![]() (Print blank sheet music for notation here.) PLAY MUSIC BACKWARDS ![]() This helps a student to think through the actual notes, rhythm and patterns that are being played. If a student is able to play by ear, I might challenge her to write down the melody she is playing (notate the music). Incorporate lead sheets into her repertoire so that she develops a strong understanding of chords and also is able to use her creative side in coming up with original accompaniment patterns. Challenge your student to compose an alternate ending to the score. After a student can play the music as written, I might suggest she embellish the melody of a piece. I stress the importance of using the sheet music as a tool, but encourage students to use their ear as well. Rather than taking an either/or approach, I look for ways to blend listening activities while also teaching students to read music. However, I want to be sure that my students are also able to read and understand a musical score. Having a musical ear and the ability to play things by ear is truly a benefit. Here are some ways to approach learning with a student who can play by ear. A passionate and curious pianist will be motivated to learn and have the desire to press on. We don’t want to squelch those gifts because they are, indeed, gifts. Students who play by ear likely already have two things working in their favor: passion and curiosity. It can be difficult to figure out how to approach teaching a student like this piano.ĭo we completely ignore theory and technique and musical scores in favor of just learning pop hits by ear?ĭo we start from the very beginning and scrap all the pop music in favor of meticulous theory and music-reading? Alternatively, a student might hear me play a piece of music she is working on in a lesson and, rather than reading the music, rely on her memory of what the piece sounds like in order to learn it. It could be that the student has spent time listening to favorite songs on iTunes and picking out those melodies on the piano. Sometimes students will come to me for piano lessons with a strong ability to play by ear in place already.
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