Hear and Play: The Gift of Playing the Piano by Ear

Have you ever heard a really nice song that got you so captivated that you just wish you can play it in the piano right away? Playing the piano by ear appears to be a gift, a talent of hearing music once or twice, and then once you have your hands on the keys, the magic begins. As easy as it may sound, hearing the music and playing it at once is not just pure genius. It requires a little background and familiarity with the piano scale and some piano lessons. Some people may not be able to read sheet music but knows the sound of each keys. That is the key to hearing and playing music. But others are born artists of piano.

Surely, it would be great that even without music sheets, one can play music beautifully and can share his or her own version of the song. Setting your own pace and dynamics will not just be merely playing the piano by ear but also by heart.

Playing by ear is something a pianist develops after some time of learning the notes and the chords on the piano. Having this knowledge will enable one to play the songs more precisely and can even add one's personal touch to the music by adding melodies to the original song. It really wouldn't hurt to know the basics of piano playing like understanding the scale, knowing where the notes are located on the piano keys and practicing to improve familiarity. So playing by ear is a little bit of both the talent and the know how of musical notes.

When a pianist wants to play a music he or she hears, the pianist listen to the music intently and then instantly, he or she can identify what note it is and knows which keys to press on the piano. There is some kind of visualization going on the pianist's mind. Honing listening skills and the understanding the basics of musical theory will definitely be beneficial. Do understand that sometimes, it will take a while, especially for those who are just starting to play. At first you, will try to search on the keys until you find the right notes.

Whether for your own entertainment or casual sing-along moments, playing by ear can be really useful. But if you are a music lover, nothing beats a music education to optimize the talent that you already have. There are lots of ways to learn how to play the piano. If you are that passionate about music, knowing the technical of piano playing enables you to appreciate musical sheets as an art, understanding how the composers weave the notes into a musical masterpiece, feeling the emotion that they want to impart through the dynamics and tempo that their pieces require. You can enrol in local music studios if you have the budget for it, or go online and search for piano tutorials in YouTube. Once your musical knowledge deepens, playing by ear, hand in hand with learning the notes, your skill in playing any music will improve with adequate time of practice. Set some realistic time frame for yourself depending on how fast you can learn. With passion and dedication, playing your favourite song for the first time whether by ear or by sheet will surely be fulfilling and memorable.