Playing by Ear for Dummies

How one musician does it.

2005 By John Edelmann. All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents
Introduction ..........................................................................................................3
Chapter 1 the raw mechanics ..........................................................................5
Chapter 2 learning vs. ability: science or art? ..................................................9
Chapter 3 from dabbler to director ..................................................................13
Chapter 4 playing by ear: the ugly, the bad, the good...................................15
Chapter 5 learning to play by ear ....................................................................19
Chapter 6 composition: Did you just make that up? ...................................22
the wrap up ........................................................................................................24

Playing by Ear for Dummies

How one musician does it.

Introduction
This is not your typical how to for dummies book. Im not sure if many dummies can play by ear, if
they arent already. The ensuing pages will simply attempt to explain how I, John Edelmann, play the
piano by ear. No stones left unturned, no dark secrets unrevealed. If, in the end, I have produced
nothing more than a few pages of enlightened gibber gabber to clarify a sometimes mysterious ability,
Ill assume I have been successful. As such, this is not intended to be a real how to treatise. It is
highly unlikely youll be playing the first song you hear on the radio after reading this. [You may, in fact,
never ever play any song no matter how many times you hear it.] But, perhaps in the end, youll
understand one persons strange gift (and sometimes burden) a bit better than you do now.
I honestly do wonder why Ive not started this effort before now. It may simply be that Ive thought
about it long enough, that, like so many melodies that cohabitate in my mind, Im ready to write some of
it down. Or perhaps enough musician friends have prodded me that the effort may ensue. No matter
ensue it has.

Playing by Ear?
By my definition, playing by ear is the ability to render, on a musical instrument, a close approximation
of music heard from live performances or recorded medium, without the benefit of even a fake book,
let alone a full musical score. Such playing encompasses the musical intent of the composer usually,
rather than simply a rote regurgitation of what was heard. This is especially important when piano
works which accompany a solo voice or instrument are played by ear, as well as full orchestral works
are reduced at the piano, and typically on the fly. A perhaps trivial example of this is the ability many
share to hum, sing, or play a single melody line once the tune is in ones head. For the purpose of the
present discussion, however, Im really referring to a more complex rendering of an entire keyboard
part, played, as just mentioned, without the benefit of the usual musical notation, on such instruments
as the piano, pipe organ, accordion, or other keyboard apparatus.
In many cases, it is my experience that my audience (such as it may be) is convinced that Im playing a
memorized score of the original piece, rather than creating what many would consider to be an
improvisation -- which, of course, brings up another variant on this topic.

Improvisation
Is there a difference between playing by ear and improvising? Most certainly. Improvisation usually
entails a blend of an original work and the performers original composition of the same, resulting in an
altogether new piece. As such, the intent on the part of the performer is specifically not to imitate the
original, but rather, to employ studied artistic license and devise something somewhat different. On the
contrary, it is the goal of playing by ear that one imitates as closely as possible, the original work. At the
very least, only fingerings are altered from those used or intended by the original recording artist,
performer, or composer. Therefore, since improvisation is clearly another area of expertise altogether,
its goal is usually an entirely distinct work, loosely based on the original. In fact, many composers of
improvisation spend as much time on their creation, as did the original composer of the source work.
Playing by ear, on the other hand, is more spontaneous and less studied (remembering, of course, that
this is all based on my particular view of the playing-by-ear-world). For instance, for typical ballads or
other works with a strong lyrical melody, I can usually render a close approximation after hearing the
source only a time or two. Lest we hurl ourselves too quickly into the muddy details, suffice it to say,
1
that this treatment of the topic will concentrate on playing by ear, rather than improvisation.
With these ground rules in mind, therefore, let us end the introduction and proceed to Chapter 1.

This is not to say that playing by ear cannot or does not regularly involve a degree of improvisation. Quite the
contrary, however, it is the matter of intent that separates pure playing by ear from this variant.

Chapter 1
the raw mechanics
A Brief Tour
Let us begin with a thin sketch of the basics. A tour of the mechanics when I sit down to play
something Ive heard would go something like this: (to keep this simple, we shall suppose it is
something that Im familiar with, and have a recording on hand to reference)

1) Locate or prepare a suitable audio recording of the intended work

Assuming the work is complex enough to require it, an audio recording is indispensable. This can be
either a standard cassette or CD recording, or the sound track from a DVD or VHS tape.
2) Find the correct key
When playing along with a recording, finding the correct key is important. Transposition to other keys is
fairly straight forward, but this comes into play much later. In the old days of cassette tape recordings, it
was difficult but not impossible to accompany a recording using a piano tuned to A440. In the present
digital age, however, this is usually not a problem at all, unless the source instrument isnt tuned
properly in the first place (whether intended or not). I should mention, at this point, that I am not gifted
with perfect pitch. However, my relative pitch abilities are such that Im usually within 2-3 notes of the
correct pitch.
3) Listen to the main theme (musical introductions are left until the end) then play the melody
Perhaps best viewed as the discovery phase, this can be tricky if the melody is intertwined too closely
to the accompaniment. However, assuming the melody is fairly obvious and lyrical, I play the melody
first to ensure that I have the basic theme registered in my mind. A few times usually does the trick.
4) Listen to the theme again; focusing this time on the bass accompaniment (if any)
Music without a pronounced bass element can be challenging, especially if relying solely on an
aggregate accompaniment for chordal direction. (I suppose chordal isnt really a word. We hope
that the reader will indulge the author here, while necessary words are construed to accomplish the
stated purpose of this work. It means that which pertains to the chord structure of a piece.) I spent
six years in Junior High School and Senior High School, playing tuba in school bands. In college I
continued tuba performance, in the marching and wind ensembles at the University of Dayton, in
Dayton, Ohio. As a junior, I took a year of Tuba Performance as an elective. Familiarity with typical
bass parts is an invaluable component of playing by ear, since it usually provides the foundation on
which the melody line rests. I am certain that my experiences playing the tuba aided me in my ear
playing abilities. Well discuss other similar things that contributed to my abilities in due course.

5) Combine melody and bass with some harmony tossed in for good measure
This is the tricky part; sort of sink or swim, actually. Once Im playing the melody, a fair rendition of the
bass, and a few harmonic devices as deemed necessary, Im home free. Certainly, any determined
student of music who has studied chord progressions can very nearly learn to play by ear if the
circumstances of their ability are attuned to the discipline. Unfortunately, if the knowledge of chord
progressions and the ability to assimilate this onto a map in ones mind (as discussed in the following
section) is less than adequate, the end result may not be pleasing to the ear.
Finally, proper dynamics, emphasis, tempo, and rhythm are all that remain to achieve a satisfactory
performance.

And there you have it. That wasnt so bad now, was it? No intrigue there, no really dark secrets,
cunning, or stealth. Simply step 1, 2, 3, and so forth. This is a bit over-simplified, but then, after all,
were only in Chapter 1.

Cant Get It Out of My Head

th

When I was little (4-6 grade), I was oftentimes kept awake at night by music that would literally run
over and over in my mind. And I do mean music, not simply melodies. If it were a pipe organ work, Id
hear the entire instrument (including the natural reverb of the church where the performance I had
heard was recorded). If the subject was an orchestra performance, the entire ensemble was right
there. While not so much a problem while mowing the lawn or painting a wall, rewinding these things
endlessly in my mind when trying to go to sleep was a real problem on occasion. Nevertheless, I am
convinced that it was this propensity to replay music in its entirety in my mind that contributed to my
abilities as they evolved over time.
I would probably liken this to the ability some have in never losing their way during a hike or while
wandering about a foreign city. Rather than melodies and harmonies bouncing about in their mind,
they see the map of the place clearly laid out before them, even after only one trek through the place.
The ability to play by ear, then, hinges to some degree on the ability to map a musical composition in
ones mind: when the attempt is made to actually reproduce it at the piano, the result of the actual
performance matches the pre-recorded version that is [we hope] already there.
On occasion, I find that the thing whirling around in my mind is not a recognizable tune at all. In these
cases, Im oftentimes left wondering if Ive contrived a new melodic invention, or am simply on the
verge of an unintended plagiarism. A case in point will illustrate this particular, um, curiosity.
One summer I found myself humming along to a rather grandiose organ and trumpet thing that seemed
to go along in my mind very nicely. As I was mowing the front lawn at the time (about 4 acres), I didnt
mind the repetition. However, some time later, I tried playing it on my keyboard, only to find that it was
quite a nice little thing that sounded sort of like Handel, but nothing that I could quite place. Many
months later, after I had arranged the new work mentally to some extent, I was in my office planning a
wedding with a couple. As I was cueing up a potential processional for them from a record I had, I
th
inadvertently played the tail end of the 4 movement of Handels Suite for Trumpet and Organ in D. Lo
and behold, this was the source for the seemingly obscure music that I had proceeded to arrange for,
well, trumpet and organ. The quirk here, however, was that I had completely replaced the original B
section with an ostensibly original B section of my own. When I then completed my own
arrangement, I added my original variant as a C section in the middle of the piece. I have used the
resulting recessional at numerous weddings since then.

So as this experience shows, playing by ear does have interesting side effects, with oftentimes
unintended results.
Another similar circumstance happened in this fashion. In 2001, I took my laptop with Finale (a music
composition program) to a car dealer in Cincinnati one Saturday morning, to have our Subaru Impreza
Outback worked on. Planning for a long grueling wait in the lobby, I proceeded to compose what came
to be Recessional No. 1, for 2 trumpets and organ. In the middle of the piece, I hit upon what I thought
at the time was a fully contrived bit of stoic musical fare, hymn-like in design, such as might give the
trumpets and the keyboardist a break from the otherwise busy nature of preceding measures. I
finished the piece of the next few days and it was used for a few weddings in subsequent years.
In January, 2006, I had the opportunity to perform the piece as part of an organ dedication concert at
the Church of the Holy Angels, in Dayton, Ohio. At the time, another participant commented that the
hymn in the middle of the piece was quite nice. He thought hed heard it before, but couldnt quite
place it.
We now fast forward to December, 2006. I was listening to a classical music station in Cincinnati, when
what to my wondering ears should be heard, but precisely the same hymn. It was being sung as part
of a Christmas presentation of Lessons and Carols from Kings College, in England. Alas, I could not
make out the words enough to discern the title. A few days later, on Boxing Day, to be exact,
(December 26), I was talking with some friends who came to the United States from Canada. They
recognized the tune I was playing and thought it might be While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks at
Night.
I searched the internet for that title, with MIDI samples and lo, I found it! It was the Old Winchester
1592, by Thomas Este! Unbelievably, I had determined that my nice (seemingly) original hymn
structure wasnt mine at all, but had been around for more than 400 years. Such are the many ways
that the mind and ears plays tricks on us.
From this tendency, then, to map a particular musical work in my mind, I have subsequently been able
to play innumerable melodies. And while the result of such impromptu effort is less than perfect in most
cases, it is certainly less time consuming than the more involved approach detailed in the steps at the
beginning of this section.

And the Rest

There are, of course, other contributing factors to the nurture of the ability to play by ear. A brief listing
of such factors would include:

Basic familiarity with the instrument of choice, be it the piano, the pipe organ, or other
keyboard-type instrument
By this I primarily mean the mechanics of creating sound pleasing to most ears. Use of the
sustain pedal, is, for instance, of critical importance on a piano in the rendering of a finished
musical product. Oddly enough, I have to say I never really was taught to use the sustain
pedal. It was rather like learning to use the clutch of a manual transmission automobile: it is
much easier to learn if you have a basic natural feel for the coordination between foot, clutch,
gear, and speed.
Perhaps the most complicated instrument from a point of view of the mechanics involved
would be the pipe organ. Between the sheer complexity of having multiple keyboards
(manuals) as well as pedals, to the dizzying array of stops, pistons, buttons, generals, etc.,
there are few instruments more involved than a pipe organ.

I have no idea why playing a pipe organ (or other electronic organs of the era mid to late
70s) was such an attraction for me. In spite of my near total concentration on piano playing, I
jumped at the chance to play a pipe organ at every opportunity. During these early high
school years, the pipe organ in the Church of St. Francis de Sales, in Newark, Ohio, was the
only really big (and therefore, intimidating) pipe organ I ever had the opportunity to play. The
organist there was very friendly, however, and a few live samples from Bachs Toccata and
Fugue in D Minor inspired me to purchase a copy of this score. I was eventually able to
concoct my own version of the work (for piano) as a result of this reference manual (the
score) and recordings of the same. One particularly useful recording was by the Warsaw
Accordion Quintet of Poland. They played the thing slow enough, that I was able to hear the
passages much better, than say, the typical E. Power Biggs rendition, wherein most of the
cool parts were blurred by the rapidity of the performance. The challenge here, of course,
was the problem of reducing a very active pedal part, a moving left hand, and a solo right hand
to only two hands, on a piano. This was clearly not something that Bach would have ever
intended to be done. I succeeded, however, in devising a fairly satisfactory version that, while
always better sounding on an organ, could at least be performed on a piano.
As it turned out, this being enamored with pipe organs came in handy later in life, when I
accepted a position as a director of music at a rather organ-centric church in the Dayton area.

Being prone to listen to music that is playable by ear
There is a great deal of music that would be very difficult to play by ear, mainly owing to a
melody that is either devoid of lyricism, or too diffuse to be easily recognized. Such music
almost always ends up sounding either like elevator music (which we shudder to imitate) or
being totally impractical or impossible to emulate by ear. I submit to the reader that the more
one listens to music that is playable by ear, the more likely the ability will manifest.

Ready access to a piano or other instrument (guitar, organ) being used to play by ear is critical.
It goes without saying that it would be difficult to nurture such ability without convenient access
to the instrument of choice. Much of developing this ability has to do with the spontaneity of
trying out a passage without having to first write something down or otherwise prepare
oneself.

Proper playing technique, including knowledge of scales, basic fingerings, etc., as well as a
basic knowledge of chords and chord progressions are all key enablers of playing by ear.
Playing by ear, is, after all, a subset of more usual piano or other musical instrument playing,
since learning to read music is nearly always the goal of traditional music instruction. From
this vantage point, some would consider playing by ear to be a vulgar aberration of true
musical ability. The author does not share this position, however.

Chapter 2
learning vs. ability:
science or art?
If I were to begin this discussion with the nutshell first, Id argue that I was undoubtedly predisposed to a
life of playing by ear (i.e., I was born that way). Everything else Im about to mention simply conspired
to both accelerate the process and polish the finished product. Therefore, this chapter may prove to be
the most controversial of this entire work.
My definition of playing by ear as ability is a bit vague, I suppose. After all, abilities can be learned or
they can be talents present at birth. While it is generally agreed that a child can grow up to be whatever
they wish to be, I suggest that abilities come easier if there is a definite kernel of innate talent in there
somewhere to begin with. I believe that kernel was there in my life, even though Ive doubtless
benefited from years of practice and exploration, all the same.
I sincerely hope that this reality is not overly depressing to the reader whose wish it is to learn to play
by ear. However, I must be fair here. Remember, I stated carefully in the introduction that this was
more an exploration of my ability than a generic how to discussion.

In the Beginning
I believe I have delayed this enough now. So here we go.
My 5 siblings and I were all given the opportunity to study the piano with our mother, who had
graduated from college with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from St. Mary of the Springs College, in
Columbus, Ohio. In 1959 she and our father moved to Gallipolis, Ohio, to start a family and several
new careers. Besides being a music teacher at area elementary schools, our mother taught piano to
students in the local community. She also became the organist and choir director at St. Louis Church,
in Gallipolis, that year, a position which she holds to this day. From the earliest times, therefore, we
siblings were immersed in the sounds of students taking lessons, as well as attending various church
events with the requisite musical accompaniment.
It is with this backdrop that I found myself fiddling with the keyboard of the piano and devising sounds
seldom pleasing to others, but always interesting to myself, along about 1971-1973 as a pre-teen. I
may have had actual lessons prior to that age, but I do not remember them, and I do not believe I ever
actually was involved in a piano recital, per se, as were my sisters and other students my mother
taught.
For you see, while I was given a few lessons, I was never overly encouraged to pursue the piano (or
music in general, for that matter) as a serious student of the art. It is not that we boys were driven to
any particular discipline, actually; we were simply and consciously discouraged from pursuing music as
an avocation or career.

Therefore, since I didnt possess the self-discipline or drive to become proficient in sight reading,
technique, and other piano playing skills on my own [SURPRISE!], I grew up without the parental
guidance and direction that may well be integral to the nurturing of an accomplished student of the art.

The Magic of Chords

Fortunately, my maternal grandmother came to the rescue with a new project that was sure to change
my musical outlook for all time. She was an accomplished pianist of the old school (the way old school)
that did not rely on learned means, but rather, was simply the product of both owning a piano and
owning some piano music. She set about, therefore, learning to play such country favorites as Nellie
Gray, The Turkey and the Straw, O Where O Where has my Little Dog Gone, and others. These as
well as The Spanish Cavalier and Red Wing were two very characteristic tunes of the era, that she
could play quite well indeed.
Grandmother had already accumulated a degree of success teaching chord-based accompaniment to
another grandson (my cousin) who played the guitar. When I came on the scene, she proceeded to
teach me the basics of chording. The routine generally went this way:
Grandmother would play the song first, in the appropriate key.
The key was generally either G major or C major. Simplicity was the key, to the whole process,
actually. On rare occasion, we found ourselves in Eb major, or even D major. My major key loving
tutor frowned on anything in a minor key. That just isnt pretty, she would say. I found them very
intriguing. Later, I would experiment all over the keyboard, as I became familiar with the basic
constituents of the key. Somewhere, my mother let slip such technical terms as tonic, dominant, and
sub-dominant (I, V, IV), which are the fundamental building blocks of any attempt to play by ear. Once I
learned these fascinating elements of nearly all musical pieces, the entire piano keyboard became an
88 key playground, solely, it seemed, for my entertainment.
My job was to accompany by playing the appropriate octave with my left hand, and a suitable chord in
the right hand (in the best inversion, whatever that was).
An inversion, in the simplest of terms (for the concept was learned in only the simplest way possible) is
the manner in which a triad (a chord of three tones) is played, i.e., which note of the chord is on top,
and which note of the chord is on the bottom. I gradually began to accompany my grandmother taking
into consideration the spatial distance of the melody from the root of an associated chord, and therein,
found that certain inversions sounded better than others, while playing along.
The end result of all this chording was that my familiarity with the chord progressions of a few strategic
keys continued to grow. I was not, actually, playing by ear all that much during this period; I was merely
becoming adept at finding my way among the keys (the white and the black). This is an invaluable
ability, if one is to play by ear, which is learned as much as it is discovered.
Yes, I know, theres that L word. I didnt promise to never use the word. The road to a great many
things in life is littered with things learned and unlearned. However, the fact of the matter in my case
was this: of the 10 grandchildren in my grandmothers extended family, I was the only one who
chorded with her on a regular basis. She made certain that every visit included some time to chord,
almost as if it were scheduled, which, of course, it wasnt. Others were busy actually taking lessons in
earnest (my oldest sibling studied all throughout grade school and high school, and went on to study
music at Marshall University, in Huntington, WV), or were busy with sports and other distractions.
In any event, the chording continued and in time, I found myself becoming bored with piano lessons,
very bored indeed.

10

A Sinister Hand
Neither my mother nor my father was left-handed. Even my grandmother who taught me to chord was
right-handed, but then, that was to be expected. In the early 1900s it was not proper to write with the
sinister hand, and every effort was made to instill more noble right-handedness in all subjects of early
learning, for good or ill. However, my youngest brother and I were and continue to be left-handed. And
we were definitely the only two in the family that could play by ear at all. Certainly we were the only two
who desired to make up anything original, as well. Given that very unscientific and incomplete body of
evidence (lacking, as it were, in many ways), I can, nevertheless, say with great certainty that being left2
handed made all the difference in the world . I am confident that being left-handed (which, I believe, is
3
a tendency at birth) has great impact on ones musical and other artistic related endeavors. One
individual in the noted research left a comment that being left-handed definitely impacted (and
improved) his playing ability, though hes making the point that it was an issue of style of playing, rather
4
than any structural alignment in his brain inducing his playing ability . Im suggesting the latter is the
case.
As the years progressed, the desire to play songs that I had only heard became something of an
obsession. I would spend hours working on arrangements of such pieces, recording them at first only
in my mind. Soon I was able to record them onto paper using manuscript and musical notation. These
renderings were rarely used to actually play the piece, however. I usually recorded them one way or
another so as not to forget how they went (or more accurately, how they started). The discovery phase
of playing a song by ear was not something that had to occur each and every time a piece was played.
However, the chance of recalling such works at a later time is greatly improved if the first few notes of
the melody are remembered, either by writing it down, or by audio recording. In later years, I would
compile cheat sheets of familiar titles, categorized as instrumentals, vocals, orchestral, seasonal, and
the like. Next to the title, I would include the best key in which to play the song, and any additional
information that was deemed useful at the time.
Meanwhile, I was enjoying playing tuba in the junior high, and high school bands. This eventually led
me to agree to play bass (tuba) for the annual Rio Grande College Messiah Christmas Performance.
There are, of course, no written tuba parts for this work. However, the folks involved in this event were
not distracted by such details, and were very happy to have me help out. In fact, I wrote out bass
arrangements during this time, based on the piano score in the full vocal score edition, for a majority of
the Christmas choruses. Having thus familiarized myself with the Hallelujah Chorus, in particular,
would come in quite handy in later years.
In my high school years, the ability culminated in a talent show I became involved in, when I
accompanied a friend as he sang a solo, Dream On, by the Oak Ridge Boys. My friend gave me a
cassette tape of the recorded song, and I proceeded to learn it from the tape. Everyone thought it
came out rather well indeed. This occurred in the spring of 1979, I believe, and was the first time I had
ever played in such a public forum.

Art vs. Science

Part and parcel of the left hand syndrome is the impact my eventual affinity for computers may or may
not have had on my musical abilities. It has been found that mathematics, computers, and musical
ability, seem to go hand in hand. Let us imagine, for a moment, that one is left handed (therefore, right

See http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5816,00.html for a reference regarding tendencies of child

development based on handedness.
3
See http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/index.html for a website related to left-handedness research. My premise
isnt implied, but there is ongoing research located here.
4
See http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/lspeak4.html#musictips.

11

brained), and has no affinity for anything technical. Such an individual would be squarely in the
creative corner. The arts could potentially reign supreme.
In my case, however, Im fairly certain that, while certainly born left handed, I had the instinct to be a bit
too technical. This bi-polar design, has resulted in what I would characterize as my present condition:
the ability to play by ear(art), to compose music (art), as well as to enjoy writing (art), making wine (art),
and a host of other related artsy things, but, also to be very intrigued by the following scientific
endeavors: meteorology, astronomy, chemistry, and the electricity, and technically, systems analysis
(computers) my degreed profession.
Thus, I sometimes think that I was in fact, born left brained, but since through some quirk of fate, I
ended up left handed, my right brain received just enough exercise, that I have a decidedly strong
artistic streak.
On one hand, Im concerned that this is all rubbish, and nothing but a fine bit of rationalism. But on the
other (the left one), Im left wondering if this might not be the way of things. Whos to say?

12

Chapter 3
from dabbler to director
My high school years in Gallipolis, Ohio, ended with my being able to play many diverse things, but
other than the odd occasion of accompanying a friend in a talent show, I didnt really have any vehicle
by which to apply my talents.
In 1980, I was accepted at the University of Dayton, Dayton Ohio, in the Computer Science
department. I played tuba in the marching band and wind ensemble, but otherwise, didnt pursue
actual piano performance. I did, however, appreciate the easy access to the many pianos on campus.
There was one in the dormitory, many in the band room, and many in the music and theatre building on
campus. The idea of having a practice room, where one could go to play in a sound proof room was
way cool. The majority of my professional development certainly occurred here.
In 1982, I had befriended a priest of the Society of Mary, by the name of Gerald Chinchar. I was
delighted to learn I could arrange to play the pipe organ in the chapel on Campus, and through the
vehicle of music, I learned that Fr. Chinchar and I composed music, and enjoyed playing.
Since it was not practical to have a piano in my off campus housing, with Fr. Chinchars help, I did
purchase a small Casio keyboard (with miniature keys), so that I did have a keyboard instrument
readily accessible. I used this keyboard for several years, mainly to compose a few original works, for
rather unique ensembles (tuba quartet, or two tubas and two bassoons).
At the beginning of the summer trimester at UD, 1983, I happened to attend an 11:30 service in the
chapel. At the conclusion of the Mass, the song leader invited musicians to join the ensemble. I and
several other individuals with the same idea joined that day. The leader was Mark Haller, and I owe a
considerable debt to his patience and guidance as I evolved from musical dabbler to accomplished
accompanist over the next several years.
In the beginning, I brought only my Casio keyboard to the group. There was another individual who
played the piano after all. I would accompany with strings, or brass, or other tinny timbres from the
meager selections available on the instrument. Then, one day, we were preparing for a wedding. As
the others were taking a break, I played around on the piano with one of the songs, namely, You Light
Up My Life. When Mark heard me playing this song, he immediately approached me regarding being
the regular accompanist (at least for those songs I seemed to be able to play easily enough. Thus was
the group introduced to my playing by ear abilities.
The ensemble was primarily a guitar group, with between 3 and 4 guitarists, a flute, and of course, the
piano. Being a member of such an ensemble provided another interesting component to my musical
development: I learned to play music that was less familiar to me using chords, and I essentially
imitated where possible, the guitars, in terms of rhythmic touch, etc.
Eventually, then, as the later years of my college career unfolded, I found myself applying for a formal
position with the university, as a co-director for music with Campus Ministry. This position consisted of
directing the music for the 10:00 AM Sunday liturgy, as well as directing music for all special events
13

(Baccalaureate Masses, the annual Christmas on Campus liturgy, and other such campus-wide
religious events as were planned). This was quite like jumping from the frying pan into the fire, since I
had had no prior experience as a director in my own right, and did most of the directing, by ear.
Perhaps most intimidating was the request made by the choir and the Christmas on Campus
committee, to include Handels Hallelujah Chorus as the postlude for the event. I had never even
contemplated such a development, and was fairly concerned that this would be a problem. As it turned
out, however, I was familiar enough with the score, with the over all mapping of the piece, that I
conducted it without any trouble at all.
As I was only in the infancy of my directing career, I approached a professor in the UD School of Music
as to whether conducting classes might not be in order. His response was as unexpected as it was
simplistic: if I didnt seem to have any difficulties directing by feel, then it was his recommendation that I
not become too distracted by formal instruction on the matter. A very interesting view, I thought,
considering I had begun to experience the more dignified (arrogant is too severe a word) side of the
formal musical establishment at UD, and the same establishment was not too impressed by my
tendency to play by ear.
In summary, I would admit that had I not been afforded the opportunity to become involved in a formal
music ensemble at UD, or had I not pursued the directing position in Campus Ministry, I may well have
never achieved the confidence and expertise that I have in later years. And as I moved from church to
church, or from event to event, one of the frequently asked questions is, Where did you study music?,
a question, of course, which had no real answer.

14

Chapter 4
playing by ear: the ugly,
the bad, the good
What could possibly be ugly about playing by ear, you ask? Plenty, I say.
Playing by ear, without a corresponding disciplined routine of practice, or a firm grasp of theory and
piano study, can result in an ability that may be somewhat lopsided. Consider the fact that when a
person plays by ear, it is perceived that they are as rehearsed and as schooled, as anyone would need
to be, to perform similarly. This can lead to an interesting assumption, on the part of the listener, that
such a person can play just about anything. However, this is rarely the case.
When I amaze my listeners with my playing ability, or even my directing abilities, most never question
the depth of that ability. Rarely am I asked where the boundaries lie that surround my talent for
surely, boundaries do indeed limit my abilities. While it is fair to say that I can play most of what Im
expected to play most of the time, it is also true that beyond certain well defined limits, I find myself
pitifully lacking. After all, I dont attempt to play things that are outside of my comfort zone, unless the
need is great, or Im being paid to do so. In such cases, I end up spending an inordinate amount of
time practicing a piece, until I am fairly confident that Ill not screw up too badly.
Perhaps the worst possible consequence of playing mostly by ear (in the absence of good reading
skills), is the havoc wrought by such playing if one is an accompanist. If the accompanist is unable to
accurately follow the written music (because they choose or can only play by ear), it is highly likely that
there will be conflicts between the accompaniment and the choral parts. This causes confusion and
results in a less than satisfactory performance.
Believe me. I know.
Equally disastrous can be attempts at playing a somewhat difficult piece, with a melody that seems
easy enough.
For you see, nearly every attempt at playing a challenging piece is subject to being derailed, regardless
of the practice invested, by distraction, another fairly awful consequence of being able to play by ear.

Confusion and Distraction

When one plays from a music score bereft of the ability to play by ear, the notes on the page provide all
that is necessary to render the piece on the intended instrument. Unfortunately, just as it can be difficult
to turn on the ability in the first place, it can be just as difficult to turn it off. The problem surfaces when
an unfamiliar song is attempted. The thought process goes something like this:

15

First, the piece is carefully examined for the usual important facets of performance, key signature,
tempo, time signature, etc. The absence of chords can be especially challenging.
Second, the melody is played, with as close an approximation to the actual accompaniment as is
possible in the left hand.
Now comes the tricky part. While playing the [presumed] unfamiliar melody, should it happen that
another melody comes to mind, that melody can very easily provide just enough confusion, as to
render the current piece unrecognizable. This can get ugly, especially, if a choir or other musician is
attempting to accompany you or vice versa.
This can be a problem, obviously, for you see, in order to truly play by ear, one needs to be able to
implicitly trust ones ear to be true and correct, not just suggestive or merely affording assistance. The
latter would make it practically impossible to play well, by ear, with just a few practice tries, since there
would be too much starting, stopping, correcting, starting, etc. The ability requires total dependence on
ones ear to provide the unwritten score, which the talented individual instantaneously uses to render
the desired musical performance.
In the absence of the ability, one is refreshingly unencumbered by the confusing array of melodies,
chord progressions, etc., that would otherwise cloud the way. Contrarily, such distraction severely
limits ones ability to properly read a piano score, since the performance is more than just a little affected
by the guiding force of the ability to play by ear.
Of course, in actual practice, the outlook is not really quite this bleak. Through diligent effort and
attention to detail, one can keep the ability to play by ear in check, but it can take quite a bit of effort, to
be sure.
Additionally, as we will explore in a later chapter, the ability to play by ear often comes with the added
ability to compose original works on the fly. Many is the time that I have been confused by a piano
score, only to find that I made up either my own accompaniment, or even parts of the melody (to the
chagrin of anyone trying to follow along).

Fingerings (Lack Thereof)

Even beginning students of piano learn the importance of proper finger position, and ultimately, the
need to carefully work out exact fingerings (whether based on suggestions by the composer, or based
on the interpretation of the performer/instructor). Carefully devised fingerings aid not only the ability to
play technically challenging runs, but also, directly affect the way certain passages will sound.
Unfortunately (at least in my case), when one plays by ear, it can oftentimes take every ounce of effort
to simply play the piece at all, never mind fingerings. And since we who play by ear, rarely spend time
perfecting a given piece (we played it already, after all), that initial rendering usually ends up being the
only one that is mentally recorded.
The most obvious example I can offer here, is my rendering of the fugue in Bachs Toccata and Fugue
in D Minor. Since my right hand is responsible for most melodic activity, it is common for me to span
unimaginably bizarre melodic ranges with only my right hand, even while my left hand rests idly in my
lap, wondering, as it does, when it should have a turn. The trained listener will, most likely, perceive
this flaw, but, in the spirit of we who play by ear, all the notes got played, didnt they?
I would be the first to say that piano performance is way more than merely playing all the notes, but
the reality is, that when the foot hits the pedal, you do what you can in the melodic time frame you are
allotted, and then, move on to the next verse or refrain.

16

Practice
Though it is true that practice makes perfect, it is equally true that practice takes time, time that many
who play by ear have little of. Who knows whether or not the majority of people who can play by ear,
hold part time music positions, but that has always been my situation. As such, it is simply not possible
to spend the same amount of time that our more accomplished brethren can spend practicing the art.
Perhaps the most important result of adequate practice is the aforementioned precision required in
executing proper fingerings. Lack of adequate practice results in substandard technical execution; this
can render certain challenging passages unplayable at worst, or interpretatively shallow, at best.
This is reason that I mention this in the category of the bad, for, were it not for the fact that I could play
by ear, I would either not own a piano at all, or have studied piano properly and not have discovered
this litany of challenges in the first place.
The merits, however, of playing by ear, should be obvious (this is the good). I can play for hours
without any music whatsoever; I can amaze my peers by playing (rather well, I might add) things that
appear fairly complex, in spite of the negatives mentioned above. And, by extension, I have been able
to direct choirs and other ensembles by ear, which I would never have imagined doing, without the
benefit of being able to play by ear.
Another significant side benefit is the fact that I developed (or had by accident of birth) the ability to
compose new melodies and their associated accompaniments on the fly. So much so, that listeners
are never certain whether Im making something up, or playing by ear something published, that they
never had occasion to hear.
Given these pluses, I would hesitate to exchange my talent for the more precise skill of sight-reading
and a more disciplined approach at piano performance.

Economies of Performance
As with most shortcuts in life, there are economical considerations involved in playing by ear.
Given the fact that we who so play, do so without the benefit of a score, we must needs eschew certain
elements of a piece, in order to adequately play the thing, in the first place. This means that rather than
including all of the subtle voices in the tenor or alto of an arrangement that would be, say, otherwise
published, we rather sacrifice such things, for ensuring that the melody, and at a minimum, a basic
accompaniment is present. The glue (magical though it be) that holds the whole thing together is the
sustain pedal, of course.
O what a transparent and uneventful world wed have, had we no sustain pedal.
A good example is the standard Bach tune, Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring. Any conventional
arrangement will have inner voices that accompany the moving eighth note melody that begins the
piece. I find it most difficult to add these voices when playing the piece by ear, because they are
essentially a third piece to the puzzle (melody (1), bass line (2), inner voices (3)). When I play
something by ear, I rarely consider inner voices as a separate entity; rather, they are melded into the
right hand experience, and become one with it. Occasionally, when it is most essential to a particular
piece, the effort is made to extricate these inner voices, but by and large, in terms of execution, they are
played in the right hand. As you might imagine, this makes for even more exciting fingerings and

17

technical profundity. In practice, however, the end result is not precisely wrong, but rather, simply
5
different.
In reality, I would characterize the way I play these inner voices, the same way stereo imaging works
with speakers. By the innate design of the playing by ear driver, the two hands work together to cause
the desired result, without precisely identifying all facets of the intended result. This is synergy at its
most basic level, to be sure.
Other liberties taken include such things as the re-arrangement of verses and refrains to fill the required
time allotted for the performance. This is especially difficult for the performer unable to play by ear, or
otherwise improvise on the spot. One of my most satisfying abilities, especially for church services and
weddings, is the ability to extend a song when more music is required, or alternatively, to cut short a
selection, when brevity is required. Success is achieved by being able to do so, while convincing the
listener that the score was played exactly as written.

Out of Tune
Occasionally, I find myself playing a piano, pipe organ, or other natural instrument, and the fool thing is
out of tune. While I do own a tuning hammer for surgical tweaking as required, an out of tune piano is
usually too fouled up to easily rectify. In such cases, my ability to play by ear, or to render anything
pleasing at all from the instrument in question is virtually impossible. This is especially true in the case
of a pipe organ. The more out of tune and unbalanced a pipe organs sound is, the worse will be my
playing by ear and improvising abilities.
Conversely, the better an instrument sounds, the better will be my performance; not simply because of
the better sound quality of the actual musical rendering, but because there is an intangible link between
the resulting sound potential, and my ability to execute. Not only will my performance be crisper, but
the very melodies, accompaniment, etc., will be more inspired, as a direct result of the aural feedback
experienced during the performance. This is all rather like having a good day. The better ones day is
going, the fewer mistakes in execution there likely will be; but more important, the potential exists to be
significantly more creative and successful in all things attempted.
Playing by ear predisposes one to such nuances, whereas the performer bereft of this talent, but able
to play most music from the printed page, will be less affected. Certainly they will be less inspired on a
sullied instrument, but the execution should not necessarily suffer.
Happily, then, there is good aplenty with respect to this talent of playing by ear. Like most things,
however, such good is a subjective matter, best left to the ear of the beholder. In sum, though,
perhaps the best thing about playing by ear, is the ability to not be limited by how much sheet music
one happens to have. This is a very good thing, indeed.

This from the perspective of one not too hung up on classical correctness and such. If you count yourself among
those who consider any deviation from the original intention of the composer as being inherently flawed, then you
will find this statement inherently flawed as well.

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Chapter 5
learning to play by ear
[insert sustained *sigh* here]
Hang on there! Slow down! Learn to play by ear? What, are you mad or simply hopelessly confused?
Havent you been paying attention?
Well, for those of you who havent been paying attention, shall we have a go at it then?
In this chapter, Ill present the mechanics for how I would play various tunes by ear, from the simple to
the not so simple. If, by the end of this chapter, youre still trying to find your way, and are lost
wandering about in the wasteland of notes gone astray, then, well, give it up, already.
For those who have been paying attention, you realize that if you are unable to play by ear, and are
generally musical by nature, you may be a bit dismayed regarding the reality of the situation here.
However, I suggest we plow ahead in the hope that Im wrong on that account, and playing by ear is an
attainable, learnable goal.

Baby Steps
What say we begin with a familiar melody, such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The very first step
should be plunking out the melody on the keyboard of your choice. (Any polyphonic instrument would
suffice for this exercise, but well limit our discussion to the piano.) Find a key somewhere that is
comfortable (being able to hum along helps so keep the range of the piece within your vocal range).
There now. If you were able to find the notes without error, in the proper rhythm, etc., then,
congratulations. You just played by ear (unless of course you have the keyboard melody memorized
from having learned it in music lessons, in which case, youre cheating try a different melody).
If, however, your rhythm was off, or you made serious blunders mis-plunking, as it were, notes here
and there, then it should be clear that you either didnt have the melody in your head properly (the
mapping) or you are spatially pitch challenged as it relates to the relative placement of tones up and
down the keyboard. I imagine that the latter malady is most prevalent among would be ear-playing
hopefuls, and alas, is probably the hardest to resolve.
Most will become frustrated that they can sing the melody just fine, but when asked to play even the
simplest melody on a keyboard instrument, fail miserably.

19

The best solution to the spatial pitch issue is to study relative pitch. Owing to the complexity of this
subject, the study of relative pitch is beyond the scope of this effort. But, once this is learned, playing by
ear can begin in earnest.
In simplest terms, relative pitch is the ability to accurately judge intervals between pitches, and to find
such tones on a keyboard or other instrument. Perfect pitch, on the other hand, refers to the ability to
play a given tone directly without the aide of adjoining or relative pitches.
With the perfect ability, one can find a note given the name, or name the note based on the pitch.
When one plays by ear, however, the true key of the song is usually not important. Rather, the name
of the game is being able to pluck out the tones of the piece, in proper tempo (speed), proper meter
(3/4, 4/4, etc.), and with all of the other subtle nuances that define the song as a whole. As such, the
relative ability is all that is required to successfully play by ear.
Regardless of how gifted one may be in either of these abilities, the importance of practice cannot be
underestimated. The more practice you have at attempting to find pitches relative to one another on the
keyboard, the less challenging it will be to proceed to the next step: finding the expected bass pattern
to accompany the melody.
I say expected because most known melodies have an expected bass progression, just as surely as
they have an expected chord progression. Purposely varying from the expected progressions
constitutes fraudulent playing-by-ear behavior, unless that is the desired goal, in which case, this is
known as improvisation. That is not what were trying to accomplish here, however.
If you havent heard the song enough to understand or to visualize the bass line in its entirety, then you
need to listen to the song more. Playing the bass line alone isnt particularly valuable, since the goal
here is to make music, not practice individual parts. Were the actual music available, rehearsing
individual lines would, of course, be productive. An added concern with attempting the bass line alone
is that it is too easy to misrepresent the melody using the mental voice, and thus, run amok of the
song altogether.
With the melody ever present, the likelihood of running astray in the bass is lessened.
I should comment, however, that subtle diversions or embellishments of the bass line do not
necessarily constitute improvisation. The goal is to make the finished product interesting, and close as
possible to a common version with which most are familiar. Remember the ancient Greek proverb:
(A boring bass line does not an
7
interesting song make ).
And so, if all went well, we now have a passable tune, with a moving, secure bass, and a clear,
illuminating melody.
At this point, the only remaining component is the use of harmonies to either embellish or provide
balance to the melody and bass figures. Harmonies can make different melodies sound similar, by
employing similar accompaniment intervals and counter melodic lines, or, they can be entirely unique,
producing correspondingly unique and [sometimes] interesting results.
The simplest harmonies are typically a third below the melody, though continued use of this device is
not a pleasant thing at all.
6

Perhaps the best online source for learning relative pitch and other aural skills can be found at
http://www.perfectpitch.com/playbyear.htm.
7
No representation as to the authenticity or origin of this statement is made or implied.

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However, we are forgetting a primary goal of our study: playing by ear. What exactly we are trying to
duplicate, with so simple a melody as Twinkle, Twinkle is anyones guess. With the myriad variations at
our disposal, avoiding committing the improvisation blunder is a nearly impossible task.
For that reason, it is far more useful to attempt a more structured piece, with a standard
accompaniment, rather than one so diluted by centuries of variations. But, the exercise is still valuable,
in that were able to explore the minute basics of melody bass harmony in the development of our
skill.
One song Im frequently asked to play at social gatherings and the like is the Music Box Dancer. The
music of this particular piece I have not seen, even to this day. However, I play it all the same.
In this piece, there is only the arpeggio-like right hand figure accompanied by a simple bass line.
Try playing only the melody, say, in the key of C major. It moves all over the place, and probably has
specific fingerings to make life easier, but, dont bother us with details, Im heard to say. We dont
have the music, of course, and so, we need not worry with such things, concentrating instead on the
relative pitch placement and a proper tempo and over all feel.
Once the melody is down pat, try adding a bass, even if it is only the tonic of each chord (listed here in
progression order, not by measure: C, F, C, G, C etc.).
On closer inspection of an actual recording (recordings or live performances being the only safe
resources for the ear playing aficionado, after all), you will note that the bass line has a peculiar rhythm
to it. Actually, I believe it is based on the accents in the melody line of the right hand. Try it and see.
This song can probably be improvised to a high degree and result in something far different from the
simplistic music box dancer that the composer originally intended. As such, well rest on our laurels
now, and set this one aside as we contemplate pieces yet more challenging and audacious.
A small detail we might mention here may be of use. There is a recognizable difference in performing
purely instrumental music, versus vocal music, when playing by ear.
Instrumental music tends to be awash with complex harmonies, entrances, exits, and general
confusion masked to varying degrees, by the overall [usually] pleasing experience of the whole. In
other words, the melody line itself is handed off between instruments of diverse color, and even shared,
at times, by the same, resulting in an intermingling of musical colors that paint an aural picture of one
sort or another.
Vocal music (at least the majority of solo works) is decidedly different, in that the melody line is nearly
always right there in your face, and hard to miss.
Thus, rather than try to play an orchestral piece, I highly recommend trying simpler (or not so simple)
songs recorded or performed with a solo voice. Not only is the melody obvious, but the flow of the
lyrics also is of considerable aid in mapping out the song in its entirety.
At this point, I suspect well need to bring this chapter to a close, since more involved study would likely
require guidance at a work shop or similar venue to proceed further.

21

Chapter 6
composition: Did you
just make that up?
At some point in my career, I began taking this ear playing ability to another level. I believe it started
mostly when I was in college, though I had always tinkered a bit with original melodies and their
accompanying harmonies and the like, from high school on.
I began by simply playing something from scratch, and then recording it (the best I could) for
subsequent analysis, or to simply impress my friends.
Though I first started writing music down on manuscript as a teenager, the skill progressed further in
college when I wrote music for a tuba or bass quartet, composed of players from my immediate family
(2 tubas, 2 bassoons). These were basic four part arrangements of Pachelbels Canon in D, the
Canadian national anthem, and other fairly simple tunes.
Then, I met other instrumentalists, primarily in the Wind Ensemble of the University of Dayton.
Depending on who I knew at the time, and what instrument they played, I wrote music accordingly.
One example was a brass sextet piece that was originally written for a very accomplished horn player.
Eventually, I befriended a violinist for whom I wrote a number of solo pieces for violin and piano. Some
of these were eventually recorded and the resulting cassette tapes were distributed to my friends and
family.
It was during this time that I began studying piano with a doctor in residence at the University of
Dayton, one Tibor Szasz. He was from Romania, and was a very accomplished classical pianist.
Unfortunately, my laissez-faire approach to my studies and lack of unrelenting dedication to the art
resulted in a re-direction of our focus. It was determined that I was not cut out to be a classical pianist,
and that I should concentrate instead on developing my composition skills. He therefore agreed to
assist for a time, with proper arrangements of my melodies which he found inspired and very
pleasing.
Now you may be wondering what all this has to do with playing by ear.
Let me assure you that Im not at all certain myself, other than to say, that once you get in the habit of
playing things without the crutch of musical manuscript, the idea of wandering off, say, into uncharted
lyrical territory, playing songs centered on melodies of your own creation, doesnt seem at all very scary
or troublesome any more.
By carefully (or even haphazardly) tossing together various pre-existing melodic artifacts (from the
mental library of things heretofore played by ear) into a greater work, embellished by or perhaps even
22

centered on a unique theme, it is possible to render an original composition that can be very pleasing to
the ear indeed.
Thus it came to pass that during my years at U.D., (while playing at a Catholic Mass), I often asked the
members of our musical ensemble, So, what key should I play something in today? and once given
the key, would proceed to ad lib a little ditty that was heard by the congregation that day, but, like as
not, was never to be heard again.
At some point, though, I did bring a tape recorder so that I could record some of these ad libitums as
they came to be called, in order that I not lose a particularly moving theme for all time.

23

the wrap up
Well, so here we are at the conclusion of this little work. At least I suppose we should conclude, since
Im not sure what else to say that I havent already said or implied by the foregoing.
I have related as many personal experiences as I could recollect that are germane to the topic at hand.
I have attempted (difficult though it was) to articulate to the best of my ability, the discrete steps I think I
follow as I do something that cannot really be explained effectively in the first place.
I have explored some of the good and bad that is associated with the art, and have described the
consequences of being a self-acclaimed musical charlatan in the oftentimes stuffy academic world of
studious classical perfectionists.
And most important, I have attempted to explore whether playing by ear is a gift or an ability that can be
learned through devoted study.
But study though you may, I do fully believe that playing by ear is an art made infinitely easier by the
simple benefit of a gift. Life, let alone the world we live in, is not a characteristically fair undertaking.
Some have the gift of speech, some the gift of social prowess, others, the ability to dance well. Anyone
whose gift is in high demand will be sought after, and likely compensated for it, to the chagrin and
dismay, sometimes, of those on the sidelines who would rather they had been chosen instead. But
alas, such is not the way of things. As stated earlier, life is not fair.
Thus, I believe it is far more important to nurture the gifts one does have, and let envy and other ugly
trappings of our human existence wither and fade where they may.
Playing by ear is one of my little niches in this unfair world, and I try to take it seriously. May the reader
be ever conscious of his or her own gifts, and take them seriously as well, as we pursue a life of peace
and harmony on the wandering path to happiness.

24