What is it about the idea of playing piano by ear that is so intriguing? I think it’s a feeling of confidence… perhaps power, though a strong word. I mean, sitting down at the piano and being able to whip out a tune at will without feeling tied to a piece of sheet music has its rewards. I know from experience, though very little. But I do know the sense of satisfaction…

Once I became acquainted with the idea that you don’t have to know everything about playing piano in order to start training yourself to play by ear, it kind of started a snowball effect for me. I used to think this was something beyond my ability until it was brought to my attention that the chords I already knew were more than what was used to create some of the greatest music of our time, including Beatles music, which I have a special appreciation for.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to learn piano online and I read this article and thought to myself… “4 chords? That’s it?” Then what I read there made the connection for me. pianoforall was explained in such a concise and clear manner that I had to go with it and follow its suggestion. It worked!

I emailed Dave to thank him for writing that short article because it helped me see light on this issue. You know how certain things just seem to click when they are explained in a certain way, and it’s different for all of us. He responded back promptly and gave me a couple other pieces of advice and my confidence level just from that kind of skyrocketed. He made me understand that so many people view playing piano by ear the way I did – that it’s something for “later” and not now. That is, it’s for the more advanced. But, like he said, it’s simply not true. People should be open to nurturing their musical ears from the very beginning.

Well, I’m doing it… I’m actually having fun with Let It Be by the Beatles right now and I have to tell you that I’m having a ball with it. If one person gets a tiny bit of encouragement from reading this, I’ll be totally happy. I guess that’s because, even with no experience at all, I kind of wished I’d be competent enough to teach piano someday. I think, in a year or so, I’ll consider teaching really fresh starters (but they’d have to be REALLY new). I’m pretty sure I could help some people out.

Trust me, if I can play piano by ear, anyone can. I have nothing special about me, except maybe that I love music – but there’s a lot of people out there with that “special” quality. Have fun with music in general and have no reservations about pursuing your musical goals.

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