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I'm trying to stregthen my ear, so that I'll be able to better translate what I hear in my head to what I'm playing with my hands. I haven't really had much formal instruction when it comes to piano so I don't really know how to approach this. If anyone has any suggestions, they're welcome.

Now, what I plan on attempting is sitting down at my piano every night with a couple of simple piano songs, or songs that feature the piano, on my iPod and pecking away until I get better at figuring out their arrangements. I'm not quite sure if this is really a good idea or not, and you're welcome to weigh in wherever you wish but for now I'm looking to compile a list of songs that I could start working on. Anything with a simple piano hook will do, it doesn't have to be classical, but it can be. Something that's too fast will be difficult for me to work through, since I'm only an average player at best. So, then, suggest anything that you think might work out for me. Thanks.

(Trying to avoid the "tie a small weight to the lobe", reply )

Your suggestion sounds great!

A famous guitarist (steve vai) used to sit in front of the tv and try and play jingles that he heard in commercials. Your idea sounds pretty similar.

One thing I sometimes do is listen to a bit of music away from the piano, then try and play it 10 minutes later. For me, it requires a fair bit of noodling, but it also trains the ear and brain into remembering certain pitches and tunes.
And I'm not meaning entire songs, just an intro or a couple of lines of a song.

It's a good idea, but I wouldn't wait until 10 minutes have elapsed to perform the drill. I would play it right away. Waiting 10 minutes or more doesn't rely on ear training but more on musical memory.

Thanks, virtuosic1 - I hadn't really thought about that before.

Is 'musical memory' a useful tool to develop, or is the ear training better - should I change my approach?

Aeggie,

I would suggest you try to play along with tapes or some form of records. Choose some music you want to learn and then play to a short passage. Repeat over and over until you get that right and then progress through to completion.

Can you do memory playing of any piano music?. It's a good idea to get tunes stuck in the brain and instead of humming or whistling them play them on the piano.

I think only practice will get you off the ground there is no quick way to this method of playing.

Have you looked at 'Piano Magic' website or read accounts on this forum of this form of learning?

Best of luck!

Alan

Practise singing scales and random note sequences from the major scale with solfege syllables;
do re mi fa so la ti

The technique is called 'tonic solfa' or 'movable doh solfege'. It should be known by every musician in my opinion.

The idea is to hear how each note is different within the key so you can identify it easily.

Both are tools that are worth developing, but the ear training of more significance, which will go alot further along the way of allowing you to accurately convey your improvised musical thoughts to realized sound at the keyboard. Strengthening your musical memory is more beneficial to learning and memorization of repetoire, which is why I never advocate "unmusical" scales, arpeggios, and Hanon-like exercises for technical proficiency and have my students playing Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Charlie Parker, etc. transposed through all keys, in both hands (a la Hanon) for their technical practice. I think that the use of actual music for technical practice is far more musically useful than simply running patterns ad nauseum. Better to work with music, which requires more thinking, than simply repetitive patterns.

Quote from bubbamac119, wrote;
_________________________________________

"Practise singing scales and random note sequences from the major scale with solfege syllables;
do re mi fa so la ti

The technique is called 'tonic solfa' or 'movable doh solfege'. It should be known by every musician in my opinion.

The idea is to hear how each note is different within the key so you can identify it easily.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------end quote"

Now this is something I was taught as a child and sheet song music was much more popular in those days. I could read the tonic solfa, though not the score.And I think that has had a lasting affect on the ear ability.

Please understand after all these years of playing I'm having to try and analyse my alility and write down something I have taken for granted up to now.

I'm sure that musical memory is a vital component of playing music by ear. This is why I keep saying I 'hear' these sounds of a song/tune/whatever in my mind and it's then translated to the keys on the piano to complete the process.

I ask the question " can any of you visualise a passage of music in the head without having to hum it or sing it?" just see it like a piece written score? I can do this all the time any time anywhere. Then when I sit at the piano I transfer that memory brain visual to the keys.

The first note or chord you play is based on a memory of the sound and once the note is played the rest just follows. Transferring the sound of the song or music directly to the instrument.

Does that make sense to anyone?

I certainly know what all the notes in an octave sound like by simply looking at them. Then there is no surprise when you play that note or chord. It does take a lot of practice to become a player by this method. I should imagine. Perhaps some of the teaching we read of on this Website covers this approach.

Alan

Aeggie,

It's exactly how I strenghten my ear. I have done many other drills, but this is by far the most effective. Literally I hear a piano hook and I make myself learn it. It is tough at first but I promise you will eventually get it. Here are some steps...


go down to the library and check out a fake book. A fake book is a book which has popular songs in it, the melody and the chord progression. Using a fake book is great practice to learn how to arrange which will help your ear figure out voice leading.

Improvise off of the chord progressions in the fake book (no melody) just get a fill for chord progressions and how to elaborate them (arpeggios, omitting notes, walking bass, rhythms, etc) After you are comfortable with that try to add in the melody, first by reading but eventually by ear.

Then start improvising off of your own ideas using the info learned from the fake book.

Finally start listening and figuring out songs using cd's and ipods. have the ipod or cd playing, pausing, rewinding as you figure out everything. Play along, look for the bass note.

Good pop songs with piano are

Imagine (John Lennon)

Don't Stop Believing (Journey)

Boston (augustana)

Drops of Jupiter (train)

Don't Look Back in Anger (Oasis)

Over My Head (the Fray)

but just, anytime you hear something you like, try to figure it out...it is the best ear training but it requires some focus, good luck.

An easy way to begin is by working out simple folk songs, nursery rhymes and/or holiday favorites by ear. Just hunt and peck at the piano. Tip: The starting note is not always tonic. That is, if you are in the key of C, the song may start on E for example. Another thing you can do away from the piano is figure out the solfegge or scale numbers to these common songs. For example, "Mary Had A Little Lamb" would be 3 2 1 2 3 3 3.... or Mi Re Do Re Mi Mi Mi...