Need Advice on playing by ear

[msburton]

When you hear a song, how do you know what key to put it in. Also when you hear a song, what do you listen for to play it by ear.

[PianoWizard]

That's an excellent question 'msburton', I play by ear I don't know any other way but to play by ear and even I don't really know how I manage to recognize the key, I’ll think about it and post back later when I don’t have to get some sleep.

PianoWiz…

[rjthakid]

You have to know your scales.  The way I do it is to play the melody.  Once you play the melody, if you know your scales, you'll say: "The melody notes are in the Eb Major scale, so it's in the key of Eb major"  Another way to do it is to listen for the '1', or the "home note" (in "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" it would be the "Are" in "How I wonder what you ARE) once you hear that note, you look for it on the keyboard.  Once you find it, you've found the key you're playing in.

More experienced musicians can hear a song and immediately know what key it's in.  We have to take the long way.   

[upmost]

Let me see if I can help you out. See, I oringnally read music, but I was later talented enough to play by ear. Some of my techniques I think would help you would be to:

1) you know that their are only 12 majors or keys a song could be played in. so whenever u are trying to play a song, you need to first try to find the melody of the song in the correct key. Test all the 12 possible keys until find it. Some people are able to find the key like it isn't anything. But some people can't, and that's okay.

2) once you find the melody then try to find the chords. If it helps you to write out the possiblity that that particular chord could be in, then do it. For example if you know some chord is G. You can write down that this chord could be played in c-e-g, b-e-g etc.

3) The most important key is "patience" take your time. I personally can't accomplish anything under pressure or stress. Be patien, you'll get it!!!!

[pianoboy2]

It is quite very simple, just listen for the bass note as it collaborates with the melody, hum it all the way! when you are resting, listen to it over and over, learn it in parts/pieces. The more you spend time doing this.... the better or more efficient you will become,(starting out, of'coarse!), through time and hard work....you my friend, will become a force to be recond with!  Its just like  singing, "you simply HEAR and PLAY"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ShadowPhace]

The main thing I listen out for is the chord progression. I listen to the chord changes in a singer's voice or a song, and play in that key. For me, knowing what key a person or a song is in is like an instinct (not to brag). You just have to train your ears to listen to the singer’s voice. The singer’s voice should tell you (with the exception of people who don’t know how to sing in key, on rhythm, or both) the rhythm, what key you are in, and the chord progression.
   
The best way to train you ears to recognize what keys a song or a person is singing in is to turn on your radio and start playing.

[pianoboy2]

ShadowPhace.......splended sharing my brother...spleded indeed****