Entertainment Guide


eg: UK or Brides UK or Classical Art or Buy Music or Spirituality

Business & Money

Technology

Women

Health

Education

Family

Travel

Cars

Entertainment

To Play By Ear

View:

Did you know that there are many people who can naturally play by ear? Often they sing by ear as well. Sure, they may be able to follow along as the music moves up and down the scale of the page they are looking at while performing. However, in reality, they never learned the difference between an A flat and a D flat, it is something that comes natural to them and they truly follow their ear when playing an instrument or singing vocals.

It is very possible that these natural 'by ear' performers even found themselves puzzled as to why learning to read music was so very difficult for them, some not being able to learn how at all. Even though many of them are awesome performers and many others never discover their secret at all.

On the other hand, there are many learned performers, who know their scales by name and type as well as timing, since they put a great many hours into learning each step there is to take when learning to play and instrument or vocalize. Even though it may take many years to learn to be a master of music, you can learn to play by ear.

It is simple really, to learn to play by ear, since anything that you have ever heard is available to play by ear; you just have to learn how to do it. Then all it takes is practice to be perfect, since the more often you do something, the easier it becomes for you to do. First however, you must understand the theory of teaching your ear to understand the musical structures as they are being played is an age old practice. Actually, it is one that you often experienced as a child; before learning to play by lessons, it is something that most people come by naturally. Very simply, playing by ear is an ability to play a piece of music by listening to it continually. You are then able to play a piece of music simply because you have heard it so many times.

Basically, there are three contributing elements of music.

1. The melody is the tune that moves up and down or higher and lower as the song moves forward. You must first become aware of this as it is the first step in learning to play by ear. By mentally defining the boundary of a songs melody, you begin to improve on playing it on your instrument.

2. The harmony of a song matches closely the melody and is the ability of harmonizing or matching up the chords, which supports the melody. For instance, you can harmonize with a melody of a certain key with other keys on the scale that find harmony in association, such as G and C chords in music.

3. Rhythm is then the third element, which supports the beat or timing of a song. Rhythm is normally easier to learn since most people can feel the beat. Basically, there are two rhythm meters, the duple meter and triple meter, which are combined in a great many ways. The rhythm of a song determines whether a song is very slow or very fast.

Keep in mind that while learning to play by ear, it will require practice. However, there are a few tips and tools available while learning to play by ear.

1. Play around with your instrument. Play the notes and listen to how they sound, this will help you identify how notes and stings, keys and frets relate.

2. Learn the scales, as by doing so; you truly do learn your instrument.

3. Learn music theory as this practice enables you to learn the notes and their names.

4. Begin with simple melodies, this is also a great way to understand your instrument.

5. Transpose the songs you hear, as you will begin to develop your ear as well as becoming able to understand the relationship between the chords.

Some of the tools available while learning to play by ear are ear training videos, software and hardware. You should be able to find DVD and CD aids that help in a number of ways while you learn to play by ear. Some of these aids can remove the lyrics of a song, while letting you listen to the music. As you listen to the changing of the sounds as you change chords, you will find understanding in how the chords change in a song you listen to repeatedly.

Just keep a good outlook and try not to become discouraged, it is just a process of learning. If you are committed to the project, you can learn to play by ear.

To Play By Ear

Listening to music is fun; playing music is more fun; playing music by ear is the most fun of all. If the player remembers the music he is playing by means of his ear, he is playing by ear. But most players who have learned to play by the traditional method of reading notes on a page and then punching keys on an instrument do not trust to their ears to tell them what is coming next. Instead, they remember the notes by name or by their chord name, or they have a visual memory of how the notes look on the page, or they use some other nonmusical system of recall. Naturally this turns their attention from the sound of the music and encourages the habit of watching keenly the mechanics of playing with almost total disregard for the music itself.

Practicing music is not fun. So say most of the children who are taking lessons and many of us adults who once took lessons but "wouldn't practice." But practicing is indeed fun for many children. Listening to music is fun; and when listening to music is the chief activity in practice, practicing is fun. This is even truer for adults than it is for children; children get pleasure from the intellectual and physical exercise involved in practice. However, when practicing the music, and not the mechanics, the result is fun!

People who play by ear are generally considered to be especially talented. This is entirely a fiction. They do not play by ear because they are talented; rather they are talented because they play by ear. They use their ears in determining what is correct to play, and this constant activity develops their ability to manipulate musical sounds.

In contrary fashion, the person who never plays by ear frequently renders himself less and less "talented." When this neglect is perpetuated year after year, the individual does become one-sided and cannot play even the simplest little tune by ear. This does not mean, however, that he cannot learn to play by ear but rather that he particularly needs to use his ear and overcome his weakness. If the advanced musical performer is unable to play by ear, he can improve his performance decidedly by learning to play by ear - even if he learns this method of playing only to a rather small extent. The musical feel and insight which this develops is commonly considered talent.

Anyone who can hear can learn to play by ear. Nor is a teacher necessary. Learning to play by ear is much like learning to talk; one fools around with the various keys or finger positions until he strikes a combination that he wants or likes, and then he knows how to get it again. The basic nature of such learning consists in forming an association between some muscular pattern and a pleasant response. The pleasant response of a musical sound or phrase associates itself with the finger pattern that produced it, and when we have learned this we have learned how to get that musical idea whenever we want it.

The boy whistles and the girl turns round. The next time he wants the girl to turn round he does not say to himself, "Now I must whistle"; nor does he stop to think how he holds his tongue or what particular inflection he needs in his whistle. He just whistles. The bond between his desire and the muscles of his mouth is firmly established. He could have learned to do this by imitating someone else; we can learn to play by ear this way, too. He could have been told how to make this particular whistle, or he might even have read how in an instruction book; but in that case his whistle probably wouldn't have been effective. I doubt if the girl would have turned round.

So it is in music. When we couple the musical effect we are seeking with the feeling in our muscles, the bond is much more efficient than when it goes through intellectual and other nonaural channels. Notation and technique tend to interfere with this process. You are your own best teacher for ear playing.

Related Articles
Author
Most Popular

•	How To Play Guitar By Ear, by Alastair Mclea
•	How To Play Piano By Ear, by Terje Brooks
•	How To Play The Piano By Ear, by Duane Shinn
•	How To Tune Guitar By Ear, by Mike Hayes
•	Learn To Play By Ear, by Tomas Labas

About Author

Both Kevin Sinclair & Jimmy Cox are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Kevin Sinclair has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Personal Development Plan and Ezines And Newsletters. Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of , a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.. Kevin Sinclair's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.

Jimmy Cox has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Horse Racing and Investments. If You've Ever Wanted Free Piano Music... Imagine Learning To Play By Ear, You'll Never Be Stuck For What To Play Again!Click here for FREE online ebook!

Computer Based Training Authoring
However, for the majority of companies employing over 100 staff, e-learning packages with easy-to-use management systems present a clear advantage from the perspective of management, compliance and a...