For most, the idea of playing a musical instrument can be baffling from the start. Especially if you have never played a musical instrument in your life! Even if you do not have musical instrument, you can always begin with voice. Piano is excellent for the beginner to start learning.
But what about those with just enough experience to go beyond and venture out into more extensive musical territory? What about the one who perhaps did not make it in musical theory class in college yet still has the desire to play music. Well, this information and the available book are good news for you! What about the guitar player, the sax man, the drummer, the flautist, the harmonica, harp player, rhythm and bells! What about the one who desires to play music by ear for an adventure in self-expression?
You have come to the right place! Being a musician who plays by ear while next to a musician who reads and plays classical music adeptly can be intimidating. We`ve come to think of a person who plays by ear as a non-studious musician, when we might in fact be overlooking a creative genius in the making! Not to discredit those who have spent years in study, even earning Masters and PHDs. The ear is actually a musical instrument. Sound waves strike the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and cause it to vibrate. These vibrations are then passed through the tiny bones in the middle ear and on to the hearing nerve in the inner ear which sends them to the brain. So, listening, hearing or playing by ear should not be discounted.
Take an individual who has perhaps never played a musical instrument but listens to hours and hours of a wide variety of music. Now take another individual who has spent many hours, days and nights studying, learning and performing with ease from sheet music. If we were to put these two in a room, we would have one outstanding listener and one outstanding performer. But what if the listener was asked to perform without sheet music? Would the listener be able to perform at all?
Absolutely, simply from the acute hearing already developed in their brain. And what about the reader of music, who sees the notes and plays them to perfection, what would the reader do if asked to improvise a new song? Could they create one with ease or would it take a lot for them to creativity compose on the spot? It`s simply a question for you to think about. This leads us to further questions…
When we learn to talk, do we all begin with the same words? Of course we don`t. We learn most easily the words that have to do with our chief interests. Similarly, in playing by ear the student should follow his own inclinations rather than the order of this book. Does one really need a text to learn to speak a language that he hears several hours every day? Grammar and a dictionary can be of great help. Does one really need a text to play music that he hears on the radio and on CDs several hours each day? This book will help. The ear player must practice, just as the note player must practice. But practicing does not need to be drudgery. The most effective practice means having a good time with the instrument each time.
Summary
Learning to play a musical instrument by ear does not have to be a drag! If you want to play it, play it! Don`t let an inability to read music keep you from enjoying your dream instrument. Pick it up and play today by ear!
