{"id":2309,"date":"2024-02-09T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=2309"},"modified":"2024-02-08T09:13:59","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T17:13:59","slug":"how-to-play-piano-by-ear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-play-piano-by-ear\/","title":{"rendered":"Playing the Piano By Ear in 3 Easy Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Playing the piano by ear isn\u2019t a magical superpower reserved for the musical geniuses among us. You may think you need perfect pitch, but you don\u2019t. In fact, <em>anyone<\/em> can learn how to play piano by ear with practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this lesson, we\u2019ll lead you step-by-step through the process of learning a song by ear. We\u2019ll show you the secret (hint: there isn\u2019t one!) and that it\u2019s much easier than you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The TL;DR? If you can hum it, you can play it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#step-1-find-the-key\">Step 1: Find the key<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#step-2-assemble-your-diatonic-chords\">Step 2: Assemble your diatonic chords<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#step-3-listen-to-the-bass-root-movement\">Step 3: Listen to the bass root movement<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#figuring-out-the-melody\">Figuring Out the Melody<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#more-tips\">More Tips<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Learn Piano For Free<\/b><\/h2><p>Inspiring tutorials. Fascinating articles. Exclusive interviews. We create piano content anyone, anywhere can enjoy for free. Don&#8217;t miss out, sign up for more free lessons.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sign-of-the-times-by-harry-styles\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>&#8220;Sign of the Times&#8221; by Harry Styles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Our example song in this lesson is \u201cSign of the Times\u201d by Harry Styles. You can listen to the song here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/qN4ooNx77u0?feature=shared\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a great song for beginners because it has very clear and distinct piano chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-1-find-the-key\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Step 1: Find the key<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step in figuring out a song by ear is to find the key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, we\u2019re going to use our ears to find the <strong>tonic.<\/strong> The tonic is the home note of a song. Usually, it\u2019s the note the song ends on, and it makes the song feel resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several ways we can do this. One way is to try different scales on top of the song we&#8217;re figuring out. Play through different scales until you find one that sounds good over the song. This is a trial-and-error process, so take your time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, you\u2019ll discover that F major fits over \u201cSign of the Times.\u201d That means the song is in F major, and F is our tonic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box-snippet\">\n<div class=\"shadow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div><i class=\"fas icon fa-piano\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-container\">\n<b>Tip:<\/b> If you\u2019re new at this, try as many scales as you can. You\u2019ll discover that some scales sound like they almost fit, but don\u2019t quite. That\u2019s because certain scales are closely related. For example, C major <i>almost<\/i> works over \u201cSign of the Times\u201d because it\u2019s right next to F major on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-use-the-circle-of-fifths\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Circle of Fifths<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-2-assemble-your-diatonic-chords\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Step 2: Assemble your diatonic chords<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 2 is the real secret to how experienced musicians figure out songs so fast. And it\u2019s more to do with theory than really good ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We know \u201cSign of the Times\u201d is in F major, so let\u2019s take a look at the F major scale: <strong>F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E.<\/strong> Each of these notes has a chord associated with it called a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/diatonic-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diatonic chord<\/a><\/strong>, and you can find these chords by building triads on top of each note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll give each of these chords a number, like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/08055810\/F-major-diatonic-chords-1024x337.png\" alt=\"F major diatonic chords in whole notes on staff with Roman numerals.\" class=\"wp-image-16568\" style=\"width:840px;height:276px\" width=\"840\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/08055810\/F-major-diatonic-chords-1024x337.png 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/08055810\/F-major-diatonic-chords-300x99.png 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/08055810\/F-major-diatonic-chords-768x253.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/08055810\/F-major-diatonic-chords-1536x506.png 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/08055810\/F-major-diatonic-chords.png 1610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Some chords are minor, and we indicate these with lowercase Roman numerals. We haven\u2019t done anything special to these chords\u2014all we\u2019re doing is building triads using F major\u2019s key signature (which is a single B flat).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, these are your F major diatonic chords. Diatonic chords are chords that are found naturally in a scale, and they are a song\u2019s building blocks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most pop songs are centered around the I, V, vi, and IV diatonic chords. The most popular progression in the world is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/pop-piano-chord-progressions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I-V-vi-IV<\/a>, and you can find this progression in songs like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-play-let-it-be-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cLet It Be\u201d<\/a> (The Beatles) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/someone-you-loved\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Someone You Loved&#8221;<\/a> (Lewis Capaldi).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box-snippet\">\n<div class=\"shadow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div><i class=\"fas icon fa-piano\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-container\">\n<b>Chord Theory Goes a Long Way:<\/b> Knowing your chords will help you figure out songs faster. If you need more help with chords, check out these resources:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/all-piano-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Play ALL Piano Chords (Major, Minor, 7ths)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Top 10 Piano Chord Progressions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/shop\/chords-scales-book\" target=\n_blank\">The Pianote Chords &#038; Scales Book<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-3-listen-to-the-bass-root-movement\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Step 3: Listen to the bass root movement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the final step: listen to the bass root movement. This means listening to the lowest note you can hear: the bass. Oftentimes in pop music, this note will tell you what chord is being played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, listen to \u201cSign of the Times\u201d and see if you can pinpoint that lowest note in the first chord. Then, try playing F, C, D, or Bb (the I, V, vi, and IV) and see if one of these notes matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll find that F matches the first chord. That means our first chord is F major! (That\u2019s because according to our F major diatonic chords, a triad built on F in F major is an F major chord.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continue this process with the rest of the chords. If it sounds like the bass is moving down, try a lower note and chord. If it moves up, try a note or chord that\u2019s higher in pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, you\u2019ll discover that \u201cSign of the Times\u201d follows this progression: <strong>F-Dm-C-C<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box-snippet\">\n<div class=\"shadow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div><i class=\"fas icon fa-piano\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-container\">\n<b>Perfect Pitch: Superpower or Disadvantage?<\/b> You might be jealous of people who have perfect pitch, which is the ability to identify a note by ear without any reference. Perfect pitch may seem like a superpower, but it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QRaACa1Mrd4?feature=shared\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">not all it\u2019s cracked up to be<\/a>. As people age, their perfect pitch will start to go off, which can create confusion. Having perfect pitch may also affect one\u2019s ability to determine whether one note is higher than another.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"figuring-out-the-melody\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Figuring Out the Melody<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you have your chords, there\u2019s one more piece to the puzzle: the melody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Figuring out the melody is mostly trial and error, but you can still use your theory knowledge to get a head start. Since we know that we\u2019re in F major, think of the notes in the F major scale as the ingredients with which to build your melody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hum the melody and try to use your F major notes to play it on the piano. Being able to hum the melody is important; if you can hum it, you can play it!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If you can hum it, you can play it!<\/p>\n<cite>Kevin Castro<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"more-tips\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>More Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Playing by ear is a skill you can develop. But it takes practice. Here are more tips to get you going:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Start with an easy song.<\/strong> Some songs are easier to play by ear than others. Pop songs tend to have simple chord progressions and melodies with minimal movement. Avoid jazz and classical pieces as a beginner\u2014they can be quite dense!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Know your song.<\/strong> If you can\u2019t quite hum the melody yet, it means you don\u2019t know the song well enough. Listen to the song a few more times until you can hum it. Playing by ear requires internalizing the music in your body.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use technology. <\/strong>If you stream a song on YouTube, for example, you can slow a song down by 0.75x, 0.5x, or even 0.25x of the speed. Other software can even isolate instrumental parts!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sing along. <\/strong>You don\u2019t have to be an amazing singer, but being able to reproduce music with your body improves your ears. If you\u2019ve ever wondered why jazz musicians scat along to their solos, this is why!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, be patient. This is a skill that takes time! But it\u2019s worth the effort. Sooner than later, you\u2019ll be impressing your friends with your impeccable ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Learn Piano With Real Teachers<\/b><\/h2><p>The best way to learn piano is with real teachers, but not everyone has the time and money for a private instructor. At Pianote, you can get real feedback from real experts\u2026all from the comfort of your own home. Explore our Method and community yourself with a free 7-day trial.<\/p><p><\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><p><\/p><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Playing the piano by ear isn\u2019t just for musical geniuses with perfect pitch. Anyone can learn this handy skill!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1111,1108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ear-training","category-musicianship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2309"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16574,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309\/revisions\/16574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}