Play Any Song By Ear in 3 Simple Steps (Piano Lesson)

Pianote

9 Feb 202409:50

Summary

TLDRThis video script reveals a method for playing songs on the piano by ear, breaking the process into three steps. First, identify the key by finding the tonic, the home note that resolves tension. Next, use the major scale to determine the key and apply a chord formula to deduce the song's chord progression. Lastly, listen for bass notes to understand chord changes and use the major scale to play the melody, adding harmony by incorporating notes from the chords being played.

Takeaways

🎹 Playing a song by ear on the piano is possible and can be broken down into a three-step process.
🔍 The first step is identifying the key of the song, which involves finding the tonic or home chord.
🎶 To find the tonic, one can rely on their ears to recognize the note or chord that feels like a resolution.
📊 A practical example is given using an instrumental version of 'Sign of the Times' to demonstrate the tonic finding process.
🎵 Once the key is identified, the next step is understanding the chord formula for that key, which simplifies the process of figuring out the song's chords.
🔢 The chord formula is based on the major scale and assigns a chord quality (major, minor, diminished) to each degree of the scale.
🎧 Listening to the bass notes or root movements is crucial for determining the chords in the song.
📝 The script provides a method to practice identifying bass notes and applying the chord formula to figure out the song's progression.
🎼 To play the melody by ear, one should use the major scale corresponding to the song's key and harmonize it with the chords being played.
👂 Ear training and practice are emphasized as essential for improving the ability to play songs by ear.
📚 Additional resources like a piano chords and scale book are suggested for those who need more help with identifying chords and scales.

Q & A

What is the first step to playing any song by ear?
-The first step is to identify the key of the song by finding the tonic, which is the 'home note' where everything feels resolved.
How can you find the tonic of a song?
-You can find the tonic by experimenting with notes and playing the major scale over them to see which one fits best, indicating the key of the song.
What is the tonic in music?
-The tonic is the home note or chord of a song, where everything feels resolved. It is the first note of the major scale and provides a sense of closure.
Why is identifying the key important when playing by ear?
-Identifying the key is crucial because it helps you understand which chords and notes fit into the song, allowing you to play it correctly.
What formula do musicians use to quickly figure out the chords in any key?
-Musicians use a formula where each note of the major scale is assigned a chord: 1 is major, 2 is minor, 3 is minor, 4 is major, 5 is major, 6 is minor, and 7 is diminished.
Which four chords are most common in pop songs?
-Pop songs often use the 1, 5, 6, and 4 chords. In the key of F, these would be F major, C major, D minor, and B flat major.
What is the importance of listening to the bass root movements?
-Listening to the bass root movements helps you identify the lowest notes in the song, which can guide you in determining the chords based on the key.
How do bass notes help in identifying chords?
-Once you identify the bass note, you can apply the chord formula for that note in the key you’ve identified. For example, if the bass note is D in the key of F, the chord would be D minor.
How can you figure out a song’s melody by ear?
-To figure out the melody by ear, you can hum the melody and then play it using the major scale of the song’s key. The melody will generally follow the notes within the key.
How can you make the melody sound fuller when playing by ear?
-You can make the melody sound fuller by adding notes from the chord being played underneath the melody. This harmonizes the melody and creates a richer sound.

Outlines

00:00

🎹 Understanding How Musicians Play Songs by Ear

The speaker explains that while it seems impressive when musicians play songs instantly after hearing them, it's not as difficult as it seems. There are three key steps to learning this skill, starting with identifying the key of the song. This involves finding the tonic or the 'home' note where the music feels resolved. The speaker demonstrates this with an example using an instrumental of 'Sign of the Times,' playing chords and experimenting to find the correct key, which turns out to be F major. Through trial and error, they show how you can use your ears and musical intuition to find the tonic and key of any song.

05:01

🔢 Using a Formula to Identify Chord Progressions

In the second step, the speaker introduces a chord formula based on the major scale. Each note in the scale corresponds to a chord, and in most pop songs, only four main chords are used: the 1, 4, 5, and 6 chords. For the key of F major, these are F major (1), B-flat major (4), C major (5), and D minor (6). The speaker explains that knowing this formula allows musicians to quickly identify chord progressions and play them by ear. They also mention additional resources like a piano chords and scales book that can help with mastering these concepts.

🎵 Listening to Bass Notes to Determine Chords

The speaker explains that the final and most important step is listening to the bass notes, as these notes often determine the chord in the progression. By identifying the lowest note in the song, you can easily figure out the chord's quality. For instance, in the key of F major, if the bass note is D, the corresponding chord would be D minor. The speaker demonstrates this process by playing the instrumental track again, identifying the bass notes, and matching them with the appropriate chords to create the progression: F major, D minor, and C major.

🎤 Using Melody and Harmony to Enrich Your Playing

In this bonus section, the speaker discusses how to add melody and harmony to make the music sound fuller. By using the F major scale and matching it with the appropriate chords, musicians can harmonize the melody with chords from the scale. The speaker demonstrates this by playing a simple melody and then adding chords underneath it to create a richer, more dynamic sound. They explain how you can experiment with different combinations of notes from the chords to enhance the melody and make it sound more complete.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Tonic

The tonic is defined as the home note or home chord in music, where everything feels resolved and there's no tension. It is the foundation upon which the key of a song is established. In the video, the musician uses their ears to find the tonic by listening for the note or chord that provides a sense of resolution. The tonic is crucial for identifying the key of a song, which is the first step in playing it by ear.

💡Major Scale

A major scale is a series of notes with specific intervals that form the basis of Western music. It is used to identify the key of a song and to find the chords that fit within that key. In the script, the musician plays the major scale over different chords to determine which one fits best, helping to identify the key of the song 'Sign of the Times.'

💡Chord Progression

A chord progression is a sequence of chords played one after another, creating harmonic movement in a piece of music. The video explains that many pop songs use a simple formula of four main chords (1, 5, 6, and 4) to form their progressions. The musician identifies these chords within the key of F major to figure out the song's harmonic structure.

💡Bass Notes

Bass notes are the lowest notes in a chord or a piece of music and are often the foundation of the harmony. In the script, the musician emphasizes the importance of listening to the bass notes to determine the chords being played. By identifying the bass notes, one can deduce the chord progression and thus play along with the song.

💡Melody

The melody is the sequence of single notes that forms the main tune of a piece of music. In the video, the musician discusses how to figure out the melody by using the major scale of the identified key and harmonizing it with the chords. This involves both technical skill and creative interpretation to reproduce the tune by ear.

💡Key of F Major

The key of F major is a specific tonality in music, characterized by the F major scale and its associated chords. The video uses 'Sign of the Times' as an example, where the musician determines that the song is in the key of F major, which helps in identifying the chords and melody that fit within the song's harmonic context.

💡Ear Training

Ear training is the practice of developing the ability to identify and recreate musical elements by ear. The video script is essentially a guide on ear training, teaching viewers how to listen for the tonic, recognize chord progressions, and reproduce melodies without sheet music. It's a crucial skill for musicians who want to play songs by ear.

💡Music Analysis

Music analysis involves breaking down a piece of music to understand its structure, harmony, and melody. The video demonstrates a form of music analysis by listening to the song 'Sign of the Times' and identifying its key, chords, and melody. This analytical approach helps musicians to understand and recreate songs by ear.

💡Creative Flow

Creative flow refers to the state of mind where an individual is fully immersed in a creative process, allowing for the free expression of ideas. In the context of the video, the musician encourages viewers to enter a creative flow when playing the melody, using the chords and scale to embellish and enrich the tune, making it sound fuller and more expressive.

💡Harmonization

Harmonization is the process of adding harmony to a melody by using chords that are consonant with the melody notes. The video script describes how to harmonize a melody by using notes from the chords being played. This technique enriches the melody and adds depth to the music, making it sound more complete and professional.

Highlights

The ability to play a song on the piano after hearing it for the first time is not as impossible as it seems.

The process of playing a song by ear can be broken down into three steps.

Identifying the key of a song is the first step, which involves finding the tonic or home note.

The tonic is the note where the music feels resolved and without tension.

Using one's ears to find the tonic can be done by listening for the home chord.

An example is provided using the instrumental of 'Sign of the Times' to find the home chord.

Music analysis involves listening for chords and identifying their positions in the key.

A method to find the key is by playing major scales and seeing which one fits the song.

The key of F major is identified as an example by playing it over the chords.

The second step involves understanding the chord formula for the major scale.

The formula includes major and minor chords in a specific pattern.

Pop songs often use a progression of four main chords: 1, 5, 6, and 4.

The third step is listening to the bass root movements to determine the chords.

Identifying the lowest note helps in figuring out the chord being played.

The tonic chord provides a sense of resolution in the song.

A bonus section discusses how to figure out the melody by using the major scale.

Adding notes from the chord being played can enrich the melody.

Practicing and using one's ears are essential for playing songs by ear.