Every single year Christmas suddenly arrives at our doorstep, especially if you are living in the UK where people tend to work right up to the day before Christmas!

In countries like South Africa, where I originally came from, the schools and universities close at the beginning of December with a lovely hot summer holiday ahead.

This means that there are literally 3 or 4 weeks before Christmas arrives, giving you ample time to prepare for Christmas, learn the relevant songs and prepare presents, food etc.

Christmas is the cherry on the cake, so to speak, in this lovely holiday time, which finishes off with happy new year celebrations!

Of course the song – “Im Dreaming of a White Christmas” doesn’t really work as it really only is a dream, living where it’s summer at Christmas time!

The UK Christmas Season

In the UK it is a bit different as it’s not summer time nor a long holiday time. It’s a cold and wet winter time and everyone is trying to finish off their year’s targets. This can actually be quite stressful.

In the midst of all this work, it’s a wonderful relaxing project to learn at least one or two Christmas songs to sing with, or to play to your family.

It’s always heart warming and brings a bond between family members when they sing Christmas songs together or have a little concert.

We as children loved to sing the Christmas carols and do the Christmas play of Mary and Joseph and the little baby Jesus born as the Saviour of the world and Santa brought some gifts. We loved it. I trust that families will do that again!

Can you imagine if there were No music during Christmas time! Whether you believe in the Christmas story or not, it would be unthinkable!

There is a distinct joy and happiness that is part of Christmas songs and Christmas time.

So it’s time to sit down and learn at least one or two songs in this last stretch before Christmas.

Simple Christmas Songs to Start With

There are some very simple Christmas songs. Like:

• Jingle Bells or
• Silent Night or
• Oh Come Let Us Adore Him and maybe for the more adventurous
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, etc.

The sheet music you can download on Google or ask your teacher to help with choosing the best version suited to you.

In the last few weeks I have been doing Silent Night and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with quite a number of my students.

We did Silent Night as part of ear training, by picking out the melody by ear, and NOT by reading the notes from the sheet music.

Training Your Ear

This in itself is a great exercise for hearing intervals – the distances between tones sung or played.

If you want to do this effectively, do not put the sheet music out for yourself to see.

Put it far away or on the floor so that you force yourself to hear and listen and try, and try again and again until you find the right note on your piano.

It’s not silly to struggle with this at first. We ALL do or did! Just try to hear where the melody goes to.

Try out notes until you get the right one. You will soon be able to hear if the melodic line is walking stepwise or jumping up or down and whether it’s a small jump like a third or a big one like a seventh or an octave etc.

It’s important not to allow yourself to feel “stupid” when you struggle at not being able to do it at first. It is excellent ear training!

If you have mastered the melodic line bit by bit in Silent Night, then we can move on to the chords.

Another tool to use in picking out the melodic line is to write out the lyrics line by line.

It will help you to remember when and where the melody jumps are. Think “hearing” where the melodic line moves to, more than trying to think or remember the jumps.

If the ear gets trained in intervals, it helps with every other song or music.

It’s wonderful to be able to play a Christmas song by ear (or hearing) rather than having to grab for the sheet music, trying to remember the notes!

This type of ear training is definitely not time wasting. It’s part of musical development and ear training forms the real basis of all playing.

Playing Chords and Accompaniment

Let’s look at only playing chords as an accompaniment.

Silent night makes use of 4 basic chords in the key you are playing in. This is another discussion on its own.

Let’s assume you will be playing in the key of C. The C major scale will indicate which notes will be available to use.

The 4 chords I mentioned are the following:

• The 1st chord which is the C chord,
• The 4th which is the F chord and
• The 5th which is the G chord built on the scale of C. We will also use
• The 6th chord which is a minor.

A song like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” uses much more chords and is more jazz orientated, where you need to have an understanding of basic jazz chords, unless you play from a score.

There are simplified versions available on Google. Ask your teacher to help with this choice.

Silent Night: A Step-by-Step Approach

Let’s go back to Silent night.

You can either play the song with the melody in the right hand and the left hand playing the chords… or you can play the song by only playing chords with your hands and singing the melody on top.

This way you will be playing the song as an accompaniment.

How to play accompaniment:

• For accompaniment you only need to know and play the 4 chords required for the song.
• Know where to start to sing.

Knowing on which note to start to sing can be tricky in Silent night.

The first note of the song starts on the 5th note of the C major chord and not on the tonic or C note.

When giving lead in accompaniment for your family to sing, give them the G note as a starting note else it will all sound out of tune.

Use your lead sheet:

• Use your lead sheet or music to see where the chords need to change if you are unsure.

When doing it at first you might not be able to know when and where to do the chord changes but having a lead sheet with the melody, words and chords on will be helpful.

You will be surprised to see how your ear naturally will be able to hear when you need to change chords or when you are using the wrong chord!

Enjoy Learning and Sharing

Well, enjoy learning this simple song!

• Learn line by line.

It’s best to do it line by line with the lyrics and not all in one go.

• Know your lyrics! Even if it’s just one verse.
• Keep it simple.
• Play it higher and add sounds.

It’s also lovely to play it up higher on the keyboard and if you have a digital keyboard to possibly add some bells or strings.

• Use your pedal!

Also make use of your pedal to create more singing and a shiny sound!

Enjoy Christmas time!

• Make lovely music and have fun and ignore any mistakes!
• Just have joy in this joyous time.

Give joy to your family. Let them enjoy your playing weather perfect or not! It’s not about that!

Most students, when receiving a new piece to learn, will immediately try to play it from the first notes of the written music, being eager to hear and play the melody. However, there are a few factors to take into account before even reading the very first note. Important factors like the key it’s written in and the time—whether a waltz time or maybe 6/8 or the normal four beats in a bar.

So, What is the Best Approach to Your New Piece?

The most important aspects before playing a single note will be the key signature and time signature, but factors like the layout, the length, the composer, the name, the form, the dynamics applied, and the tempo, etc., also play huge roles.

For most of us, we will definitely not be able to first do a study of the name of the piece or of the composer or even listen to the music should it be available on youtube. We will simply want to play and try it! And it’s all fine!

I would suggest that you first of all look at the key signature so as to see which black notes will be used while playing. After that, look at the time signature so that you can count or feel the right timing. After having done the above, by all means, go ahead and try out the first line, at least! It’s so exciting to learn a new piece! See how far you can get and enjoy the scramble if your sight reading is not yet up to scratch!

After this first encounter, I suggest the following:

Scan and discover the piece from the very first dot on the page up to the last.

Discovering My New Piece:

What is the heading or the name of the piece?

This can indicate a lot concerning the feel and speed of your piece. If it’s a “Lullaby,” it will definitely not be at breakneck speed. It will probably be quite slow and mostly played in softer dynamics, not boisterously and loudly.

If it’s called a “Study”, it will most probably address some area of technical development that will be developed through the learning of this piece as in the Chopin Studies.

It helps to do a little study at some point on the title of your music piece to help with the interpretation and how to play it. Some pieces are called Allegro, which means “lively,” and are played faster than a piece called Adagio, which means “at a walking pace.” These names are Italian names used to indicate speed and dynamics for interpretation.

As you can see, the name can give huge indications as to how a piece should be played. Always analyze the name and read up info on Google. It’s informative and helpful for performance.

Who is the composer, and in what period did he/she live?

If the composer is a well-known composer like Bach or Beethoven, your teacher can help you understand the style of music played in the period they composed in, whether it was Baroque or Classical.

It’s always helpful to know a bit about the composer and the style that they prefer to write in. You can go and listen to some of their music on YouTube and get familiar with the way it sounds, which will, in turn, help you with the playing of your piece.

Do an overall thorough, quick scan of your piece.

I suggest that you scan through the whole piece from top to bottom. Be aware of how it looks, where it starts, and where it finishes. Are there any parts that clearly end within the piece with a double bar? Look at the sharps or flats written at the beginning of every line. Do they change at some point?

Let’s make a list of interesting points to examine. We are focusing on obvious visual indications rather than conducting an in-depth study.

• Where does it start, and where does it finish?
• How many sharps or flats are at the beginning of each line?
• Do they change at some stage? In other words – the key signature changes.
• Are there any clear markings of endings (double bars) within the piece?
• Can you see any clear format of sections probably formed by a double barline?
• What is the tempo indication at the beginning of the piece? Are there any tempo changes within the piece?
• Look at the dynamics through the pieces. Does it vary a lot?
• Is the melody in the right hand or in the left? It’s often clear to see without reading or hearing the melody.
• Does the left have an obvious set pattern, like the Alberti bass pattern found in classical music, or are there no real set patterns?
• Is the left hand playing chords or an arpeggiated pattern?
• Is the piece chordal or more melodic on the whole?
• How does the ending look?
• Are there clear indications of form, for example, new beginnings, etc.?
• Could you, in this quick scan, see any repetitions?

After scanning your whole piece from a distance, it’s time to get a closer look. You could also rescan your piece line by line before really starting to work on it in detail.

Where do I start to play or practice from?

There could be a few places to start or to practice from. One does not always have to work only from the start. I personally love to sometimes go to the very last bars and work out the ending. It encourages one to know where the music is going and how it is ending.

Maybe some will not like this idea, but I love it. It gives you something to work towards, especially if the piece is a long one. It helps a lot to do the last few lines fairly early in the learning of your piece. You can also have a few places to work from in a long Sonate for instance.

Ready to learn the notes, or rather melodies!

Now you are ready to look at the piece of music in depth and start to learn the notes and movement. It can be learnt both hands together or separately.

Do I learn to play the piece with hands separately or with both hands at the same time?

One can debate for a long time about whether a piece should be learnt first by each hand separately or together from the start.

I think it helps a lot to try to play it together from the start, as it gives you a better idea of what’s happening with the music.

It could however be too difficult to do so from the start, in which case, just do one hand at a time.

Taking your piece apart, (if you have learnt it with both hands together), by playing each hand separately, is always very helpful. It helps with sorting and correcting fingering and making sure everything is in place and perfect.

I suggest that you use both methods.

Sometimes, putting your piece together afterwards can be more challenging than doing it with both hands from the start. Here, you will have to see what works for you, considering the difficulty of the piece and your ability.

A Last Suggestion:

Listen to a recording of your piece, BUT ONLY AFTER doing the work of properly sight-reading and studying the piece!

Today, we have the great privilege of being able to listen to music on YouTube. If you can find the composition performed by an excellent pianist on YouTube, please listen to it.

It will help you with learning it much quicker, as the melodies will be a bit more familiar.

I would, though, not continually listen to it, as one wants to play your piece true to your own interpretation within the composer’s indications rather than sound like another player—unless they are playing beautifully and really well.

Enjoy your new piece! It’s so exciting!

What is Syncopation?

In music, syncopation involves a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, thereby making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat.

More simply, syncopation is described as “a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm”: it is the “placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn’t normally occur.” – Wikipedia

One of the most common forms of playing off the beat in piano music is a rhythmic concept called syncopation. To understand syncopation, you have to know about downbeats and upbeats.

Start tapping your foot to a moderate 4/4 beat, and count eighth notes “1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and.” Your foot goes down on the downbeats and up on the upbeats. That will mean that your foot goes down on the number you are calling out and then comes up on the “and”.

Emphasising the Weak “Off-beats”

Syncopation piano playing means the weak beats or “off-beats” of a piece of music are emphasised. You could be emphasising either the “and” of each beat or if you are counting 4 quarter note beats in a bar without the “and”, the emphasising will come on the weak beats of the bar, which will be beat number 2 and beat number 4.

The first beat of a measure is usually the strong beat, and the others are the weak beats. In 4/4 music the third beat in a measure could also be the strong beat. The beats in a 4/4 time signature are normally treated as follows in for example classical or pop music. The 1st beat is the strongest and the 3rd beat the second strongest. The last beat in the bar is the weakest beat. Beat 2 and 4 will be the “off-beats”.

Emphasising of Upbeats in Syncopation

Normally the downbeats are emphasised in a pop song, but when you are playing syncopation you emphasise some or all of the upbeats instead! It is also the RIGHT hand that usually plays the syncopated rhythm.

Where the left hand and the right hand have different rhythms to play, you should practise each hand separately and slowly amalgamate the two, until you can play the whole piece (with differing rhythms in the left and right hands) at the required pace.

Extreme Syncopation

A good example of extreme thymes and syncopation is found in the piece Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi. You would need about at least two or three years piano experience to be able to tackle Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi. This piece is specifically taxing as it is polyrhythmic and the right and left hands have different time signatures!

Syncopation Examples in Classical Music

Syncopation can be found in many different styles, songs and pieces, as it adds great interest to a piece of music. Here is an example of syncopation in a piece of classical music.

It is an extract from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Opus 2 No. 3:

Why Do We Use Syncopation in Music?

Without syncopation, music becomes dull, boring, and robotic. Syncopation allows us to add dramatic effect, create/release tension, and foreshadow powerful chord changes, effects, or shifts in a song’s tone or even key.

Think of syncopation as another story-telling tool in your musical toolkit.

There are four main types of syncopation:

• 1. Suspension
• 2. Missed-Beat
• 3. Even-Note
• 4. Off-Beat

Each type creates a different feeling and effect.

Suspension Syncopation

Put simply, suspension syncopation sustains a weak beat over a strong beat, therefore “suspending” the strong beat that would normally follow.

Instead of playing on the ensuring strong beat, you let the weak beat wash over. This can be into the next strong beat or even into the next bar.

Missed Beat Syncopation

Missed beat syncopation replaces a strong musical beat with a rest (silence). When used in a drum beat, the ensuing accent on the weak beat will sound extremely powerful. This is often used in reggae and dub music and called “drop-one”, because the strong beat “1” is not voiced or accented by the drummer.

Even-Note Syncopation

In even-note syncopation, the even-numbered weak beats (2 & 4) are stressed instead of the odd-numbered strong beats (1 & 3). Hence the name “even-note”. This only works in even time signatures (duple metre) such as 4/4 and 2/4.

This technique is often used in electronic and dance music to give the music unparalleled pulse and energy. This effect can also be achieved using side chaining.

● Backbeat Syncopation

One sub-type of even-note syncopation would be backbeat syncopation.

In 4/4 time, beats 2 and 4 are known as the “backbeat”. This type of syncopation is practically synonymous with pop, rock, and RnB music, where people clap on weak beats 2 and 4, along with the snare drum.

Before blues influenced music and took over America in the 1950s, syncopation was a total novelty!

Offbeat Syncopation

Offbeat syncopation takes things a step further by shifting the pulse away from ¼ notes.

This is when things can get most exciting (and complex). This part might require some more advanced musical counting skills.

If you need to sharpen yours, play a few rounds of Rhythmania to make sure you’re in the groove!

Preparing for your piano exam is more than just knowing your pieces and your scales but also working through the ear training syllabus and sight-reading.

Many times ear training and sight reading get overlooked in preparation because of the vast amount of work that you have to prepare for your music exam.

When I studied for piano exams, the former mentioned was in most cases left for the last month or two. Fortunately, most students studying music will have a good ear to be able to recognise intervals, chords, etc., and you could get away with only practicing it the last two months to be secure for the ear tests given at the exam. This is not the ideal though! It would be better if you could try to incorporate it into your lesson or practice time at least once a week.

When it comes to sight reading, it can be quite challenging for a student not well trained or not naturally good at reading. My piano professor would do sight reading with his students the last two months before the exam. He would start training us with playing easy pre-grade one pieces for sight reading every week, working it up to the grade we needed to be at. In the last few weeks, we would do sight reading nearly daily to improve it. He would be quite strict on counting, knowing the key you are playing in and not stopping even if you do make mistakes. It was quite amazing to see how quickly one improves in reading skills.

For practicing sight reading, there are graded sight reading books available all over the internet. Best would be to start with the easiest sight reading grade and slowly work it up to the grade level you are at. As with most things – consistency is once again key!

Let’s look at scales.

Scales need to be secure, and you need to know the pattern and fingering perfectly to enjoy scales. Scales playing can actually be easy and exciting if you know the scale pattern which each scale creates on the keyboard. Do try to see the visual pattern each scale forms which in turn makes remembering scales very easy. Scales played in accents of fours make it rhythmic to play and to enjoy.

When playing your scales at the exam – do be sure that you know them thoroughly and play with strength and good working fingers at an easy manageable flowing tempo. Rather play scales a bit too slow than too fast and sloppily.

Preparing for the exam means that you know your pieces and your scales. It can take quite a long time to conquer these but well worth it because it will be building blocks to the music you really want to play in the future!

To prepare for the exam, as I mentioned, is much more than just knowing your pieces. Of course, it’s very important to know them thoroughly. If you know them from memory, even better!

When practicing your pieces, practice to be able to play right through without stopping regardless of mistakes. This is especially important if you like to practice your pieces in sections rather than as a whole.

When you make a mistake, mark it with a pencil on your music sheet so that you can specifically practice those few places where you make “mistakes”. These mistakes have to be ironed out – so to speak – so that the whole piece will flow and be a pleasure to both you and the examiner.

Mistakes will not just disappear. One has to stop and totally slow down your playing in order to understand why a mistake occurred and correct it. It might mean that you have to practice that part very specifically and slowly or correct a finger etc. Practice it over and over again until it is sorted. It’s important to know why the mistake is occurring and correct it, whether it’s a wrong finger or whether it’s just a difficult technical passage. So instead of continuing to play your pieces through from beginning to end, practice those specific spots so that they will not trip you up.

Today we have wonderful technology right in our hands with which we can record ourselves. The smartphone. Record your playing and re-listen to it. It’s a great way to hear and improve your playing.

Before going into the exam room, take your time and keep yourself totally at rest and peace. It’s really important to believe that you know your work and not to let fear talk to you. I found it helpful to literally talk to myself in a positive upbuilding manner about my ability and that I will be playing well. It does make a difference. Do try it!

One way to distract yourself from all the time thinking about making a mistake is by totally focusing on the lovely music and being absorbed in it. This is a huge secret also for performance, where the performer gets so “lost” in the beautiful tunes and music that he or she does not give attention to people around them. This is the only way to really interpret music and to impart the joy of the music you play to people around you.

Be ‘in’ the music you are performing.

Totally disregard any mistakes that might happen. The beauty of the music you play will cover the few mishaps. If you are ‘mistake-minded’ – it will mar all the beautiful parts you played. So start to compliment yourself about the parts you play well and try to disregard the less perfect.

When you practice your music, actively concentrate on letting your inner ears listen to the music you are practicing. Active listening is needed, not just hearing.

In order to enjoy the beauty of the music you are playing, you have to really hear and play with your ears. When you do this in your exam, the examiner will immediately like your music, regardless of whether you make a mistake or not.

Talk to yourself before your exam!

Acknowledge you have done your best and worked at it within the time you had available and your ability. You can do it the next year, but you chose to do the exam now! Of course, next year it could be better, but it’s not about performance but rather about moving up in level.

So go and enjoy your exam, even if you feel it’s not perfect yet. You are moving forward! Well done!

What is the secret of playing your exam and enjoying it?

Well, speak to yourself before your exam and be at peace, believe in what you are able to do! Because then you are setting yourself up for enjoyment and success.

Before you start playing your pieces, take your time, try to hear the piece in your head so that you can play your piece at a good tempo which you can manage. Coming to an exam means that you will already be a bit stressed, so take the time to make sure that you do not play too fast. Rather “think” the tempo of your piece a bit slower so that you will feel you are in control rather than feeling the cart is running away.

So take your time before playing your pieces or even your scales when asked for it.

Keep yourself at rest and peace at all times.

You do not have to be rushed or let anyone rush you.

Important conclusion: Try to enjoy your exam! It’s not the end of the world and nothing really turns on it! Have a bit of a NON-perfectionist attitude!

Use a bit of the “who cares” attitude of a no-care teenager.

It’s only an exam. It’s not your life source! Let it be a small thing and so you will enjoy it!

All music has what is commonly known as rhythm and beat.

Beat and rhythm are two distinct concepts, and one should not be confused with the other. Musicgateway states it as follows:

“Beat is the underlying pulse of a piece of music, while rhythm is the pattern of notes and accents that create the musical texture.”

source

In a big band, these concepts are sometimes nuanced by a specific section of the band, e.g., the rhythm section and the percussion, but all the instruments will be contributing to the beat and rhythm to a smaller or larger degree.

It is much more difficult to do so where there is only one solo instrument like the piano, but not nearly so difficult as where there is a solo instrument like a flute which can only play a single line.

The piano has been described as a whole band in micro-form as you have ten fingers and 88 keys! One can play the instrument as if you are the whole band! This is also the reason why the piano is often more difficult to study as it has the possibility of playing many lines or melodies as well keeping the beat and the rhythm going at the same time.

If you have a look at the internet, it is interesting to note the amount of tutorial material that is offered to assist pianists in attaining a good rhythm and beat and how to convey the rhythm and beat in your piano playing. In the case of the piano, you use the variables of your finger playing to convey the rhythm and the beat simultaneously.

Every piece of piano music has a steady flowing ‘Beat’ to it. Without a steady beat in your playing, it will always sound a bit strange and not flowing. To be able to flow with the beat is crucial as it’s the only way the listener will be able to enjoy your playing. The trick is learning how to connect with that main beat and play the notes in harmony with that beat. It’s most important to be able to hear and listen to your playing in order to do that.

Let’s look at a few basics.

Note duration is not to be confused with the beat or the tempo of the music.

The time signature tells us how many beats to count in each measure. The time signature is located at the beginning of a piece of your music score. It is usually two numbers, one on top of the other. The top number tells you how many beats to count in each measure, and the bottom number tells you what kind of beat is used. This is used for reading, transcribing, or writing music on paper. For those playing by ear, knowing what beat is being used is not really necessary.

Five basic types of note durations.

There are 5 basic types of note durations that you will learn in learning to read or play music: semibreves, minims, crotches, quavers and semi-quavers. Or whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes in the US. These different types of notes can be used and combined in any way, as long as they equal the amount of beats you need in a measure as specified by the time signature.

What is the beat in the music?

The beat is the pulse of your music. The beat gives the big picture and provides the steady impulse of notes as a structure for your whole piece. It’s like the heartbeat of your music piece. The beat should give a steady pulse right throughout your piece.

Let’s look at Tempo.

The tempo tells us how fast or slow to play these beats, and the note duration tells us how long or short each note is to be played.

What are measures?

Measures can also be called bars. Your written score will be divided into small steady segments or bars or measures in which the music notation is written. Each segment will carry a certain amount of beats. It depends on what the composer intended, whether three beats per measure or four, for example. Measures group the notes into small segments which makes it easier to understand, play, and practise.

The time signature:

The time signature tells us how many beats will be played in a measure and to which type of note the beats relate.

The rhythm

The rhythm of the music is the rhythmic application of these variables by a skilful player. The rhythm gives a specific feel to your piece you are playing and is not just counting or playing exactly in time, but also interpreting how you play the set notes within the piece.

What is rhythm?

Rhythm is more about having the feel of a piece than the actual counting. The rhythm of a Blues song or a Jazz swing standard or a Rumba is quite different from a Chopin Mazurka or a Bach Fugue. It takes a lot of study and especially listening to make these different rhythms part of your playing, but it’s well worth it and satisfying to conquer eventually!

Let’s get back to the steady beat within your music.

Ideal would be to learn to feel the beat of any type of music. It has to become second nature to you. If you can feel the beat in music without playing an instrument, you should be able to feel the beat whilst playing an instrument.

All people can feel beat.

Go to any dance room and you will see how all people have a natural feel for a beat. It is in you and only needs to be brought out. To be able to play an instrument and feel the beat simultaneously, takes a bit of practice but with a bit of patience and also believing in the fact that you can, you will soon find it easy to keep the beat and even to play the rhythms you always wanted to play.

Practice those rhythms and beats!

Keeping the beat and playing great rhythms might take quite a bit of practice and time, but keep at it and you will soon conquer and enjoy your music more than ever before. Imagine being able to really play that Swing or that Rumba or that Impromptu or Mazurka with the right feel and beat! Bravo!

Playing the piano by ear or by sight – which is best?

There are often disputes between musicians as to which of these two ways of playing music is best. The ear players see their way as best, and the note-reading players say, “no, our way is best!” So what would be the best way for you to learn to play the piano or an instrument?

Let’s look at playing from music sheets and not playing by ear.

A significant advantage of playing by sight is being able to read music pieces from the score – even if you have never heard them. It opens the way to “reading” many books or sheets of music. For those who can not read music, this area of simply picking up a score and playing it, discovering new music is lost. It’s very much like reading a book or the newspaper.  

• Being able to read and play music from a score gives the player the ability not only to:
• know the written language of music but also gives you a 
• greater knowledge of how music is formed, written and plotted out.  
• It gives a visual layout of the music.  

The negative about reading and playing from a score is that often the player is less aware of the sound created and the chord structure and overall movement of the piece. 

I have often found that when I am reading the score, it is as if your ear tends to shut off a bit. One has to actively involve the ear to take note of the movement of the melody and chords.  

Playing only by reading and not by ear means that you will not be able to simply sit down and play impromptu at any moment. This is a great privilege to those who play by ear, being able to simply sit down and play anything that comes to mind or rather to ear!   

There is a lot of freedom in being able to play by ear

A lot of enjoyment comes from creating music on the spot or ” improvising”. (I am not referring to improvising on jazz chords while playing with a band – which calls for serious development, practice, hard work, and of course, the joy of serious improvising.)

Playing by sight means that the player will have an in-depth understanding of the music theory. Understanding clefs, key signatures, note values, dynamics, etc. etc. Having this knowledge always helps the serious musician. This does not mean that players by ear have no idea of note reading!  

Many players by ear have the basic understanding and knowledge of sheet music, written music and theory. If you play by ear, it only enhances your playing to know the basic theory of music and how to read and write music.  

Let us recap:

Having the ability to play by sight means:

• You can read music sheets and learn new music even if you have not heard it before.
• It gives you an edge in having the knowledge of music and its theory.
• If you want to be a serious musician, reading music or being able to play from a score is not an option.
• For the academic type of person or the more intellectual person who loves studying – playing by sight is much more secure and preferable, seeing that everything has been written down and laid out. There is no uncertainty in what has to be played. This is a security factor for many students who often find it easier to read a line and know what they are playing rather than trying to fumble about by working out something by ear.

Being able to play, for example, a Bach-like Prelude and Fugue or a Toccata can give one great pleasure! This is also the reason why many who have been classically trained by reading music often struggle to make the jump from score reading to playing by ear.  

I had to force myself to put all my books away for at least a year or two and only to play by hearing, that is, listening to melodies and working them out. I also learnt many of my classical masterpieces by remembering how they sounded and trying to work them out by ear.  

Of course, it helped because I had played them before from the score. I only grabbed the book when I got stuck. This helped not only with memorising or remembering the music, but it became easier to interpret what the composer had in mind, as my ear was the only thing I could lean on. There were no pages of written music in front of me! I found it helped in a great way. It meant that I could not really forget the pieces once I called on the ear to bring it all back and follow the ear. 

Playing properly by ear – without music notes, but only by hearing, is a great plus as it opens a great door for creativity for the player.

In the beginning, when playing by ear (if you are not used to it) can be pretty frustrating! But if you keep at it, bit by bit, new sounds will come, and new ideas of what and how to play will develop.  

The most significant advantage of playing by ear is the great freedom and joy it brings the player.  

• There is no fear of playing wrong or thinking where am I on the score.  
• Many classical students suffer from the: “I am playing wrong” mentality. Classical pieces ask much from the player to be “perfect” in fingering, notes etc. And yes, it has to be perfect to be good! Unfortunately! But learning these pieces and the joy it brings is worth it. There is a feeling of conquering and winning that makes it worth it! So do not stop playing your classics or reading your scores!  
• When playing by ear and/or creating your own music – there is the great plus of having no right or wrong!  
• Of course, there are better-sounding lines or chords, but no one can ever tell you you are playing wrongly! I have found many reading-trained students being very relieved to find out that they could play anything that they felt sounded good.  

Playing by ear is, from my viewpoint – (being a trained classical and jazz musician), a very important area that has been overlooked for years by the classical arena. It means that many students learnt to play only from a book but have very little freedom on their instrument or have never been taught how simple chords look, or how to create tunes etc. This needs to be developed from day one! 

To conclude: I think both being able to play from a score and being able to play totally by ear are extremely important for any serious musician

In the end, for the adult learner, I think it depends a lot on you as a person. It depends on what works for you.

• Do you love to meticulously read, work out a score, and play that way? Then enjoy that!
• Or would you love to play by ear, working out melodies and sounds – being creative in this way?  

Putting in the effort to develop both these areas would be the best. It is worth it!

Some articles on sight-reading for your perusal:

• How to improve your sight-reading
• The 10 secrets of sight-reading
• Sight-reading fitness
• Why it is essential for adults to learn how to sight-read properly
• The importance of learning how to read music properly

Some articles on playing the piano by ear for your perusal:

• How to improvise on the piano as a beginner
• Importance of improvisation & composing in musical development
• Joy of improvising and 7 day challenge!
• The basics of jazz for the adult beginner
• The bridge between classical and jazz piano
• How do I get started learning jazz piano as an adult?
• Understanding and studying the lead sheet: Autumn Leaves
• How to learn jazz piano for the adult beginner