How to Play Piano by Ear: Best Learning Resources

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Do you long to hear a song and be able to play it by ear? Developing the ability to play piano by ear can feel like unlocking a musical superpower—one that empowers you to improvise, jam with friends, or effortlessly pick up new songs.

While playing by ear may seem like a mysterious talent reserved for the naturally gifted, it is a skill that anyone can learn with the right guidance.

In this post, we’ll explore the best resources available to help you sharpen your listening skills, train your musical memory, and confidently play what you hear.

Ready? Let’s get to it!

And if you want to skip to the good stuff, click here to jump right to my recommendations.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an affiliate of the Amazon associate program, Modacity, Dr. Josh Wright ProPractice, Piano University course by Zach Evans, Musicnotes, Playground Sessions, and Piano Marvel, I may receive a commission at no extra cost if you purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information and privacy policy. I take no credit for the images appearing on this page.

Specific photos are courtesy of Canva. Although I am a nurse practitioner, I am not YOUR medical provider. The information in this post is for informational purposes only. It does NOT replace individualized health information from a qualified medical professional. Please see a qualified medical professional for individualized assistance with your health and wellness.

My Piano Journey

Before we discuss all the juicy details that will help you achieve piano nirvana, I want to provide some background on my musical experience.

My journey started when I was 7 with piano lessons from the local piano teacher.

I’m sure I was an incredibly challenging student at times due to my lack of regular practice and initial disdain for learning the building blocks of music.

I essentially only wanted to play the songs I wanted to play when I wanted to play them.

There were countless weeks when I showed up at lessons without having even looked at the music I was supposed to play for my teacher.

Despite my rough early start, I persisted because I loved to play the piano!

And eventually, I studied piano at the college level, earning a fine arts degree.

Although my career has taken a different trajectory, I still love playing the piano!

I still accompany whenever I can and play the piano and organ at local churches while maintaining a regular practice schedule.

You can check out my playing in this recent video:

I’ve also recently taken on a student and even dabble in piano tuning and technology.

I created this blog to be a helpful resource for others who want to pursue their own piano goals.

What is being able to “play piano by ear?”

The skill of playing by ear involves hearing music and being able to play it on the piano.

Playing by ear is a valuable skill for overall musicianship because it strengthens your sight-reading skills and improves memory retention when you’re memorizing a piece of music.

It’s a useful skill that has application regardless of the type of music you enjoy playing.

And with consistent practice, it’s a skill that anyone can improve.

Music Theory Basics

At the heart of music as we know it lies music theory.

Music theory is a fancy term for the way music is put together.

At its core, music is simply a series of repeating patterns.

And once you recognize the common musical patterns, you can repeat them.

Break it down a bit further, and you have 3 basic components to any song: melody, harmony, and rhythm.

Melody

The melody of a song is usually the part you hum or sing when it comes on the radio.

A strong melody is often the most recognizable component of the song and the one you can’t get out of your head.

As an example, take a minute to think about the song “Happy Birthday.”

The part that goes through your mind when you think about that song is the melody notes.

Because it’s the most prominent component of a song, it can be the best place to start when learning to play by ear.

Harmony

The second essential component of music theory is harmony.

Harmony supports the melody by adding note variety and overall interest to the song.

When it comes to pop songs especially, a few basic chord progressions are repeated ad nauseum.

These chords are the I, IV, and V chords.

This means that in any given scale, major chords built on the 1st, 4th, and 5th degrees are used most often in pop music.

You can hear the various progressions with some practice and start to recognize how they support the melody.

Rhythm

Aside from the melody, the rhythm of a specific piece of music often figures prominently in someone’s memory.

This is the part that makes you want to tap your foot along with the music when your favorite songs come on the radio.

Rhythm is part of the backbone of a piece and is often supported and enhanced by the bass line.

What is Ear Training?

The learning process for playing by ear can be broken down into a series of exercises to develop your aural skills, also known as ear training.

The best way to start is to break the learning process into the components of melody, harmony, and rhythm, which reduces overwhelm.

Although consistent practice is required, the good news is that I have a secret weapon (or two!) for taking your skills to the next level.

Two Best Resources for Developing Play Piano by Ear Skills

Ear training has been a special interest of mine for a few years now.

Despite two years of college-level music theory, I still struggle with playing by ear, likely because I was resistant to my teacher’s methods when I was young.

I’m sure she tried to incorporate these concepts into my lessons. Still, I ignored learning to play by ear in favor of reading music.

I’ve always been a fairly good sight reader, so I relied more heavily on these skills than my listening skills.

Regardless, I’ve been exploring ways to improve my skills in this area and recently found a couple of outstanding resources.

Chet App

The first one is a FREE app.

This one is amazing!

Chet has a series of games that help you improve your listening skills.

You can work on improving your ability to recognize intervals, pick out a melody, and harmonic progressions.

The app has exercises to improve both tonal and atonal ear training, a nice feature that truly tests your listening skills.

There are also various contests, so if you thrive on competition, you’ll love this app!

Again, I can’t say enough good about this app for improving your aural skills.

And did I mention that it’s free!?

Play Piano by Ear Mastery by Zach Evans

The second resource is a course by Zach Evans.

This course helps improve your “play by ear” muscles through self-paced lessons.

Zach has an extensive track record teaching adults how to play the piano.

And what I love about his teaching is that it’s designed to get you playing fun songs NOW.

His courses aren’t about drudging through boring stuff to eventually play something you might recognize in 6 months.

He wants to give you the skills you need to play the music you love ASAP.

Although it’s not free, I highly recommend this course if you’re looking for an organized way to learn to play by ear rather than trying to piece it together yourself.

Tips to Improve Your Play Piano by Ear Skills

Here are a few tips that I’ve found helpful in improving my ability to play by ear.

Start with Familiar Tunes

The first is to start with easy songs.

I’m talking “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

Starting with simple music will give you the quick wins you need to keep progressing.

It will be less frustrating, especially if you develop this skill independently of a teacher.

Practice Interval Recognition

Aside from starting with familiar tunes, learning how to hear intervals can be helpful.

This means that you can hear two different notes and distinguish whether it’s a major 2nd or octave.

The Chet app has a bunch of different practice sessions to help with learning to identify intervals.

Once you can confidently identify intervals, breaking down a melody is so much easier!

Listen for Chord Qualities

Identifying whether a chord is major or minor is a very basic skill necessary for playing by ear.

Most easy music has a very basic chord structure, yet another reason it’s best to start as easily as possible.

Things get more complex when you add 7th, diminished, or augmented chords.

You’ll get there eventually, but in the beginning, start with music that has a very basic chord structure.

Again, Chet has several exercises to help you identify both chord qualities and progressions.

Learn by Play Piano by Ear by Breaking the Song Down Into Pieces

Breaking a song into pieces means figuring out the 3 different components discussed above separately.

The first time you listen to a song, try to figure out the rhythm.

Clap it out and make some basic notes about the rhythm.

Once you’ve figured out the rhythm, move on to the melody.

I like to figure out the first note of the melody line and then work from there by listening for intervals.

Once you’ve got the rhythm and melody, it’s time to add more harmony.

Identify the chord qualities and how they fit with the melody.

Before you know it, you’ll be able to play almost anything you hear!

Consistent Practice

As with most skills, learning to play piano by ear takes practice.

You’ll need to consistently do it in order to get better at it.

Set aside a few minutes a day to open your Chet app or log in to Play by Ear Mastery, and you’ll be shocked at how quickly you’ll make progress!

Frequently Asked Questions About Learning to Play Piano by Ear

What is perfect pitch?

Perfect pitch is hearing a specific note played on a piano keyboard (or other instrument) and correctly identifying it only by listening.

Do you need perfect pitch to be able to play piano by ear?

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need perfect pitch to be able to play piano by ear.

In fact, only a tiny percentage of the population has perfect pitch.

The popular myth is that people are born with the skills to recognize a specific pitch, but research has disproved this.

Research suggests that those with perfect pitch have spent hours honing those skills rather than possessing rare genetic traits that allow them to distinguish between an A and a C only by listening.

Regardless, perfect pitch is not mandatory for learning to play piano by ear.

Is playing by ear a learnable skill?

Absolutely!

You can gradually improve those skills with very specific exercises, such as those in the Chet app or the Play by Ear Mastery course by Zach Evans.

Is it better to learn to play the piano by reading sheet music or by ear?

It’s ideal if you can incorporate principles from both when learning to play the piano.

Leaning more heavily on one or the other can leave gaps in your learning, making it tougher to sight read or memorize music.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the skill of playing piano by ear is a rewarding journey that opens up endless creative possibilities.

By using the right resources — from ear training apps to practical exercises and expert-led courses — you can steadily improve your ability to recognize melodies, chords, and harmonies.

Remember, consistency is key. Dedicate time to active listening, practice frequently, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

With patience and perseverance, you’ll soon find yourself playing your favorite songs with confidence and ease — no sheet music required! So dive in, trust your ears, and enjoy the music!

If you enjoyed this post, check out my other piano-inspired content!

How to Play Piano by Ear: Best Learning Resources

My Piano Journey

What is being able to “play piano by ear?”