(18) Play by Ear (PBE), Composing

Most piano teachers today don't know how to teach "play by ear" (PBE). Few students learn it, even when they have AP. Just as babies learn to speak before they learn to read or write, musicians must be taught to PBE, which is part of learning MP. Without learning to PBE, they are throwing away a large part of what they can do with MP. Youngsters will quickly learn to PBE, just as they pick up AP and MP effortlessly at sufficiently young ages. It will take progressively longer to learn PBE as they get older. Start teaching it by letting students play melodies they already know, such as the ABC Song (same melody as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Baa Baa Black Sheep ), Happy Birthday, Auld Lang Syne, etc., in different keys at different lessons. Then let them add their own accompaniments. Of course, this will dovetail nicely with learning theory, such as chords, chord progressions, and dictation, etc., in later lessons. Now every student can play Happy Birthday in any key at every birthday party if there is a piano!

Learning PBE will kick start the process of composing music. Thus MP, AP, PBE, composing, and improvisation are all part of a single package of skills that every pianist must learn; these are the musicians' magic, the genius skills. Every known great pianist could PBE, so it makes no sense not to teach it -- it is a necessary part of becoming a musician; it is the fourth genius skill [ (65) Creating Geniuses ]. Those who learn improvisation are effectively practicing PBE, so methods for teaching PBE are known [ (44) Fake Books, Jazz, Improvisation ].