Practice steps to become able to copy by ear

If you can copy your favorite songs by ear, playing the piano will be more fun.

The word "ear copy" comes from the word "copying by ear," and it refers to replacing the melody and accompaniment of a song you've heard with notes and playing them yourself using an instrument.

If you can copy by ear, you will be able to play your favorite songs on your own, which will not only help you improve your piano skills but also increase your motivation.

Once you are able to copy a certain song by ear, you will start to become more interested in the music that is out there, wondering, ``Which song should I try copying by ear next time?'' and your understanding will deepen.

However, you will need to practice until you can copy by ear

If you want to write kanji, you won't be able to write them unless you know hiragana.

It is important to practice copying by ear starting from the basics and acquire many small skills.

This time, I will introduce a practice method for learning how to copy by ear.

① Prepare the keyboard

Some people may say, ``If you don't have a keyboard, you can't play by ear.''

That's true, but this is not something you can do after copying by ear; you need a keyboard as a practice tool .

Since we are learning the sound first, it is of course important to listen to the correct piano sound.

Therefore, it would be ideal to have a real piano (upright piano or grand piano) that is properly tuned. There is nothing better than a real piano, including the way the sound resonates. If you have a piano, please use it. also be rented, so you can search on the internet and rent if the conditions match.

However, please be careful about the sound. If the C on the keyboard is not the correct C note, your practice will be in vain. Make sure to use a piano that has been regularly tuned.

Even if you don't have a piano, you can still practice using an electronic piano or a so-called keyboard, as long as the sound quality is slightly different but the pitch is correct. These are much cheaper than pianos and can be used to produce the sounds of a variety of instruments. A learning keyboard with illuminated keys is an excellent tool for beginners. This uses a light to indicate the key to play next. Most learning keyboards are made for children, but I think it's a good practice tool for adult beginners to master their skills as well.

If you don't have an electronic piano or keyboard, you can use something that can be played on a browser or a smartphone app. If you search on Google or the App Store, you will probably find some excellent apps at the top.

I'll just post a link to a site where you can play it on your browser.

→browser piano



② Get used to the sound

Get used to it by pressing the keys on the piano or keyboard and listening carefully to hear what sounds come from which keys.

Getting used to the sounds here does not mean knowing the characteristics of pitch

Try playing the white keys, black keys, and other keys in various places on the keyboard and listen carefully to the pitch of the sound.

Once you get used to it, you can ask another person to play two random keys from all the keys, including the black keys, and you will be able to guess which note is higher or lower.

All you need to know is whether it's "high" or "low .

③Learn pitch

This is the most important part of learning to copy by ear .

To be able to identify the sounds you hear, you need to understand pitch .



First, let's understand the main pitch, the white key "Do Re Mi Fa So Rashi (Do)".

First, select one octave's worth of keys (do-re-mi-fa-solacido) without using all the keys.

Close your eyes and try pressing random keys on the keyboard with your fingers. Having someone else push you is also effective.

Let's guess which one of "Do Re Mi Fa So La Sid" that sound is.

Finally, open your eyes and check your answers.

By repeating this simple quiz, your brain will memorize the pitch.

Once you get the correct answer no matter how many times you do this, it's time to take a quiz using a 13-key keyboard including black keys.

You may be able to tell the black keys by feeling them with your fingers, so try playing them for another person.

Once you can do that, try playing with another octave of keys.

Apps that ask you to guess the sounds are also effective.

○Application example
Windows... Let's take a look

iPhone... Pitch test app Otoate PRO

android・・・Pitch test app Otoate PRO

In the world of music, pitches are often expressed using numbers.

When expressed in numbers, it increases based on "Do = 1".

In other words, "do re mi fa so la ci" becomes "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7".

Keep this in mind so you don't get confused when a number suddenly appears on an app.



④Learn code

A chord is a ``chord,'' and a chord is ``the sound of two or more notes played at the same time.''

The song is mostly made up of chord changes.

If it's a separate sound, it's as you learned in ③, but if there are two or more sounds at the same time, the difficulty level goes up a notch.

You just have to get used to this too.

First, let's learn the main major and minor chords.

Try playing it on the keyboard and memorize the sound.。

Be sure to understand the pitch of the sound and the position of the keyboard.

As with ③, you can practice effectively by using an app on your smartphone.

On the browser... Chord Identification Quiz

iPhone・・・Earpeggio

android・・・ChordProg Ear Trainer



⑤Grasp the pattern

From here you can actually listen to the song.

Many songs consist of a certain pattern of chords and melodies that repeat over and over again.

If you can grasp the pattern of the song you want to copy by ear, you won't have to copy it from beginning to end .

Let's take J-POP as an example.

The song is composed of phrases such as "intro," "A melody," "B melody," and "chorus" that are used multiple times and lined up.

In other words, when copying a song by ear, you simply copy each phrase by ear and line them up to complete the song.

Furthermore, the same pattern is often repeated in the "intro" and "chorus."

Listen carefully and think about which chords are connected and which melodies are repeated.

Just by doing this, you will be able to copy by ear very efficiently.



⑥Imitate by humming

Once you get the pattern of the song, try humming one of the phrases.

At first, it is very difficult to write down the music and play it immediately after listening to the song.

By humming the song beforehand, you will be able to understand whether or not you are actually imitating the song

Listen to yourself humming and make sure that you are actually hitting that pitch.

If it's a chord, try humming the root note.

If you can't understand the chords or melody sounds no matter how many times you listen to them, you probably haven't practiced ③ and ④.

When it comes to chords, there are times when very unusual and rarely used chords are used.

Let's listen to it while checking the code chart.

Repeat over and over again to train your ears.

⑦Actually try playing

Try playing what you hummed in step 6.

You can write it on the score once and organize it, but if you don't need it, you can just play it as is.

play little by little, dividing it into phrases, and connect the melody and accompaniment .

If ⑥ is done perfectly, I don't think it would be that difficult.

On the other hand, if this part is difficult, repeat steps 5 and 6.

By copying various songs by ear and practicing over and over again, you will be able to predict the regular patterns of new songs.

If you master copying by ear, you will not only be able to enjoy a piano life without the need for sheet music for a while, but you will also enjoy composing your own music.