Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 68 posts

Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#1

Post by osrec »

I'm learning the harmonium (a middle Eastern instrument, similar to an accordion). I'm teaching myself and I want to be able to play by ear. I can play a few tunes, and can slowly work things out by trial and error and some intuition.

I want to know what it feels like to be able to play an instrument without needing so much trial and error. How do those that can play "fluently" know which keys to press? How long does it take to get to that level of fluency?

I'm hoping that by understanding the mindset of someone who has achieved that level, I can have something to aim for when I'm practicing.

Thanks :)

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#2

Post by upveto »

It feels like being able to hear someone say something and repeat it back to them :)

Fluency comes from learning theory implicitly. Implicit theory knowledge comes from spending a lot of time listening to music you want to emulate, and then painstakingly emulating it on your instrument.

Your mistakes will elucidate the nature of the music.

- Jazz Pianist

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#3

Post by dyu- »

It took me around 10yrs to be able to identify the notes immediately just by listening. I didn't really had to study it to learn ... it just came naturally for me. It correlates easily to the music theory that you know, which is the main foundation that you need to get acquainted with.

I play a lot of instruments but bass is my main instrument.

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#4

Post by osrec »

upveto wrote: post #2

It feels like being able to hear someone say something and repeat it back to them :) Fluency comes from learning theory implicitly. Implicit theory knowledge comes from spending a lot of time listening to music you want to emulate, and then painstakingly emulating it on your instrument. Your mistakes will elucidate the nature of the music. - Jazz Pianist

Interesting, so it's just practice followed by more practice?

Something I've recently started is putting on a music video and then trying to play along with it. It's pretty tough, but I manage a few bits here and there...

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#5

Post by odessacubbage »

i tend to play by ear but it's more of a bad habit with limited usefulness than anything else, there's no real reason to romanticize it. simply spend enough time with any instrument and producing the right sounds will become intuitive.

>I want to know what it feels like to be able to play an instrument without needing so much trial and error.

then i highly suggest you focus on learning music theory rather than trying to look cool. gaining an understanding of musical structure will help you gain that intuition faster than anything else. you'll still be playing by ear, you just wont be playing in the dark

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#6

Post by osrec »

dyu- wrote: post #3

It took me around 10yrs to be able to identify the notes immediately just by listening. I didn't really had to study it to learn ... it just came naturally for me. It correlates easily to the music theory that you know, which is the main foundation that you need to get acquainted with. I play a lot of instruments but bass is my main instrument.

Interesting. Did you have a particular moment when you just "got it", or was it a gradual build up of ability over the 10 years?

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#7

Post by osrec »

odessacubbage wrote: post #5

i tend to play by ear but it's more of a bad habit with limited usefulness than anything else, there's no real reason to romanticize it. simply spend enough time with any instrument and producing the right sounds will become intuitive. >I want to know what it feels like to be able to play an instrument without needing so much trial and error. then i highly suggest you focus on learning music theory rather than trying…

Thanks. Where do you suggest I start? Are there any beginner books or YouTube videos you can suggest?

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#8

Post by acconrad »

I learned the guitar playing by ear. As a kid I would just lock myself in my bedroom and play along with my CDs until my fingers were raw.

It's a lot of screwing up, starting the song over, and trying again until it sounds right. I started doing this about 20 years ago so I've had quite a bit of practice, but at this point it's really a great feeling to listen to a song on YouTube and know pretty much before I pick up the guitar whether I'm capable of playing it within an hour or so.

It just takes practice. Lots of it. Lots of trial and error. Lots of screw ups. And just embracing/loving the process.

Actually the last part is the most important, because I love playing the guitar. I love music. I play 5 different instruments and music is a deeply important part of my life. My desire to play along to the songs I love trumps wanting to learn it in a more traditional fashion. I could have taken guitar lessons or gotten a teacher to learn proper theory and all of that. But all of that stuff just got in the way of what I wanted to do: play the music I love. Now.

So just go out there and fiddle with your instrument and play along to stuff you like!

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#9

Post by osrec »

acconrad wrote: post #8

I learned the guitar playing by ear. As a kid I would just lock myself in my bedroom and play along with my CDs until my fingers were raw. It's a lot of screwing up, starting the song over, and trying again until it sounds right. I started doing this about 20 years ago so I've had quite a bit of practice, but at this point it's really a great feeling to listen to a song on YouTube and know pretty much before I pick u…

Thank you! It's pretty much the way I'm trying to learn at the moment. Tbh, I felt my learning process was a bit unstructured, but knowing that you've persevered and got to a high level of proficiency this way gives me a lot of encouragement!

Re: Ask HN: What does it feel like to master playing an instrument by ear?

#10

Post by hluska »

My grandmother could play by ear. I was always amazed that we could go for a drive, hear a song on the radio, go home and Grandma would play it on her violin.

One day when I was about 9 or 10, I asked her how she did it and why I couldn't. She said that the key was to start playing an instrument really young and then play constantly until you were in your sixties.

Loads and loads of practice is the key to doing it. As far as how it felt, my Grandma always smiled when she was playing music so I assume it felt pretty good.

Post reply on HN