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HearandPlay.com Beginner's Club
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Hi Friend,
My name is Jermaine Griggs, the founder of HearandPlay.com. I am so delighted
that you have chosen HearandPlay.com as your source to learn the different
principles, techniques, and tricks to playing the piano by ear!
Together, we will explore:
-How to get started playing the piano by ear THE RIGHT WAY
-What to do and what NOT to do as you're improving your piano playing
-How to practice effectively
-The beginning concepts of music
... and a lot more!
My friend, you're on your way to becoming one of the greatest pianists "you've"
ever known... and I'm glad to be apart of it!
1. Sight Reading vs. Playing By Ear
First, let's start by discussing the differences between sight reading and
'playing by ear.'
Sight Reading
Sight reading is simply the ability to "read" music. In school, one is taught
how to read "words." As you know, letters make up words ... words make up
sentences ... sentences make up paragraphs ... and so on.
Well...my friend, in music, individual notes make up chords ... chords make up
progressions ... and progressions make up songs! So to be able to sight read is
to be able to play notes from sheet music. Does that make sense?
To take it a step further, every note has its own place on what we call "The
Grand Staff." In other words, you can tell the difference between two notes by
where they are positioned on the grand staff. The higher a note is placed on the
grand staff, the higher its pitch. That is, the higher the note sounds. The
lower the note's position on the grand staff, the deeper its pitch. Sounds
pretty easy... don't you think?
Playing By Ear
If sight reading is playing what you "see" then playing by ear must be the art
of playing what you "hear." In other words, playing by ear allows you to hear
what is otherwise written on a sheet of paper.
If you are starting to think that this is much more interesting than sight
reading ... you’re on the right track! Not only is it much more interesting than
sight reading, it is also fun, entertaining, and a wonderful skill to possess.
Now that is not to say that one shouldn't learn how to sight read. Why not learn
all that you can learn, my friend? I'd rather be able to do both than to do only
one ... wouldn't you agree?
Let's take it a step further. Relative pitch allows you to recognize scales,
chords, and progressions without ever having to look on a sheet of paper. While
someone may be playing, for example, a C major chord by sight reading, one who
"plays by ear" would know that the chord being played is a C major chord (in
many cases, sight readers have no idea what chords they are playing because they
are trained to play exactly what they see and not to recognize chords,
progressions, and patterns by ear). Now ... I am skilled in both sight reading
and playing by ear --- but I personally prefer playing by ear. It is what allows
me to play in groups, for churches, for choirs, in bands and more!
...and if you allow me to teach you, I will show you how to recognize just about
any type of scale (whether major, minor, etc.), chord (whether diminished or
augmented), chord progression (whether 2-5-1 or 1-4 turnaround), patterns and
more! But it's your job to stay committed, dedicated, and focused on your goals.
If you haven't already, check out the free online lessons that pertain to
beginning students. I have also listed the links below for your convenience:
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Learning the notes of the piano
https://www.hearandplay.com/p1zxbwk9t.html
Whole & Half Step Interval
https://www.hearandplay.com/p2abc3xkpt.html
Sharps & Flats
https://www.hearandplay.com/jwptb9010.html
The Basics of Sight Reading
https://www.hearandplay.com/kbty160.html
The Basics of Rhythm and Note Values
https://www.hearandplay.com/kwkytzop12.html
Conclusion
https://www.hearandplay.com/con137xp.html
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For more beginning tips & tricks, visit:
https://www.hearandplay.com/course
Thank you for your time and I'll be e-mailing you with some more pointers in a
few days
Good luck,
Jermaine
P.S. - Have any questions? Give us a call @ toll free 1-877-856-4187!