How to Play by Ear

Playing a musical instrument by ear is a fascinating and valuable skill that allows musicians to explore music in a more intuitive and creative way. This process requires time, dedication, and a good understanding of music theory. This skill involves the ability to identify melodies, harmonies, and rhythms without the need for sheet music or chords. Let's explore the steps and techniques that can help anyone develop this skill.

Developing Musical Ear

The first step to playing by ear is developing the ability to hear and recognize different musical elements. This includes:

• Ear Training: Use our app to develop your musical perception by identifying intervals, chords, and scales.
• Listen Attentively: Pay attention to the details of the music you listen to. Try to identify the main melody, the instruments in use, and the chords being played.
• Sing Along: Singing along with the music can help internalize melodies and harmonies, making it easier to reproduce them on your instrument.
• Chord Progressions: Practice common chord progressions and their variations. This facilitates the identification and reproduction of harmonies.

Simplifying Harmony

The easiest way to play a song by ear is to simplify its harmony. Try playing songs using only the I, IV, and V degrees. Over time, your ear will get used to these functions, allowing you to gradually add relative chords and other elements to enrich your harmony.

Theoretical Knowledge

We know that each degree of the harmonic field represents a harmonic function that can be: strong, medium-strong, and weak. If we analyze the table below, we will see that there are 3 degrees that have a strong function (I, IV, and V).

And these are the degrees (I, IV, and V) that we will use to play our music "by ear," as all other degrees are different ways of expressing the same sensations: stability, movement, and instability.

In reality, if we look closely, of the four remaining degrees (II, III, VI, VII), three are relative chords (they have practically the same notes) of the degrees that have a strong function.

If we analyze the remaining degree (VII), which can be diminished (triad) or half-diminished (tetrad), and compare it with the V degree, we will see that they also have some notes in common, and this is why the VII degree has the same function as the V degree.

With this, it is easy to understand that in theory, EVERY song can be played with only 3 chords, represented by the degrees I, IV, and V.

Step-by-Step to Play by Ear

• Identify the Melody: Choose a simple song. Listen to the melody several times and try to reproduce it on your instrument, note by note, using only your ear.
• Identify the Scale: After identifying the melody, note that most notes belong to a specific scale (C major, for example). Play the notes of the C major scale on your instrument and see how they fit into the melody.
• Discover the Chords: Knowing that the melody is in the C major scale, you can already think about using all the chords of the C major harmonic field triad (C, Dm, Em, F, G7, Am, and B°). Start with the main chords of this key (C, F, G). Try different chord combinations until you find the correct harmony.

Not All Songs Follow the Harmonic Field

Although many songs use the chords of the harmonic field of a given key, it is important to understand that not all songs strictly follow this structure. In some compositions, we find chords that do not belong to the harmonic field of the main key. These chords are known as modal borrowings. Modal borrowings occur when a chord is "borrowed" from a different scale or mode than what is predominantly used in the music.

For example, if we are playing a song in C major, the harmonic field would include the chords C, Dm, Em, F, G7, Am, and B°. However, you might find chords like Eb (E-flat major) or Bb (B-flat major), which do not belong to the C major harmonic field. These borrowed chords can create a unique sensation and add color to the music. A classic example of modal borrowing is the progression I-IV-bVII-IV, often used in rock and pop, where the bVII chord (Bb in C major) is borrowed from the Mixolydian mode, adding a distinct and pleasing sound to the harmonic progression. We will talk more about this in a specific topic about this subject.

Conclusion

Playing an instrument by ear is a skill that can be developed with patience and practice. By understanding music theory, focusing on harmony, and practicing regularly, you can become more confident and proficient in the art of playing by ear, exploring music more freely and creatively. Each new song learned by ear will be another step in your musical evolution.