Tips on playing the piano by ear?

It takes time, and practice to learn to read the notes...it doesn't come over night! Honestly, being a music teacher myself, I can tell you that some people have the 'ear playing' gene, and others just don't. I don't think this is a very percise way to play anyway, only reading the notes, you know you have complete percision in the song and your playing.

I'm not real sure about this, mbut I think that is something that you either have or don't have. I'm the same way. I actually learned the piano by learning how to read notes, but especially after gtetting away from it for a little while, I found I am much better at playing by ear. I think you do have to know music, know the scale and of course, know the song you're trying to play. Sometimes, if I try to play a song by ear and I can't figure it out, what I will do is sit by the piano, put record on and try to learn it that way. That's what I had to do to learn the beginning to "stairway to heaven." I found it wasn't as difficult or complicated as I thought.

I perhaps shouldn't be replying because I'm not a piano player. I took some lessons when I was a kid, and for a time did quite well, but I was so incredibly idle that in the end, I simply stopped...although I did go on playing, very badly...in the Rock and Roll style. However, I did take to the guitar, and like you I didn't really take to the more academic side of learning a musical instrument, but I showed real aptitude. And in the end, I developed into a limited but highly imaginative guitarist, as well as singer and songwriter...I mean in the Rock style. I'm not sure what kind of music you are seeking to play; but if it's Classical, then I think it's pretty essential you read music. You can play by ear by listening to a piece, say "Clair de Lune" by Debussy, over and over and again, and simply memorising it, which is great, but while I'm no expert, I'd say you are limiting yourself in this respect. For when it comes to highly complex Classical pieces, I'd say a person would simply have to read music. If you also want to play Jazz; or Rock or Pop music (if only Classical then please excuse this digression)...then I don't feel it's so essential to learn how to read music, as many popular musicians have never done so. Yet, I feel you should learn to read chord symbols, if you've not done that already. I can remember being told to "learn chords" when I was younger; but the way it turned out for me, I didn't learn chords: I just got to know more and more of them; although when it comes to their names, obviously, I know the essential ones, but not all the chords I play...far from it. So; practise chords...that seems to me to be essential. A good way to do that might be to buy a book of songs from your favourite artist or artists, and learn to play them...just go over and over them. And then there are the scales...oh dear, again, I'm terribly inexpert, because the only scale I can recall being tauight was the Blues scale, although it was never described as such to me, but it did prove useful to me in the end when it came to Rock guitar improvisation. The same would apply to piano. You could also try writing your own songs...again if you've not already done this. From my experience, my songs were pretty poor at first, but writing them trained me to experiment with my instrument; seek out chords; and practise elemental song construction. Jazz of course is significantly based on improvisation, so again learning to read music is inessential. Needless to say, whatever style you are seeking to specialise in, practise is essential. You could play along to your favourite pieces; or practise chords; scales; songwriting; or learn to play songs by your favourite artists; again, it depends what style you are hoping to specialise in. Although an intuitive, natural musician, I'm still very much a musical primitive.

Gosh that might be very painful I guess that few sessions of yoga might help before you venture on this adventure Seriously, I think that in order to play the piano very well then you should try hard to learn the notes too. Playing by ear will mean that you will miss out on being able to play everything because you will only see the music for some tunes surely?

Lauren just studying, there is no short way. I studied piano when I was 8, up to 10, now I`m almost 40, and I began playing again the piano two years ago. It was like learning a complete new language. I speak spanish, english, german, french, I do understand portugese and italian. But learning music is like studying chinese or japanese. You have to train your brain to read notes. Good luck!... dainy