Play Music by Ear Fundamentals

Playing music by ear is a talent that all musicians want to have, but not everybody does. It is developed by practice, and study of musical theory, but there are several basic steps you must realize to be able to develop this skill. The first thing you should do is to identify the tonic, or basic keynote of the musical piece you want to play or sing. Sing or think about the song until you find that solid and static note that you will later identify as tonic. Depending on your musical aptitude you will find this easy as pie or very frustrating, so don't give up if you can't identify it right away.

Sing the piece till the very end if you need to, and then listen to the tonic every time it shows up in the musical piece. Make sure you realize all occurrences by accentuating the tonic; this will help you develop your sensitivity for that particular note, and will make your efforts easier and more enjoyable.

You might want to play the song in the same key, or choose another key to play it in. After you have identified the tonic, you'll have no troubles doing this. Then you need to find the first note of the piece in the key you just choose. The fifth note on a scale is very important and is called the dominant; you should notice where it is throughout the piece since a large part of the melody revolves around it.

Another thing you must take into account when you attempt to play by ear is modulation. Most of the time, songs are not enclosed in a particular key, they usually change from one key to another in a process called modulation. This will make things harder for you because you need to identify the new tonic and dominant notes for the new keys every time they change.

Unfortunately there isn't a magical way to do this when playing by ear; it is something that develops by practice and takes time do, but once you get the hang of it, you will "feel" the modulation chance and play it right. In the meantime you will have to either stop to identify the new tonic and dominant or just try to guess; both are good in your learning experience.

Learning how to play by ear requires time, practice and effort and is a process that is easy for some people but harder for others. Regardless of where you stand right now, you can improve; practice, listen to pieces and identify tonic and dominant notes, improvise in modulation changes and sometimes stop and find the new notes. The process can be slow, but the rewards are great and will be with you for a lifetime, so don't give up.