Playing the Piano by Ear
Playing the piano by ear has one thing in common with the rest of playing the piano - it takes practice. There are ways of learning however that are a little quicker than others.
There are 2 things you can do to learn to play by ear.
1. Take a course or use a book to learn how to play by ear.
2. Listen and practice.
This is one of the ways you can learn to play piano without sheet music.
Recommended Courses & Books for Playing The Piano By Ear
Musicians who are quite excellent at playing by ear are either: A) very talented, or B) skilled and know the tricks of playing by ear.
The talent you're born with. Tricks you can learn.
There are two main resources I recommend for guided learning by ear. Both are very popular and either will work well for you.
Recommendation #1:
Quicklessons Piano Course Book: Learn to Play Piano by Ear
This course is a great one to choose if you're a beginner and it also works very well for intermediate players. It has concise lessons, diagrams, chord charts and a variety of different music genres to choose from.
Reviews are amazingly good and there has been a lot of great feedback for this course. It is more expensive than the other recommended book but extremely popular and well-regarded. Those who have bought it, love it.
Highlights of this course:
- For beginners and intermediate learners
- 145 lessons
- Focuses on the skills needed to hear, play, chart and improvise
- Learn using popular music genres like R&B, rock, jazz, gospel, etc
- Includes tips for singer/songwriters (this is unique to this course)
Click here to take a look at the course on Amazon.
Recommendation #2:
Piano by Ear: Learn to Play by Ear, Improvise, and Accompany Songs in Simple Steps
This book will work for piano players of a variety of levels. It teaches you using simple steps, patterns and common songs to take you through learning how to play by ear.
Reviewers of this book that are beginners or who have very little piano knowledge have found this book too advanced. Those who do have some piano background really like this book.
For those who already know a bit about piano, you'll find it useful.
Highlights include:
- Simple steps that take you through playing by ear
- How to improv in different keys and various chord patterns
- Learn using classic, contemporary and Christmas songs
- Teaches you how music works
Click here for read more about Piano by Ear on Amazon.
Recommendation for Learning Piano Chords By Ear
Playing Piano Chords By Ear Mini Course
If you play chords (even a little bit) and wish you could play them by ear or improve what you play by ear, I also have a mini course that takes you through the process step by step.
Highlights:
- how to find your starting note
- how to figure out what key you're in to make playing melody and chords easier
- how to play a melody by ear
- how to figure out a bass line by ear so you can figure out your chords
- know what the different types of chords sound like so you can play the correct chords
- lots of listening exercises you can do over and over to improve your ear
- and more!
This course is part of the Piano Chords Club which you can join for a month to do the course or more to learn more!
-->> Click here to take join the Piano Chords Club and take Playing Piano Chords By Ear. <<--
Second Approach: Listening and Practicing
The second way to learn to play piano by ear is just to try. There are specific things you can do to play what you hear. One example of something you can do is listen to a bass line. That will help you to know what chords are being played.
Here's a
step by step approach that you can take.
1. Choose a simple song. (For example, Happy
Birthday.)
2. Try and pick out the melody. Work on simple
melodies
for a while until you
get faster at playing them accurately.
3. Choose a simple song with chords.
4. Listen and try to play the bass line.
5. From the bass line you can figure out the
chords. Try
playing the chords for the
song.
6. Work on playing more and more complex melodies
and chords.
Playing the piano by ear is a great skill to have. One thing that can
help you progress is ear training. Learn about different intervals and
how to hear different types of chords.
For more on chords, read
Learning Piano Chords.
Return from Playing the Piano by Ear to Piano Lessons Info Homepage.
More pages that might help:
How to Play Piano by Chords
Learning to play piano by chords is a great approach and a fast approach to learning the piano. Here's a list of the steps you need to take to do that.
Join the 14 Day Piano Chord Challenge
Join the 14 day piano chord challenge and learn a new chord every day! Perfect for beginners learning to play piano chords.
How To Warm Up on Piano (& What To Do)
How to warm up, what to warm up with and warm up routines for piano.
Chord Piano Lessons with Video
Free video chord piano lessons. Learn how to play chords and how to get better at playing chords.
5 Piano Hand Coordination Exercises (For Beginners)
Ready to improve your piano hand coordination? Here is some tips especially for beginners to get better at this and using piano chords.
Piano Chord Inversions for Beginners + Exercises
What are piano chord inversions and a few different ways you can practice these. They're important!
Learn Jazz Piano Chords (Beyond Major and Minor Chords!)
Learning jazz piano chords? Learn some of the important jazz chords to know, which notes to play for the chords, and how to figure them out.
How to Play Piano Chords
Learn to tips for how to play piano chords. Here are the first steps to take in learning to play chords.
How To Play Melody with Chords on Piano - Step by Step
The step by step process you can take to play melody with chords on piano.
Piano for Adults: Best Approaches for Learning
What are the best approaches for piano for adults? If you're an adult hoping to learn piano, read these recommendations specifically for you.
Playing Piano By Ear: How To Start & Playing Chords By Ear
Need help playing piano by ear? Tips on how to start and how to play chords by ear.
Adult Piano Instruction Book
Find out which adult piano instruction book is best for you.
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