| Have you always wanted to learn to play the | | | | (b) a note requires the student to lower the |
| piano by ear? Well, now you can! Playing the | | | | note 1/2 step.2. After learning the names of |
| piano by ear is easy and fun! My students | | | | the white and black notes, my students then |
| have been learning to play the piano by ear | | | | learn the C scale. The C scale begins on |
| for over 17 years. In fact, one student is 65 | | | | middle C and continues "up" playing each |
| years old and is having the time of her life | | | | white note until you reach the next "C" note. |
| learning songs from her youth! Other students | | | | That consists of eight white notes in |
| are children as young as 9 years old | | | | consecutive order. (CDEFGABC). The scale can |
| (although some children begin as early as | | | | also be numbered as 12345671. That means that |
| five years old).To learn piano by ear, one | | | | the letters and numbers should coorelate as:C |
| must first learn about the piano as an | | | | D E F G A B C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13. Students then |
| instrument. Different from reading notes, the | | | | learn how to make the C chord by learning the |
| student is required to have some knowledge of | | | | rule for making a chord. To make the C chord, |
| the instrument so he/she can learn piano. In | | | | the students learns to play the numbers 1-3-5 |
| my lessons, I follow some easy basic steps to | | | | together in order to play the C chord.4. |
| learn piano by ear.1. First, I teach students | | | | Steps 2 and 3 are repeated for the scale and |
| the names of the white and black notes on the | | | | chords for F and G.5. Finally, the student is |
| piano. This involves learning what a 1/2 step | | | | ready to begin learning how to pick out the |
| and a whole step is so that the student can | | | | melody to a simple song. This is a very |
| name the black notes as either a sharp or | | | | important step and is the most exciting step, |
| flat. Sharping (#) a note requires the | | | | because the student is learning how to |
| student to raise a note 1/2 step and flatting | | | | predict the next note when learning a melody. |