play by ear technique?

[michichan]

hi all
anybody in here ever learn play the piano using the PLAY BY EAR technique?
Im thinking of enrolling in this course
but the fees is kinda expensive.
i am still considering whether to take this course or not
wat do u think? how is this course differ from the normal piano classes..
and is it possible to learn with this method??

pls discuss
thanks so much....

[popdog]

Hi michichan.

I'm not familiar with the course your talking about, and would need more information to really know what to tell you.  But having said that i would be wary of this course.  If playing by ear means neglecting sight reading then I wouldn't.  This depends on what you want to get from piano of course.  I learnt piano pieces with my teacher relying on imitation, memorisation and aural skills.  My aural and memorisation skills were excellent, so I was good at learning like this.  But I relied on this for years and nearly entirely neglected sight reading.  When I was away from my teacher and pieces I knew I was pretty useless as a pianist.  If you want to learn classical music I highly suggest making sight reading a priority.  I didn't and it held me back as a musician for years.  As I said, I would need more information to give you specific advice.  Hope this helps.

popdog.

[michichan]

hi popdog
thanks for ur reply
anyway this is the center website
http://www.playbyear.com.my/
hope u can advice
thx

[slobone]

Yeah, it doesn't sound like a good idea to me either. While I do believe that ear-training skills are often neglected in classically-oriented piano lessons, I wouldn't go to the other extreme either. See if you can find a piano teacher who teaches pop music as well, if that's what you're primarily interested in. If classical is your interest, you have no choice but to learn to read music as quickly as possible.

[bob3.1415926]

If you want to learn to play by ear, and can afford it, then go for it. Although you could try teaching yourself.

I taught myself to do it by just putting a cd on and playing along. It's painful at first, but if you keep at it, you'll be amazed how quickly you learn to tinkle along with whatever takes your fancy, then after a while, you won't even need the cd.

[guendola]

I could not find any prices, what does it cost?

[michichan]

the course fee is around USD630 for 6mths course??
or could be more..

[eins16]

I think is very relevan. Play by ear technique will make your ear sense sensitive

[guendola]

Well, this website promises a lot, especially "12x faster learning". I would be very careful before spending a single cent there - if I were you. Since I am myself, I don't even think about it.

[dan101]

Playing technique by ear is possible, provided fingerings are consistant. If you do not have a grounding in proper fingerings, then going the classical route for technical exercises is a much more secure and informative approach.

[anna_crusis]

Learning to play 'by ear' is rather pointless unless you learn to read music as well. The two are highly interdependent.

Good reading skills allow you to appreciate music in ways you never knew possible, as well as being able to learn fast and accurately. On the other hand, good aural skills free you from the shackles of printed music, allowing you to improvise, compose and just plain enjoy yourself.