be difficult to learn it and even then, you would only be able to play it that one way.

"If yes, does that mean that when you play it the same way after a few times, you cease to be "playing by ear?"

When you're just beginning, possibly. You've basically memorized one way of playing the song, just as you would from a score. But as you gain proficiency in playing by ear, then you can't help but make changes to the song. You learn new tricks, change different rhythms, adjust tempo, etc., and you want to try and make the songs sound better every time you play them.

"What limitations do you feel exist in relying on the score?"

When I learn a song from a score, it is very difficult for me to change anything in it without practically relearning it from scratch. I memorized "Oh Holy Night" from a score and I wanted to add some notes at the end of the first chorus and I had to relearn that section with the new notes.

When playing a song memorized from a score, it's nearly impossible to separate the melody. I've learned the hand positions and where the fingers go but without going through the song slowly and painstakingly finding them, the melody notes are hidden. Now granted I haven't analyzed the song as a pianist might. A pianist might be able to play the three or four voices from a song separately. But I can't. And how can one improvise on a melody if it is hidden in amongst the memorized chords.

"What limitations are there in playing by ear?"

You're limited only by your imagination, experience, and skill. Playing from a score, you're limited by the arranger's imagination (and of course your skill and experience).

"From your own personal experience, is playing by ear harder than, easier than or no different from playing from the score?"

In a way, it's more difficult, especially at first. When you can play from a score, you're just playing what's there. The more you do, the better you get at playing what's there, but you're still just playing what's there in front of you. When you play by ear, you're playing what you hear in your head. The more you do, the better the connection between what you hear and what your fingers are playing.

In a way, it gets easier. You have a freedom that you can't have when you're limited to the score. What do you do when you get to the end of the score, but you want to continue? You either start over or pick a section in the middle to repeat. But you'll be playing it exactly the same way you played it the first time.

"In terms of satisfaction, do you get more, less or about the same amount from playing by ear as you do from playing from the score?"

I'm sure you can guess my answer to that one. While it's nice to have some nicely arranged, fully voiced songs memorized that I can have in my repertoire, from my earlier Sudnow studies and from sheet music, I LOVE being able to sit down at the piano and start playing a melody that's popped into my head. While I'm currently limited to simple left hand chords and arpeggios, it's not too bad for only doing it for a month. It's fun!

I hope that rather verbose reply helps SK. And that's not even getting into how amazing it is to learn how music really works when you learn to play by ear!!!

Interesting question. The main reason why I'd like to play by ear (when I can read sheet music just fine) is because I'd like to hear something and then go to the piano and play it. Or think of a song and just start making up my own arrangement. I still have utmost respect for the works of the great composers and will read their music or memorize it from a sheet, but being able to play by ear to me shows that you are a real musician, someone who has an ear for music. I used to think that this was a God given gift that only the blessed few have but now I realize that with daily practice and an open ear you can begin to play by ear. Not sure how advanced I'll get at ear-playing but in the long run I think it'll strengthen my musical awareness and help me express myself at the piano.


~pianocliff

When all you can do is read music, all you can do is play from a score. When all you can do is play by ear, all you can play is music you have already heard.

I ran into a piano player at a box music store that could only play by ear; but boy could this player play. She played black spirtual gospel stuff like nobody's business, and was a wiz at walking bass lines and jazz chord progressions.

She knew the names of the notes for each key and how to build chords. But, she was missing one skill that could open up a world of tunes to her.

She could not read a melody line on a treble clef staff from a fake book. So though she knew where middle C was on the keyboard, she didn't know where it was on a piece of sheet music.

She was wowed when I started playing a simple melody line middle C up to E to F#. She exclaimed "look at that!". "That's what I want to do!". ( Here I was envying her natural free playing piano style and her ability to just play anything regardless of how difficult technically it was and she was envying my basic sight reading, lol.)

*She'd be freaked if she saw the music I have sung with Symphony Chorales, with those fugues and long melesmas.

Here was a person who could step in with any band and play anything by ear naturally right on the spot and even knew some music theory on the keyboard only... but was musically illiterate with the notes written down on the page.

I would love to sign her on as an accompianist if she lived closer to my area, plenty of pro players out there don't read music and she plays with such expression and feel. She is playing for her church; a church would be crazy to pass this talented player up.

I urged her to go to her local comm. college for a class, or to the library or internet to learn how to read music enough to read the melody line at least.

Just think what she could do if she knew how to read a melody line from a lead sheet or fake book.

You know her astonishment at my reading three easily recognized notes on a fake arrangement made me realize that sometimes I take for granted my own learned skills; thinking that doing something such as that is simple and forgeting that at one time in my life I did not have a clue where the middle C was on the piano and on the staff. I forgot the progress I have made during such times... going from zero to....._____________.

It doesn't hurt to have a good ear and be a good sight reader also. If I had to choose only one asset between being a "great sight reader" and a great ""by ear player , I'd choose a "being good ear player" so I could play anything I could hear or "think up of hearing" (create in my mind). jmo.

But it is... to each is own, really.

I'm following a "playing by ear" curriculum with a local piano teacher presently.

I'm nowhere near the end of the curriculum at this point, so I can only speak of what I know so far.

Exercises thus far have involved developing various skills that can then be used together. For instance, I have assigned pieces to which I listen and have to write in what chords I think are being played.

The curriculum covers objectives such as learning chords and how to play in an assortment of ways that work well with different time signatures, so I can play back an extemporaneous version of a piece I've listened to and deciphered, among other skills.

I didn't initially set out to learn how to play by ear, but the teacher really keeps my attention and leaves me feeling good about the whole process, so it's working out nicely.

Father Bob, did your teacher develop the curriculum? If not, what's the name of the curriculum?

I think it's suprising that, considering the apparent widespread interest in playing by ear, there aren't more good resources for learning how to actually do it.

My teacher didn't develop it personally, but as best I can tell it was developed by/for in-house use by the shop out of which she works.

The first copyright listed on the curriculum is back in the 1970's, so at least someone worked it out quite some time back.

Everyone, thanks for all the responses! Lots of food for thought here.

So, do you think playing by ear is an irrelevent skill for a classical player? Conversely, is it an essential skill for a player of popular music?

"do you think playing by ear is an irrelevent skill for a classical player?

I doubt that someone who only wants to play classical music would want to spend the time learning how to play pop music by ear. But it would definitely NOT be an irrelevant skill. If you can play by ear, you have the skills to arrange chords on the fly and basically compose music! Those skills will come in quite handy while analysing classical music.

"Conversely, is it an essential skill for a player of popular music?"

No. As you already stated, it's perfectly fine to play pop music from scores. It's just rather limiting IMO.

Bob:

As you know, I play from very easy written scores and then just improvise the crap out of them! Am I "partially" playing by ear and don't even know it?

I hear songs on the radio and think to myself (in my head) that I could play a much nicer version of that song.

Then, I will usually go out and buy an "easy" version of the song to get the melody line correct and just go at it.

I guess that I am sort of 1/3 playing the written score, 1/3 improvising, and 1/3 playing by ear. If this makes no sense to you, don't worry because I don't even fully understand it!!

"Am I "partially" playing by ear and don't even know it?"

I would say that you are improvising from a fakebook that provides the melody line and chords, but not playing by ear. Playing by ear requires that you not only come up with the melody notes, but also the chordal structure.

But I have to tell you, you certainly have the technique down pat! You just need to spend some time at the piano with just the tune in your head, figuring out the melody on your own, and some time with Michael Anderson to learn how to match the chords to the melody and you'll be home free!

Bob;

I am actually trying to do just as you say....on my own! (I know, a bad idea! I'll explain that part some time to you)

Anyway, I am currently "experimenting" witha song I heard on the radio. The song is "fantasy" by tom grant. Tom has improvised his own version of Earth, wind and Fire's "fantasy" and it sounds incredible!!... Listen to tom grants version if you have rhapsody or alike.

Since their is NO sheet music available for this song ANYWHERE, I've decided to listen to a recording of it and then use my memory to literally play it back.

Although I have "hacked"my way through about half the song already, it has taken quite a bit of trial and error.

Something tells me that I am not actually "playing by ear", but rather, just moronically figuring out the proper notes and chords and memorizing them.

This is no easy task by any means, however, I am doing this for two reasons:
1.) to see if I can!
2.) I can't find the sheet music, and I really like the song.

I would really love to someday just play it, no music, all by ear, the correct way.

Having a good ear for things that are happening in a piece of music almost always is a good thing for a musician to have imo.

It really comes in handy when you buy a piece of sheet music and there are mistakes in the score.

It is probably less common nowadays with the new computer composing/printout programs; but I remember buying sheet music when I was younger that had different chord progressions then the recordings had. What was in the sheet music was not what I heard on the record. But my "ear" would catch where there were missing chord changes or different chord voicings.

If you only play from the sheets in front of you and you do not use your "ear"s ever at all while playing; it seems to me that you can come awfully close the "typing a page of music" syndrome.

I think the best and truest music really "happens" when you are able to get your eyes out of and off of the score and use the score only for cues if at all.
------------------------
Anecdote
(I have actually seen this happen myself with one of the choirs I have sung with btw.)

*Ever watch a choir singing where most of the singers have their eyes glued into their scores and their looking heads downwards following the notes. Even if every member in the group nails every note and rest they lose something between their mouths and their audience.

But now take that same choir and insist that they "from here on out sing without looking in their books/scores"; and what usually happens is that the same choir that seemed dull and lifeless (and full of bald spots btw if it is an older choir) is soon connecting with the listeners and bringing out the music and making it "live".

What a difference it makes when a performer or group gets his/her eyes out of the scores. * I admit that with classical music this is not always possible. Some fugues are tough to do without a close eye on the score for instance.

jmo

Oh yea Bob, one more thing:

I do have a few "original" pieces in my head that I play. They are never played the same but will have the same main sound to them every time.

By now, I have partially memorized what I am about to play, but I came up with these original songs on my own, in my head.

Does that count?

"Does that count?"

Yes, I guess if you came up with a melody on your own and matched chords to it, then you're pretty much playing it by ear.

Again, playing by ear is taking a melody that you have in your head, sitting down at the piano and playing the melody. Of course it sounds better if you can play the correct chords and rhythm along with it.

wolfindmist, I agree 100%! Great anecdote!

Thanks Bob;

The concert where I saw this personally happen was a Gershwin program (a suite of music) with a 13 piece band.

Our director made the point that to make it "jazz" ; we had to peel all our eyes off of our scores. And he mentioned the shiny spots on some of our heads (including the gals) that showed when some of the folks had their heads looking down into their scores. I guess he figured they might listen to him to preserve their vanity if nothing else. For some reason though the guys in the back row were always the worst offenders.

At first the choir was freaked at the idea of doing a long program without looking at the score. But it came in handy when the program was eventually done with theatrical stage lighting; which at times was very dark for some of the older members of the group.

Later down the road the chorale found that getting out of the scores helpful for the Messiah.... as we did the entire Christmas portion plus Worthy Is The Lamb/Amen Chorus in very little light (Candlelight/ candle operas? and darker stage light) so that images of artwork of the Nativity Scene could be projected onto a screen. We also had actors and a small orchestra of soloist level players.

You really couldn't read the scores doing the Messiah in that dark setting; but we were well rehearsed and didn't need them. Most of the group has probably done the messiah 10+ times. Singing the Messiah in the dark made me realize I had the score in my hand as a crutch; I knew all the entrances and notes and only needed the score for the amen chorus (the trickest choral work of The Messiah IMO).

The chorale has really taken big steps since that night where we were told "no scores from here on out"; the bass section we have this year has been the best bass section we have had in 16 yrs.

All I can add is that music is much more fun when you are able to peel your eyes off the score as much as possible. At some point in most kinds of music the written score becomes a crutch; that point is where you have played the piece often enough you really know it and don't need to look at the music.

I also have seen it in my piano playing. I improvise often using fake books, I have noticed the less I look at the arrangements the better my playing and the more I can draw in my listeners and group participants.

Whoever said that fake books can be a crutch is right. I bring the fake books along as they do come in handy when someone asks for a song I have never heard and he/she cannot hum it for me (remember I also do nursing facilities with stroke patients and dementia patients).But I try to get familiar enough with the most requested songs that I only need a few cues at times.

Thanks for going into greater detail wolfie. I can imagine how frightened some of the members of the choral became when they were told they were losing their crutches.

Madeline Bruser, in her fascinating book, "The Art of Practicing", goes on at great length about how the position of the body effects a performance.

ShiroKuro, I did get permission to post a link to Mike's "This Old Man" audio. Keep in mind that this was posted as part of an in-depth discussion, so the tune is completely out of context and was not intended as a performance. However, all that aside, it's still a cool listen! You can find it by clicking on the top hat on his website, or by clicking on this link (right-click and select 'save as', you're going to want to keep it!):
This Old Man

THAT is the direction I want to go in! Mike does have a page with some performance pieces, but it's rather difficult to find on his website. Here's a direct link to it:
Mike\'s tunes

There's a "Play All" button at the bottom of the page, so you can click that and have some great background music while you do something else.

Anyway, I'm not trying to advertise for Michael Anderson. Like I did with Sudnow's method, I'm just sharing what I'm currently getting into.

I'm not making the progress that I did with Sudnow, but this course in a way is similar to traditional piano methods in that you start out with simple stuff and add things as you're able to assimilate what you've learned. Whereas Sudnow has you memorizing finger positions for full chords, one chord after another. So I'm not frustrated in the least.

Let me know if you have any other questions Shiro.

Bob

Mr S-H, when you do this do you ever write down what you have played? It boggles my mind that you (anyone) can play by ear and remember what notes/chords thay played last. Of course if I could play by ear this might not be so amazing, because...I would be playing by ear (duh). I'm starting to think that I'll have to abandon this idea for now. Fake books might be ok but I'm sure that if I played by ear, I'd have to write everything down and then I'd be reading sheet music anyway......sigh, sigh. I'll leave all that creative work to those who can do it and simply enjoy (with a little envy) all the wonderful postings!!

You are right Bob.

For singers, position of the body is all important. You need to use your diapraghm to properly breath so if you lean back in your chair and slouch or lean to forward it is harder to breath correctly and project outward. Best when seated and singing is to sit on the edge of your chair and sit up straight. If you sing and play piano at the same time you have to watch your body positioning as you play.

Even how you hold your score (for folks that sing in choirs) makes a difference, you don't want to hold your score in front of your face or you will block your sound. Best way to hold the score for a singer is up high enough so you don't have to look downwards to read the score and flat instead of at an angle (so the audience sees you, and so you can see the audience and your director, and most importantly so that your sound gets projected outward.

Short folks have to also try not to be placed behind taller singers and big hairdos, that will soak up your sound in a hurry.

Your posture and body positions on playing any instrument (voice, piano, horns, winds, drums etc.) matter. Body positioning affects player comfort, energy levels, tone projection, and professional appearance (for performers).

I think it is helpful to be able to sing a melody part; when learning to play an instrument by ear. But for some, humming is less intimidating.

But there is one thing about humming a melody to consider...
my choral director who is a top knotch director and composer also says when you hum the first pitch before you start to sing a piece (9 times out of 10 you or the group will come in flat); it is a bad habit some school teachers have students do (humming the starting pitch before singing a piece). Instead of humming a starting pitch for a song you are about to sing, you are better off to think of the starting pitch in your head. You will develop a better ear for being on pitch by doing this often also.