How to Play By Ear - Introduction to Playing by Ear

I will show you how to play by ear. This means that you could listen to a song and then play it on the keyboard without having to read the sheet music.
One thing about playing by ear is that two different pianists may play the same song in different ways but to the listener, it appears like the original song. Another thinks you need to know is that just like other principles of piano learning, it takes some time and effort to be able to become good in playing by ear. But trust me, the effort is worth it!

One thing I normally do when some of my friends are around is to tell them to play a song, and then I could play along on the piano. Later, I could then play while they sing along. This can be real fun!

The following 6 steps would help you become an excellent ear-player!

1. Listen to Songs Frequently

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Just as the fingers are trained over time, the ear can also be trained over time. So to improve in playing by ear, you need to make it a habit to listen to melodious songs from time to time, everyday if possible. No rap!!! no no, not rap, because if you listen to rap or reggae for a 100 years, you will make no progress. Look for songs that have piano tunes especially pop and blues.
For me, I had a little Sony Walkman and an earphone I have on almost everyday.


2. Figure out the Key to Use

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By now you already know that all songs played on a piano is played in a particular key. So if you must play it try to listen to the initial part of the song, then press some of the keys in order  to find out which key corresponds to the first note of the song. This may sound challenging but it is really easy. For example, the popular kids song, 'Mary have a Little Lamb' begins with the G note. That means that the song is played in the F key. 'Silent Night' begins with the C note, meaning it is played in the C key and so on.

3. Try to Play the Song in the C Key

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Remember that notes of the C key is made up of only the white keys of the keyboard and probably the easiest to play. The more the black keys in the Key of song, the more the difficulty level. The interesting thing is, no matter how hard a song is, it can still be played in the key of C! So what you can do as an excercise is to listen to a song, and then turn it off and play it with key of C, that is all white keys. Repeat this for number of other songs and at the end you will notice that you have made much progress.

4. Find a Matching Chord that Could Harmonize the Melody

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After you have completed the previous steps, the next thing to do is to find a chord that you can use to complement the song you want to play. We have discussed Apergios and Chords in a previous lesson. A chord is a group of three notes played either together or in alternation(apergio). For example, the chord that could harmonize with songs of the C key is either the C chord(C E G), the F chord (F A C) or the G chord (G B D).
If you have found a chord, take a some time to play it a number of times to make sure you are used to it before you could combine it with the melody.

5. Try to Play Same Thing on Both Hands

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You may not sound the exact same note simultaneously on both hands, but you could do the same sets of note on your left hand as on your right hand. It would also produce a very good effect.

6. Play, Play and Play

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This is about the most important because playing by ear is learnt more with time than with skills. So take your time to listen and then play every time you have the opportunity.

Final Notes

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I could tell you by my own experience that success awaits you if you follow these steps I mentioned here. In about a few months, you could be happy to entertain your friends with their favorite songs!
You can leave a comment to let me know how this help you or maybe I could help you in some way.

Keyboard to Buy as a Beginner (Must Buy!)

Have you thought of which keyboard to buy if you are just a beginner and wants to improve your skills in playing the piano.
Buying a keyboard could be such a stress especially with the plethora of digital keyboards available in the market.
So the question is "What keyboard do I buy as a beginner?"

It does not always depend on your budget
Do you think you could just buy the best keyboard if you have 'unlimited' amount of funds? Well as a beginner, buying a very expensive keyboard could be counterproductive and this is why.

Some keyboards are designed for beginners
For me I used two beginner keyboards by Yamaha. They are for beginners because they have lessons that are quite easy to follow and can help you improve with time. For me I used the Yamaha PSR E 433 Digital Keyboard and I would always recommend it for a beginner pianist.
After a couple of practice on this keyboard, it was very clear that this is one of the best keyboards for beginners.

Yamaha PSR E433 Digital Keyboard

Features includes:
I would actually focus on the features of this keyboard that you may not see on the specifications page.

1. Very Durable
I could say I am one of the careless users of electronics especially the keyboard. For the number of years I used the Yamaha PSR E433, it never developed any problem even when sometime i spill water on the keys (don't do this though!).

2. Inbuit Lessons for Beginners
The Yamaha PSR E433 comes with several inbuilt lessons that could actually help you improve up to the level of a pro if you are determined to learn. Some of this skills you will be taught in the lessons includes

• Finger positioning
• Following the Time Signature
• Using the Metrononome
• Reading Music scores
• To Love music and more!!!

3. Cool Demo Songs
This is referred to as the Music Database in the specification sheet. This songs are designed to help you appreciate the sound of piano and make you want to play more. This would eventually give you the motivation to continue. This motivation is what many beginner pianists don't have and end of abandoning their piano lessons altogether.

Other Features
There a whole lots of other features which I would allow you to work out by yourself if you buy this keyboard. Some of these feature are

• Inbuilt Storage: It comes with 4 x 8 banks of memory to record your performance
• Two real-time control knobs
• 730 high-quality music voices/instruments
• 61 keys (good number of keys for beginners)
• Pitch control
• Display screen
• USB Connection from PC, allows you to transfer midi files to the keyboard
• USB Connection to PC, allows you to export your recorded song to the computer (and maybe share with friends)
• Sheet music rest

How Much Does it Cost
For me,  I bought it in 2010 at about 138 USD total amount, tax and shipping included. But the current price now may be about 1 and half this amount. It could me lower or higher depending on where you are buying from.
If you have a little more, you can go for PSR E443 which has a few additional feature.

Final Notes
For you to learn, it takes some determination and be sure that I am always there to give needed support to beginner pianists ( I have been there!). So go buy it and let me know what area you would like me to explain more. You can leave a comment in the comment box below.

For Beginners. Teach Yourself Piano With Keyboard Bible

You don't have to go a long way to learn how to play the keyboard. These days, it is very easy to learn. Be sure that in few months, you will be entertaining your wife and kids with your favorite songs. You can even play in a friend's wedding.

For me, I learnt in a hard way for years, but you don't have to take this part, now you can learn in just months and I will tell you how to use this book.

Just buy this book: "Totally Interactive Keyboard Bible". That is the book you need to buy.

Features of This Book

We would discuss features of this book. Remember that in a previous post I discussed the book called Smallwood Piano Tutor: Smallwood Piano Tutor. This book is not a replacement of that book. The piano tutor is used for daily practice, while the Keyboard Bible is used for learning. So what are the features of the Keyboard Bible?

85 Sample Songs

The book includes 85 Sample songs which is available in audio format in accompanying DVD. So you have the sheet music there and you have the audio. What you just have to do is Listen, Listen and Play, Play. Imagine you could play these 85 songs after a while be sure you can compete with the Jazz Master, Yanni! I assure you that!

Includes a Practice DVD

Among the over 8 books I have used in the course of my Piano career, the Keyboard Bible have been the most comprehensive and all-inclusive. It contains a DVD of all the practice songs you find in the book. This is very important because it takes a shorter time to learn how to play a song you have listened to than to play a song in a book that you are just seeing for the first time. So what you can do is to have a computer beside your keyboard and keep listening and playing. You can also transfer all the songs to your phone or tablet if that is what you prefer.

Superb Content Arrangement

The book is arranged for beginners. The book is divided into 7 parts. Part 1 talks about the basics of the Piano Keyboard and helps you get up to speed with the basics concepts and music theory. Part 2 now he now helps you the actually being your first piano play. Part 3 discusses early keyboard styles and helps you appreciate the different genres of music you hear. Part 4 take you a bit further to country rock and hard rock. Part 5 moves you to jazz and helps you understand the concepts of synthesizers. Part  6 discusses keyboards styles  and this would be a guide when you want to buy a keyboard. For example, what is the difference between a piano and a digital keyboard? What options are there when you want to buy? Then the final part, Part 7 helps you to put things together and be able to entertain.

Ebook Included

The book contains a soft copy of itself in a a CD, so you can actually load it in your tablet and used for your learning. Or if you are like me, that is being careless sometimes, and the book gets misplaced, you can even print part of it. This is handy when you need to place some sheets on the piano bay while playing.

Includes Another Book: Keyboard Facts

This is an interesting one. This book includes a second book, which is quite comprehensive, "Keyboard Facts". I would talk about this book in the next article and how to use it.

How You can Get It

It's not likely you can get it in local bookshops but you can just try, check around locally even in bookshops in schools, you may just be fortunate. For me, I bought it from a Supermarket in Nigeria called Everyday Supermarket and I think that was the last copy left. 

Outside that, I checked Amazon just now and find out that the book is available there for approximately $25.

If you really need it and I see you are interested in learning, I would give you mine, this I promise you. Just let me know.

Watch the video on youtube

Final  Notes

To become a good pianist takes both commitment and funds as well as advice from a Pro like me, The Piano Man. But what i can assure you is that whether you will learn and improve, depends on you and the the much effort you put. Rest assured that you can reach me with any challenges you may have, you can leave a comment below and I would get back to you.

All You Need to Learn the Piano - This Book

The name of this book is called Smallwood's Piano Tutor. This book is as the name is, a small book, though I don't know if this is the reason why the name is Smallwood. Whatever the case, judging by the number of pages, this book is small, that is few pages, only 56 pages.

But frankly speaking, apart from the number of pages,  there is nothing small about this book.

The book is produced by Francis Day and Hunter Limited, distributed by IMP published by IMP Music publishing Ltd. The book contains 55 Lessons for daily practice and exercise.

What is Special About This Book

I as Kindson The Piano Man personally recommend this book both for beginners, intermediates and professionals. I have used this book for the past 8 years of my career as a pianist. Let me tell you why I say that this book is the best for you.

1. Starts from the Basics: One problems that learners face that make them abandon the lessons altogether is failure to begin learning from the basics. You actually need some time as a beginner to understand some of the theoretical aspects of music. This is formally called Music Theory.  This means that you need to understand concepts like musical notes, octave, keys, key signature, time signature, interval, finger positioning, middle C etc. Not necessarily that you need to study these concept indepth, but you need to know how they related with the keyboard and the music you will like to play. The first part of the Smallwood's Piano Tutor, say about 7 pages cover this basic things in a very simple manner.

2. Daily Lessons: Whether you just started learning a week ago, or two years ago or you have been playing for several years, you need not underestimate the value of Daily Lessons (excercises). This are meant to strenghten your fingers and improve your speed the keyboard. Just like in typing, if you regularly do this lessons, you will continue to improve. The Smallwood's Piano Tutor contains daily lessons customized to help you improve your speed and strengthen your fingers.

3. Brief Dictionary of Musical Terms: On page 56 of the the Piano Tutor, we see a one-page dictionary of musical terms. This can come handy especially when you want to understand what  certain musical word mean while your are taking your lessons. Simply flip to the end of the book, page 56 and you have it.

4. Keyboard Layout for Beginners: On page 8 and 9 of the book, we see a keyboard layout. This can be very handy for beginners. The reason is that its not very easy for beginners to find the keys without looking at some reference. So this two pages can actually be torn out an place on the keyboard providing on the spot reference to the player while playing.

5. Superb Lesson Arrangement to Enhance Progress: The lessons on this book has carefully been arrange to enhance the progress of the player from beginner to intermediate and then to professional provided to follow meticulously. In fact I would advice that if you have this book, this 56 page book, try to follow along carefully from the first page and work your way through. The arrangement is such that it begins with easier lessons or keys  and gradually progresses as you move on to more tasking lessons. This is the natural way the piano lessons should be. So don't skip  pages and in a short time, you will be happily  entertaining your friends.

Watch the Video on youtube

Final Notes.

I would recommend that you buy this book as soon as possible as it costs very little. In fact, each time mine gets worn out, I simply buy a new one. So buy one and start learning immediately. 

Do let me know if you have any challenges following through. Added to that if against all odds, this book does not work for you, let me know so I could recommend what would be exactly suit your practice pattern and schedule. I remain Kindson The Piano Man  and be sure that I would always be available to respond to your concerns.

Kids Can Play The Piano

Very good to see you here again today!

You already know that with regular practice, you can achieve the impossible. All it takes is a a little commitment and determination to succeed and I assure you that, you will succeed. For me here, I'm always there for you to provide the much needed assistance, reminders, professional advice and to respond to any other challenge you may have.

Lets now discuss this important topic, "Unleash the Genius in Your Kids"

Jahress, what he loved doing

Unleash The Genius in Your Kids

I have spent some time helping some kids as well as adults play. Along the line, I observe that kids improve faster than adults. Something a adult would learn for about 3 weeks, a kid masters it in say 2 weeks or even less. 

Remember one important point, and that is, "Kids learn faster than adults". This is so true and if you start now to take advantage of that fact, then your kid could in the next few year be a piano professional. This does not mean, he should stop formal education, no no, the can continue his schooling but in his part time, allow him to play.

Take not of these few points:

1. Dont Allow The Piano Take Precedence over School Work

Ensure that you don't allow your kid use the keyboard as an excuse to avoid school work. What this means is that, when there is home work from school, then make sure the homework is done before playing the keyboard. The reason for this is that  playing of the keyboard is addictive. If not checkmated, the kid may become addicted to it and you may not be able to do any other thin.

2. About The Age of the Kid

It is best to allow the kid play once the kid can sit upright, and that would be by the age of say between 3 and 5. This is not too early because the earlier he spend time with the keyboard, the better he is able to master the key arrangement and the better he is able to identify the keys is a short time.

3, No Eating on the Keyboard

Let the kid know that what is done on the keyboard is serious business. Let it be clear to him that the keyboard is not a kind of toy, that he use to know. So when it comes to eating, it should not be on the keyboard. Spilling tea, water or any other drink on the keyboard not only may damage the keyboard but would reduce the child's commitment and interest in learning.

4. Practice Along With the Kid

This depends on your schedule. The point is, if your kid sees that you show some interest in playing from time to time, he  would be more determine to do more. Note that playing the piano requires effort on both kids and adults. So seeing you practice your help him put more effort.

5. Give Him a Thumbs up!

This is very important. If you see your kid make progress, then tell him he's doing great. This is a big motivation  for him. At certain times, you may need to spend some time beside him listening as he plays. The more you commend him and recognize his effort, the faster he improves. This I have come to realize over the years.

7. Buy Him Kids Piano Books

For me personally, I did not use any book like this. But I know that there  are piano books for kids. Just search bookshops around and see if you can get some kind of music/piano books for kid.

About The Guy in The Pix

The little guy in the pix is Jahress Chinedu William. In just one weekend the learnt so much that made me decide to make up this post.

In two days, he learnt.

• Finger positioning
• Posture
• Key arrangement
• Musical Alphabets and more

Final Notes

You cannot say exactly what skill your kid would excel in so give him to exercise  his intellect in this important way. Remember, I'm always there to answer to your questions and respond to any challenges you may face. You can just leave a question or comment on the comment box below an I would get back to you. I remain Kindson The Piano Man

Introduction to Chords - C, F and G

It is possible to play a very interesting melody using one finger to play each note and this is fine. You can play each note with a finger on your right hand and then follow up with a parallel note with a finger on the left hand, this is also great. You may even randomly sound more than  one note at some point as you play along. 

All these are ways to improve, but a very important concept in the Piano is the concept of Chords.  Yes, you can't be a good armature(let alone professional!) if you don't know about chords.

What are Chords

A chord can be defined as a combination of three or more notes (played together) and where the distance between the notes follow  a definite pattern. I have added the last part in a brackets because there is also the concept of 'broken chords' or appergios where you don't have to play the notes together.

Generally, chords are played with the left hand in the lower register of the keyboard.

Three Note Chords

Let's examine the basic type of chords, that is three-note chords. Note that there is no such thing as 'two-note chord'.

Three note chords are also called triads.

The C Chord

The C chord consists of the notes C, E and G.

The name of the chord comes from the first letter of the chord, C, and this is referred to as the root of the chord.  The C Chord is illustrated in Figure 1.

The second note of the chord E is called the third and the last note G is called the fifth. So we have, 

Root-Third-Fifth

You play the C Chord with your Pinky, the middle finger and the thumb.

Exercise 1: Master the C Chord

As an exercise, try playing the C chord beginning with the first C on the keyboard and then play on the next C and so on until you get to the end of the keyboard. 

Do it with your right hand and then with your left.

Repeat this a number of times until you can do it very fast without having to take time to think.

The F Chord

The F chord is made up of the notes F, A and C. Just like the C Chord , the F chord derives its name from the fact that the root note of the chord is F.

Exercise 2: Master the F Chord

Play the F Chord several times with your left hand, then with your right until you get used to it.

The G Chord

The G Chord is made up of the notes G, B and D with the G as the root note. The G chord is normally played beginning with the G below the middle C.

The G Chord is shown in the figure below.

Exercise 3: Master the G Chord

Play the G chord several times until you get used to it.

Summary

The three chords you learnt in this lesson are known as "All Whites" and is the easiest chord you will learn and that is why I choose to start with it. Notice that these three chords look exactly the same. Be sure that as we progress, you will learn of chords having black keys. But for now make sure you can play these chords perfectly enough before moving on.

As an exercise, try playing the C Chord, then the F Chord, then the G Chord and then back to the C chord and repeat the process all over again.

From an Software Engineer to a Pianist

I would tell you the interesting story of how I transited from a professional Software Engineer to a Skilled Pianist.

I always loved computers right from when I was little and even now I still love using computers and writing apps. But I can tell you its more interesting playing on the piano keyboard than typing on the computer keyboard.

So wether you are an Accountant, an Engineer, a Lawyer, Doctor, Businessman, you can make your home lively by being able to entertain your family and friends with the piano keyboard.

Sure, you can do it!

• How it all Started
• During School Days
• My First Keyboard
• Playing and Singing Along
• My Second Keyboard
• Combining with regular Work
• Final Notes and My Advice

How It all Started

It all started when I was a kid. During holidays, i normally join my dad to places: to see clients, to to office or even to travel long distances. At such times he plays country songs in the car stereo. One of his country artists was Don Williams. He have many of Don William songs in cassettes(not CDs!). Another was Jim Reeves and then Kenny Rogers as much as I can remember now. So I enjoyed these songs so much that I wanted to get involved.

So one day at home, someone bought a toy keyboard (of about say 12 keys). I figured out that this keyboard works just the same like the bigger one, it produces nice sounds when you hit the keys correctly. Then there was this songbook we had in the the house that contains songs together with the solfa notations(do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do) of those songs. So I spent time trying to play those songs using the solfa notations, and interestingly, this small keyboard, have the solfa notation of each key labeled on them. The more I played, the more it gets interesting and the the more time I spent on the practice.

I continued that way until... you guess right!. The keyboard was damaged, and that was where everything stopped. Then come my School days.

During School Days

I gained admission to study Computer Engineering in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology in Port Harcourt in the year 2000. Just like you know, one needs to work hard in school to make good results. That means that, somehow, I didn't have anything to do with the piano keyboard at the time. I even don't remember it due to much school activities. The Computer Engineering Curriculum was really really tasking, involving Mathematics, Electronics, Programming etc. So my love for the piano keyboard died naturally.

Then comes a day I went to a friend's place, Joe, who stays somewhere in the quarters and realized there was a piano keyboard in the room. Though the keyboard belongs to the next room, I now have found a place to continue my piano practice. So from time to time, I would visit just to play the keyboard and I would stay for some time say, 30 minutes, 1 hour or even longer.

In all of this, I still focused more on my studies, but one things is clear, I kept my love for the piano keyboard alive in school.

My First Keyboard - 2008

One year after my school, I have to go for a compulsory 12 months National Youth Service. So prior to the time of the Youth Service, I bough a digital keyboard .  I bought it for 11,500(Nigerian Naira) together with the stand, at the time. I think the model is XY, a made-in-china product. Then I printed a few keyboard lessons. That I used for practice almost every day. I also bough a small piano practice book called Smallwood's Piano Tutor.

So when I was posted to the town of Omoku in Rivers State, I went with my keyboard. I had much time to practice at the time. This is because I worked as a teacher and taught for about three days in the week. Every other day was used for my piano practice. I could tell you, I improved a great deal during this one year i spent in this place.

Added to that, I downloaded and printed a few sheet music for popular artists like Celine Dion, Elton John etc, just to have a feel of how it looks like.

Playing and Single Along

One thing I must tell you that is very difficult even for professional pianists is to play and sing along and that is what I've been trying to to but since the time of my first keyboard but it has been so difficult. I got some of the  sheet music score that has the lyrics of the the songs. I could play, then I could sing, but the challenge is singing while playing in harmony. I kept trying though.

One thing that helped me improve is a songbook called "Sing Praises to Jehovah", produced by Jehovah's Witnesses. I found out that I could manage to play a few verses while singing but I did that very slowly, and the sound you would here if you were there was really terrible! but I kept trying. I did improve a little, but I knew I still had a long way to go.

Playing at home after work

My Second Keyboard - 2011

I 2010, I got a job to work as a Software Engineer in Saipem, Nigeria. This was an Italian company. After working with them for a little over on year, I bough my second keyboard for 50,000(Nigerian Naira). It was YAMAH PSR E433 series keyboard. I loved it so much as is was much improvement from the small keyboard I've been using. I still use it now but I hope to buy a better one say YAMAH DGX 630 and I hope to do that this year, 2017.

My Second Keyboard- YAMAH PSR E433

Combining With Regular Job

On my job as a Software Engineer, I have to wake up before 6 am, prepare and go to work and come back home by after 6pm tired. As such Its note really easy to cope. Added to that, I also make out time to go out for regular visit to persons in the neighborhood to discuss with them from the Bible. Added to that is the fact that I still have to do some work at home using the computer at home. However I ensure I play the keyboard everyday before I sleep for at least 1 hour. I must tell you this requires commitment and some measure of self-discipline. But that is what it takes.

Working as a Software Engineer

Final Notes and Advice

As of today, though I don't play perfectly, I still consider myself a pianist and be sure you can do the same. Take some of the few tips that can help you reach your objective

You need to make out time to regularly practice, wether in during the day or night.

It may not be easy initially, but don't relent, the more you practice the more interesting it becomes and the less difficult.

If you have the funds, you can get a better keyboard. It would help you to progress faster

Permit me to stop here at this time. But more especially, I would like to thank you for reading. 

Also note that you can always reach me at any time with any challenges you may have. Just leave a comment for me below. You can also send me an email, to kidnsonthepianoman@gmail.com