Among the many different styles of pianists, there are two
categories most often referred to in piano playing. They are playing by ear
(the ability to listen to music and play it without any sheet music, and
improvising with one’s own style of playing), and playing by note (reading
musical notes, rhythm and dynamics on what is referred to as sheet music, with
precision and accuracy). Both pianists can only advance in their musical
abilities with unremitting practice, which can feel impossible; the more they conform
to the sometimes difficult challenges, the better pianist they become. While
one may have moments of envy toward the other at times, their feelings of
triumph are memories that are frequently revisited.
Those pianists who play the piano by ear often relate that
they were born with the ability, but even if one is born with a musical
expertise, piano playing is still a required skill that is learned. To play by
ear, one must first have some knowledge of notes, piano chords, and how they correspond
on the keyboard. The learned information needs only to be briefly introduced to
them before their natural musical abilities can take over.
For the “by ear” pianist, practicing, as mentioned above is
an amazing experience filled with new discoveries, sounds and tempos. They become
increasingly inspired, and often move on to create their own music, songs and
lyrics. This is also a time where the pianist can listen to a song or piece of
music with the capability of playing what they hear, and incorporating their
own exclusive style.
When I was only five years old, I had already developed a
deep inquisitiveness toward the piano with having a very musical family. An
older brother took time to heed to my pleading, and showed me a few chords on
the piano, along with how to play a simple song with those chords. The very
next day, I ran to the piano after school, and began playing an entire song I
had heard sung in church; not only playing the three chords I had been taught,
but playing what I was hearing in my head (or as some might call their heart).
My parents tell the story best, as they remember peeking from behind a door in
amazement of their youngest child playing the piano with both hands, using the
foot pedal, all in a manner in which they were able to recognized the song I
was playing. After playing my first song, I began playing chords and keys with
melodies and harmonies that I called, “make-up songs”.
Two years past, and within that time we had moved and were
left without owning a piano. Later, to everyone’s surprise, I had seemingly lost
all the inspirational ability, and was back to only remembering how to play the
three chords my brother had previously taught me. With years of constant daily practice that was
not always quite so inspirational and eventually two months of piano lessons,
by age fifteen I was playing in a jazz band, writing music and songs, along
with participating in many other memorable advanced musical events.
A pianist who plays by notes recognizes each written note
on the scale, as well as all the marks for cadence, within the musical piece.
It is a tedious job to obtain this skill and many give up, rather than continue
their musical endeavors. Those who stick to it, learn not only how to read the
music, but eventually can play any music within their skill level, even if they
have never heard the music piece before.
Another intriguing part of playing by note is that you do
not have to have an ear for music in order to learn to play. Many accomplished
pianist play strictly by notes without any ability to improvise, but the music
itself can be a tremendous piece of art to one’s ear. Even so, these types of
musicians often times envy those who play by ear, due to the fact that there
abilities become limited to a sheet of music.
Shannon, who has the same date of birth as I, began playing
the piano at age four; the difference is that she learned to play by reading
musical notes. Shannon could not even read yet, but she seemed to pick up the
music notes quickly and easily. She took many, many years of music lessons, to
the point where her teachers told her she could not learn any more, but Shannon
continued to learn on her own. When she would seemingly reach a plateau, she would hear someone else play that was so incredibly outstanding
and her heart yearned to press in to a deeper reality than just education. Many
times, just buying a new set of music that was different or challenging would
suffice this desire. Shannon’s progress led her in learning the technique of
improvising, which she spent many hours perfecting.
Shannon never experienced a loss of ability, but has gone
for periods of time without being able to play the piano for different reasons;
she was always able to pick it back up without any feelings of being “rusty” or
out of practice. Once the skill was obtained, her memory of it was not affected
by the intervals of time away. The years of accomplishment have brought Shannon
many rewarding musical events and occasions, where she entertained friends,
family and peers.
There is a world of joy in the willpower of each one of
these abilities, gifts and talents; it’s about never giving up when you feel
like you’ve lost it all, and if you know in your heart you can attain something
better, follow that ambition and achieve your highest goal. Playing by ear is a
natural, free-style of playing for me; it allows me to write my own songs and
music, which makes it my personal preference. But it is coupled with the frequent
desire for the capability to choose sheet music of any style and to play it
with simplicity! My “style” may not always be according to specific “notes”,
and can be a bitter sweet reality. I believe the talent you find inside you is
always exclusive to you. The development of it is what brings inspiration and
causes it to flourish and transform you, but only by being faithfully diligent,
and patient.
