(This is a guest post – not by Duane)

I’m sure that anyone who was in a jazz club was amazed by the piano players who are the most awesome to behold. They give you the feeling that they are playing a song just like that, without even hearing it before in their lives. There are actually plenty of individuals who are capable of this, they can listen to a song once and then play it flawlessly and without any hesitation. They are considered to be gifted and somehow apart from the rest of us that need written keys, music along with notes and times signatures as our guide.

So yes, it is possible to learn the piano by playing it by ear, however this is not a common method. Ear training for piano players requires to learn music simultaneously, this is the most known and common method. This skill is acquired after many years of practice, listening, reading music and imitating the way that most professional musicians do. For some, playing by ear is actually a gift, an inborn talent that came to them naturally. A good example in this case is Mozart who played and composed many complicated compositions even as a child, long time before he even saw sheet music.

However, you should not make the mistake of thinking that you do not have to learn to read music in order to active this ability for yourself. Anyone that wants to be a good musician, even professionals require this skill. When you can read music you get access to every piece of music ever written. This way you will gain better hand to eye coordination by learning to read music and play the piano, therefore improve your overall musicianship. So basically by reading music you will unconsciously learn to play it by ear. Learning to play the piano by reading music will offer you a perception of the notes and this way you will have an idea of what the music sounds like.

A general piano instruction will include learning to read music, this is an essential part in order to get the basics required to be able to play by ear. This can prove out to be quite difficult for those that do not have a good understanding of good techniques and music theory and learning to play by ear for them can be difficult. It is very important to invest time in practicing your scales and positions, these techniques should definitely be implemented in every practice session since they will help you develop good habits while training your ear in the same time.

It doesn’t matter what’s your reason for wanting to play, ear training for piano players can begin by practicing and reading music. It is never too late to begin your training in these techniques, in fact, it is never too late to achieve your goals! You will find most of these courses online which will offer you most of these musical skills. So wait no longer, sign up for a course and be what you have ever dreamed, learn to play piano by ear and impress others as you were impressed by them.

For a great course in Ear Training, please go to How To Grow Big Ears!