How to Play Piano by Ear

Playing the piano by ear is a challenging, but rewarding experience. Although some extremely talented musicians can reproduce entire pieces by ear, most players aren't quite as skilled. Despite its reputation for being difficult, learning to play the piano by ear helps you become a better musician and a more sensitive listener. Here are some tips that'll help you make sense of what you're hearing and reproduce it on your keyboard.

Instructions

1. Place your music player near the piano so that you've got easy access to its controls. When playing by ear, being able to pause and rewind the music is very helpful.

2. Start by tapping out the song's melody on the keys. If you have trouble doing this while the music's playing, try singing the song to yourself and finding the pitches as you go.

3. Listen hard for the lowest note in each of the song's harmonies. These are the roots of the song's chords, and they outline the chord progression for you.

4. Fill in each of the chords by stacking simple triads (three-note chords) above the roots. Most chords are either major or minor, and the difference between the two is easy to hear--major chords sound happy, while minor chords sound sad or dark.

5. Combine the simple chords you just formed with the song's melody. Although this isn't a transcription of every note, it is a faithful reproduction of the song's basic musical elements, and it should sound pretty good.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that most songs stay in one key the entire time, which means it only uses notes from one musical scale (ice. C Major or D minor).