Why Play By Ear?

Playing by Ear is a skill that takes you to a NEW level of playing piano.

If you are searching for a path to break-through in your piano playing, you must venture into the path of 'playing by ear'.

When you play by ear, you have the enjoyment of playing music that inspires you and your listeners. Your playing becomes musical.  Why?  You play from your HEART.

Notice the word 'hEARt' has the word EAR inside.

When you play by EAR, your heart is totally involved in your playing.
And when your  heart is involved in your playing, the following will take place:

• Your music has a depth of quality that comes across strikingly powerful to the listeners.

• You create quality music that is interesting and compelling because you are totally involved in the music. 

• You have a special ability to play music in the style that is uniquely yours. It has your signature in it. When you play by ear, you can never play a song in the same way.

Playing by Sheet Music vs Playing By Ear

If you play a song by reading it, you can play the song only one way, in the style of the person who arranged it. This is what happens when you play according to score. You just follow the music right in front of you.  Playing by Sheet Music is very similar to reading a book.  When  you read a book, you read word for word from the pages.  You might add a bit of expressions but you don't change the words at all.  The communication is fixed. You follow the style of the author in the way he expresses himself.

To play by ear is not a fixed communication at all. You can turn a song into many different styles because you are not following any fixed note to note playing.  You can play the same song in different ways.  

First, like all musicians, you acquire a style that is uniquely yours.  From that basic foundation where you feel most comfortable, you begin to try different patterns and different way to play a song.  The more you do this, the more you acquire spontaneity and versatility to make beautiful variations in one single song.

This is the art of making music.
You play songs with creative freedom from your heart, not by sight or by memory.



How do you become your favorite musician?

Learn to play by ear. Learn to use your ears to play songs, to play the music you hear.  Let your heart and emotions come into play. This is how you become the best musician.

Playing piano after all is an art. When you whole being is involved, the artistic side will come out to the forefront to bring the best out of your playing.  You cannot help but become drawn to your own musicianship.  When you enjoy playing what you play with your utmost, your audience is also drawn into your music world!