how do you play by ear?

Moved to proper forum.

For me it takes some practice. I don't have perfect pitch by the way. Trial and error is the way to pluck out melodys. However it helps tremendously to know how different intervals sound. Also know chord progressions. That'll narrow down the posibilities if you're going by trial and error.

The more you do it the better you become at it.

alot of practice my dear man. its how alot of us transcribe, the only problem for me is that by playing by ear i have to listen to the same parts so many times that by the time i finally finish learning the song by ear im totally sick of it because i had to listen to it over and over again

It's all practice - my Piano teacher once was able to determine a slight error in pitch of my electric piano (the pitch is customizable, and it got changed when I was trying all the random features it had), which amazed me. Just play around with notes and in time you'll associate their sound with the key.

I agree with all: practice is the only way to recognize the notes by ear... But being gifted and loving music helps also.
For example, I was good at "dictées" in the music conservatory (the professor plays the notes on the piano ,you have to write them on the paper). But I had only "relative ear", which means that you need an absolute note, a beginning note to find the others.
With a lot of training, which is done with pleasure by transcribing songs you like ;), I've been able to reach the state of "absolute ear". But since it's a trained ear, it's not perfect, and depending the mood, the health, I don't manage every day to find at the first time the correct note.


im totally sick of it because i had to listen to it over and over again
Hehe Sephiroth, what you say is so true lol! After transcribing a song, I'm so tired of the song and my head is dizzy x_x

Well... once you can transcribe by ear, it opens so much possibilities... That's so great, you can play all the songs you like (nearly lol), you can arrange them, you can transcribe them etc...

well i heard it was real... but i dont know

i figure its extremely hard to seperate so many chords....

+ transcribe it...

hear and play is what i heard they called it...

btw... soda can you get me the sheet for one of those songs in mp3 on ur site?

HANG Sodara - Arrangement - Ambrose Hsu (Lavender) - Hua Xiang

its sounds great?

did you play that?

its awsome! i heard the one with someone singing it b4...

here's a little hint on playing by ear as well that i forgot to mention.
when you've been playing the piano long enough, you begin to feel a natural flow that happens in nearly all songs. for example the most common 1 ive noticed is for your left hand. when going up on the scale the notes tend to start and end on the same note for example it will go f,c,f or f,a,c,f. it seems to be quite common for alot of tunes when going up and down on scales.

*most important thing when transcribing* find out the key signatures. this will save a heck of alot of time when trying to find the right notes. playing by ear is also mimicing what you hear which is why i say i get sick of it. i tend to pick them out by individual notes which is why i take so long in transcribing.

but i don't know if i've just confused the hell out of you from what ive said i kinda just wrote the 1st thing that came out of my mind so i've probably repeated myself on a few occassions. hoped it helped

how do you play by ear?

Well, if you're good at it, it's simply because you have a highly developed aura stimulis.

I think the most improtant thing is to know when a pitch goes higher or lower. Eventually, you kinda memorize how the intervals sound. That's how it worked for me. ;)

Now, absolute pitch; that's the one thing I can't really get. x_x

most people say absolute pitch doesnt exist... it's just a case of memorising each note

i dont know whether i agree or not... i suppose there is some truth in that

by the time i finally finish learning the song by ear im totally sick of it because i had to listen to it over and over again

Hehe...my poor RA had to listen to me play the same 2 seconds of the Je Chante MP3 over and over...I made it up to her by playing the whole song for her on the dorm piano when I finished :P

As for playing by ear, if you want to reproduce something exactly, you've got your work cut out for you. If, on the other hand, you just want to get the feel of the song (and, of course, the melody), it's significantly easier. Picking out the melody will have to be done by listening to it very carefully. The rest of the song, though, you can do simply by listening to the harmonies and playing something "similar." Learn what major, minor, diminished, augmented, and dominant 7th chords sound like (there are more chords, but these are the most common) and how to play them on the piano. Then, for your accompaniment to the melody, on the first time through just play the block chord. For example, if the song starts out in C Major, your left hand should just play the C Major triad and hold it there until the next chord comes, while your right hand plays the melody. This will drill the "sound" of the piece into your head. Then, when you're feeling a little more adventurous, change the notes in the left hand, making them more closely match the rhythms and inner melodies of the song. This is kinda like the "figured bass" of the Baroque era, except not quite as stuffy :P It may help to take a song with lyrics that you like and can sing to, find the lyrics and the chord progression (but no actual notes; that stuff that you find for guitars works...), then try to play it on the piano. Melody first (which you already know, if you can sing it), then block out the chords listed on the page, and finally flesh out the accompaniment.

By the way, if the song you're learning is not a solo piano piece, you can actually get away with quite a bit. The second half of Fighting of the Spirit (see siggy) was written without me actually listening carefully to the original piece (it came from me messing around on the piano after playing the game a little too much), and so even the melody doesn't quite line up. The accompaniment was at best tangentially related to the original. Even so, it's not *that* painful to listen to...so the moral is, there is no need to be a perfectionist when arranging a piece by ear for piano. If people can put up with my arrangements, they'll certainly be very generous with whatever arrangment you come up with.

Hehe...my poor RA had to listen to me play the same 2 seconds of the Je Chante MP3 over and over...I made it up to her by playing the whole song for her on the dorm piano when I finished :P

As for playing by ear, if you want to reproduce something exactly, you've got your work cut out for you. If, on the other hand, you just want to get the feel of the song (and, of course, the melody), it's significantly easier. Picking out the melody will have to be done by listening to it very carefully. The rest of the song, though, you can do simply by listening to the harmonies and playing something "similar." Learn what major, minor, diminished, augmented, and dominant 7th chords sound like (there are more chords, but these are the most common) and how to play them on the piano. Then, for your accompaniment to the melody, on the first time through just play the block chord. For example, if the song starts out in C Major, your left hand should just play the C Major triad and hold it there until the next chord comes, while your right hand plays the melody. This will drill the "sound" of the piece into your head. Then, when you're feeling a little more adventurous, change the notes in the left hand, making them more closely match the rhythms and inner melodies of the song. This is kinda like the "figured bass" of the Baroque era, except not quite as stuffy :P It may help to take a song with lyrics that you like and can sing to, find the lyrics and the chord progression (but no actual notes; that stuff that you find for guitars works...), then try to play it on the piano. Melody first (which you already know, if you can sing it), then block out the chords listed on the page, and finally flesh out the accompaniment.

By the way, if the song you're learning is not a solo piano piece, you can actually get away with quite a bit. The second half of Fighting of the Spirit (see siggy) was written without me actually listening carefully to the original piece (it came from me messing around on the piano after playing the game a little too much), and so even the melody doesn't quite line up. The accompaniment was at best tangentially related to the original. Even so, it's not *that* painful to listen to...so the moral is, there is no need to be a perfectionist when arranging a piece by ear for piano. If people can put up with my arrangements, they'll certainly be very generous with whatever arrangment you come up with.

yeah if you want more of the song.. MUSIC THEORY IS A MUST!
so important im going to say it again:

yeah if you want more of the song.. MUSIC THEORY IS A MUST!


i learned that recently... lol i was a lvl 6-9 (dont know yet) pianist and i didnt know what most of the symbol s "technically " meant although i somewhat knew how to play them...


Reading the Staff is one thing
Playing the Piano is another to produce the music
Music Theory is LEARNING THE MUSIC AND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM "NOISE"
im going to stress it again lol ;)
Music Theory is LEARNING THE MUSIC AND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM "NOISE" its how it works

i'm not really sure how some people do it but my older brother seems to be very good with this kind of thing...well like what everyone else said, my brother listens to the music for quite some time but not to the point that he gets sick of it, i guess he's just so patient :heh: or he just gets it so quickly x_x i also tried doing it and my brother told me almost the exact words that tanonev said...:sweat: i guess the fact that my brother can sing the song he likes while playing also helps :sweat:

Just do it.

I don't know how to explain.

it comes naturally. you just have to listen and experiment on the piano. i do it if i havent got the sheet music for a song i like.

I agree with everyone:lol:

most of the time it really helps to play by ear when you know the song very well. One that you can hum or sing is always easier to play than something your not very familiar with:heh: most of the time i find that the first note is the hardest, then the rest comes naturally, especially if your experienced in recognizing intervals and chords. and i agree you have to play the song over alot at times but it's worth the effort when your done^.^

i always play by ear with trial and error, it's the easiest way to find the correct notes.@_@ :lol:

yeah finding the first note....i just sing the first note then play random keys until i get it, and then improvise from then on.

i'm not really sure how some people do it but my older brother seems to be very good with this kind of thing...well like what everyone else said, my brother listens to the music for quite some time but not to the point that he gets sick of it, i guess he's just so patient :heh: or he just gets it so quickly x_x i also tried doing it and my brother told me almost the exact words that tanonev said...:sweat: i guess the fact that my brother can sing the song he likes while playing also helps :sweat:


i can do some without the "training " of hear and play.

yeah, just a few songs, though. It's hard after a while.

I dont Like it....

thanks everyone...i was hoping that there was some profound magnificent secret....i guess not....i have been practising and its easy enough to get the melodies of songs...but getting entire songs is both arduous and boring. i thought that if u matched chords with notes that it would all work out....but sadly it doesnt always...

I can. I do it all the time actually. I'll have a song on the radio I like and just figure it out by the time the song's over. I'm weird, I Know.

I am wondering how you teach it?

It just seems so natural for me I guess. :unsure: Well, if there is some distinct way, please tell me how you'd teach it so somebody.

THX :heh:

I don't think you cant teach it honestly, I think that you are just born with good ears! lol.

I don't think you cant teach it honestly, I think that you are just born with good ears! lol.
Well it's a great way to discourage others to play by ear lol! I agree that you should have the potential, but you have to work too :)
I can also play by ear easily, and I always wonder how I made it, how can I teach it to others. That's not easy to do, because it's like you have to make the reverse road to understand how you made it possible to play by ear.
For me, playing by ear requires not only the potential, but also a great work behind.


Well, if there is some distinct way, please tell me how you'd teach it so somebody.

It's hard to teach that, because it needs lots of time to achieve that. It's a question of perseverence (every day), of endurence (many years), and motivation (self-teach).

If I would have to teach that, I would recommend first to try to play the melodies of songs you like (because you like them, you will do it). Try on the piano to find it, and compare with the melody. Let someone skilled to judge if the notes are correct. If the student even doesn't have the skill to find the notes that matches the melody, (often with trial & error) he may not have the potential to it (such as the feeling of rythm, etc..). If he has the potential, he can go further.
Find the bass line now, with the melody. Great work too, because you have to dissociate 2 lines of the song.
After, learn harmony (chord names, order, etc..). This is difficult, but an essential step to go further. Music theory helps a lot, even if you can go without it (few cases though :s)
Recognize the chords of each bass line (first simple chords, after more complicated).
This should be enough. But you can achieve it after a long time, with perseverence and motivation. During this work, you should begin to recognize a note without listening to it with another instrument (absolute ear instead of relative ear).

This is how I would teach it, maybe it's not the best way. Open to suggestions :lol:

hmm....

is it really so hard?

I can sort of imitate songs by ear, but i'm not that good as an improviser. As everyone has already mentioned, playing by ear comes with practice. But there are things that can be learned and that can greatly help.
Musical Theory: this helps you plan out the succession of chords in advance, and it's really practical (if not necessary) to transcribe music.
Melody imitation in easier keys: this is what I generally do to first imitate a song. I play it in C Major. Period. In the end, it sounds a little monotonous, but you don't have to worry about all the black notes that other keys require. Then, you just need to transpose the melody to the right key.

Well I hope I helped out a little... try playing back melody after melodu and you'll eventually ad the left hand no prob!

most people say absolute pitch doesnt exist... it's just a case of memorising each note

i dont know whether i agree or not... i suppose there is some truth in that

Most people with absolute/perfect pitch (myself included), however, will tell you differently. The qualities of each sound are different, but not different enough to a point that it could easily be learned.

Anyway, I can play extremely well by ear. In fact, I just came home from a production of "Beauty of the Beast" last night and did an impromptu rendition of the title theme because it was stuck in my head, melody and chords included.

I have Perfect Pitch and I can Improvise like no other.

Lol, sorry that made me laugh. Looked so blunt =P.

Anyway, I also have Absolute/Perfect Pitch (I can't decide what to call it).

Though, I have a theory that PP (Perfect Pitch abbv.) works in different ways.

For example of the talents,

-Knowing what the tune of the note is, or just what the note is (Default PP-If you have PP, more than 95% can do this)
-Copying Other Playing and Composing Styles (Most like myself)
-Able to 'talk' in music (Like some of the autistic-sp?-people do)
-Improvation (Most like myslef, again)
-Transcriptions for intruments are superb (Most like myself-ZELDA TRANS BY MEH :heh: )

Well, I think you get the picture. And I really can put this as a theory, because when people have PP, they can't always do what the other person with PP can. Though, this also clarifies the persons skill and usuing PP.

For me, the only note I have to really "find" I guess would be the first one. After that, it's quite simple and easy to find out the whole song by ear. For example, I've already memorized what a fifth, a third, a half-step, and a whole step sound like, but I can't really identify pitches. :heh:

I'd say transcribing songs with lots of instruments help. That'd what I do in my spare time. XD Haha.

Replying to the original message, yes, I can play by ear. I'd have to hear the song about seven or eight times or just enough to be able to sing it randomly, like the Pink Panther or Pokemon theme.

Playing by ear really means if you can hear the doremi of the song in your head or not. I've done plenty on romantic piano pieces and simple tunes like "The Simpsons". Technically, you can start on any note and it would work as your tonic but finding the exact, as the one you hear on TV, takes a little bit of time. Practice!

Er try tuning instruments such as the violin or trumpet. You always have to get it perfect. In time, it comes to you. A lot of people seem to have perfect pitch here. Either most are bull-shitting or maybe its not as uncommon anymore. I know I'm a good musician, but I also know I don't have completely perfect pitch. Perfect pitch is when you can listen to something once and reproduce it in one go. It's meant to be a rare gift...

Right, some people might just be bull-shitting, but also remember that people compose here, and if you think about it, only about 40 people here in the 'music department' or even less on Ichigos.

So SOME could be bs.

I know I'm not. :heh:

Yeah I know. It's a shame it's hard to tell though. I thought there was more in the music section? =/ I've only known one person to have perfect pitch and that was my violin teacher which sucks because she always knows if i'm playing something out of tune. Realistically, I'd only expect 3 max here (if I push it) at ichigos to have perfect pitch just because we have quite a lot of talented people here. I've met over 1000 musicians during my life and only met two with perfect pitch.

Wouldnt' it annoy you if you heard a lot of things out of tune by having perfect pitch?

Well, I listen to a lot of different music. A LOT. Also, my cousin and I who are game freaks use to hum old video game songs and say, "Hey, guess what game this is from!" So we'd have to match the song with the proper notes sorta.

Now when I play the piano, when I want to play a song I'm just listening to, you just FEEL what's wrong and what's right. I don't look at the keyboard too much. Instead, I kind of feel my way left and right across the keyboard in an attempt to match the movement I hear in a song. It's creepy because I'll press a key, and slowly move my hand to where I FEEL the next key should be, and it's there!

People with perfect pitch know what the note is without having to use the keyboard. I can do what you did too, but that's because i've had a lot of experience with tuning stuff and figuring out songs and I dont' haev perfect pitch.

Wouldnt' it annoy you if you heard a lot of things out of tune by having perfect pitch?

It isn't just out of tune, it's the pitch and how dissonant a sound can get. For ex. a Fire Truck 'horn' goes off, makes you go wild. Now, I know it's the same for a normal person, but it drives you insane if you have perfect/absolute pitch.

I'll say this right now, I don't have perfect pitch. I have perfect doremi but that's that rare to those who play music lol. I really don't know much about tuning a violin. I know a little about flue tuning and I know it's a pain. :heh: I think most people here is talking about being able to play a song somewhat like it once they find its tonic. If this song is a song you really like, then that would not be hard. At least your melody should be mostly correct even if your harmony might not be as the real music was written.

Perfect pitch means listening to a song once and replaying it both hands exactly as it sounded isn't it?(for a piano) It's still as rare a talent as ever in my opinion. I've been practising my hearing since forever and the best I can do is still just get it within a whole tone up or down on my first try. I only get it right on the note when I'm lucky lol:sweat: :bleh:

I'll say this right now, I don't have perfect pitch. I have perfect doremi but that's that rare to those who play music lol. I really don't know much about tuning a violin. I know a little about flue tuning and I know it's a pain. :heh: I think most people here is talking about being able to play a song somewhat like it once they find its tonic. If this song is a song you really like, then that would not be hard. At least your melody should be mostly correct even if your harmony might not be as the real music was written.

Perfect pitch means listening to a song once and replaying it both hands exactly as it sounded isn't it?(for a piano) It's still as rare a talent as ever in my opinion. I've been practising my hearing since forever and the best I can do is still just get it within a whole tone up or down on my first try. I only get it right on the note when I'm lucky lol:sweat: :bleh:

Correction: That's NOT that rare to those who play music

But isn't hearing exactly how the sound is arranged and playing what you've heard two different skills? Someone with perfect pitch may not know where those sounds are located on a keyboard.

I thought hearing perfect pitch was to be identify which key it is on the KB. It might not be piano, I mean in names. If he/she hears a E# then they can tell you that it was an E#. If this person plays the piano, he will press that key, if the violin, he will play that note, isn't it? I thought that's what perfect pitch was all about.

Yea, perfect pitch is more about sounds that actually memorizing compositions and playing them back-although that may be a branch off of just something named, "A Gift"

i can play by ear...but doing that is a slow and painfil process...and it takes me a long time but the answer is yes i can...but i don't really play that often so it's an unused skill i guess...and also even though i say i can...i can't play that well by ear :P

perfect pitch yeah i believe is being able to replay a song on the first try after hearing it only one...that's like the prime example of ap erson who has perfect pitch..that thing about being able to hear a note and repeat it is basically part of it...since they're doing that anyway to be able to replay a whole song...it's a very rare skill...i myself saw a person do that and i was floored...
(i can hear one note can tell you waht the note is but hearing a bunch of notes...no that's beyond me so i guess at the most it's partial or very small fraction of perfect pitch in my case)

Mrph... >.o Yes, and no. I do better with guitar in playing by ear, but that's probably because I was taught how to play by ear on the instrument. Piano, however.. xD It's just something you have to have patience with. I've learned to play songs by ear before, but they're usually very simple songs. If I hear a song I really like, and want to play it, then I make an attempt to memorize what the song sounds like, and then go and do an improvised version on the piano. Usually it's not too far off.

>> That's how I learned to play the chorus of "Lean on Me". xD I annoyed several folks at summer camp with that...