Learning Piano – By Ear Or Notation – Which Is Best?
You may hear the words “Learning by ear” tossed around a lot if you’ve been thinking about learning to play piano, but what exactly does it mean?
There are different understandings about the term. In the coming paragraphs I’ll explain the difference between learning by ear and learning by notation. This article will give you a clear understanding of the differences between learning piano by notation or by ear and also help you decide which method is best for you.
Perfect Pitch or Relative Pitch
When you can listen to a song and begin to reproduce what you hear that is the menaing of learning by ear. This may take longer for beginners then more experienced piano players.
Two different terms are used when talking about someone who plays piano by ear. They are perfect and relative pitch.
If you have relative pitch you can hear the patterns of the song but not the key the song is being played in. Your skills are targeted towards hearing the pattern of the chords in the song.
If you have perfect pitch then you are able to actually pick out what key the song is in just by hearing it. Perfect pitch is not seen as often as relative pitch.
Learning By Notation
The alternative to learning piano by ear is to learn by theory, notation and sheet music. The argument goes that those who learn by ear can only play from memory and those who learn by notation can only play from sheet music.
In reality the best situation is to ensure you learn a combination of the two methods. By learning a bit of each method you’ll be able to play songs that are placed in front of you on sheet music but also pick tunes out that your hear.
The majority of Most self study programs and private instructors will spend time teaching you the basics of notation and theory as well as how to play by ear. Since each is a very specific skill practicing both is important.
If you haven’t yet decided how you’re going to take your piano lessons for beginners why not consider a piano lessons dvd? DVD self study lessons are quickly becoming the method of choice for adults to learn piano at home on their own time.