And It Was Good - Composer Intent

I took a play-by-ear hiatus and visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  It took Mr. Gutzon 14 years to blast out the rock and chisel the faces.  Then, they were done.

Just think about the day he made that final decision.  Realizing finality-of-task, he looked at his work and, in His best image as a mortal man he declared it was good. 

“Yeah, that’s good.”  he said.

Knowing When You’re Done

It's the same with musical composition.  The same song can be written with any time signature at least a dozen different ways.  Some ways are easy to count and follow and others are not.  Some do not capture the feel of the song at all.  The same song written in 2/2, 4/4 or 6/8 may say the same thing but some time signatures don’t express obviousness as well as others.  It’s a judgement call.

The composer has to find the happy medium that discloses -in the most obvious manner-  how the song goes.  There are dozens of variables in composition that conflict with each other and the composer has to be the referee.  It’s a tougher call than you might think.

Any Time Signature Can Be Used

To Write Any Song.

How can that be?  It just is.  Music is in-motion in space and time where a series of  4 triple-beats (in 12/8) is equal to 4 beats (in 4/4).  A beat is a beat.  This is another way that music is infinite.  It's the hidden universe where any time signature can be used to write any song.  

When you see something numerically opposing or confusing, ask yourself what the composer is trying to say.  You’ve got to learn to look for intent but first you’ve got to be aware that intent always exists. Intent is just somebody’s opinion.  Now, consider the dozens of ways a song might have otherwise been written. 

This is what Chopin is talking 

about when he says 

“Simplicity is the highest goal . . . achievable when you have overcome all difficulties.”   

 It’s the challenge a composer wrestles with to lay out his intent in the most obvious manner for all to see.

The goal is to compose in an infinite world of choices, in the ultimate quest to say exactly what you mean.

How Do You Know When You’re Done?

You just know it.  It’s just like the last part of a puzzle that snaps into place.  Once you get all the disciplines to work together in harmony, everything comes together into one defining moment of expression. 

“Yeah, that’s good.” you say.

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Joseph Pingel is a pianist, teacher and musicologist.  Click here to get the free companion book to this blog.  See his other sites at www.KeyedUpPiano.com and www.PlayByEarCentral.com. 

© 2011 Keyed Up Inc

One-Dimensional Thinking In The Music Galaxy

Throughout taking standard piano lessons, we are piece-mealed music theory at the rate and order that the teacher thinks best.  When you end lessons, you may grasp some theory but overall, lack the full picture because you don't have all the pieces to the puzzle.

It's a puzzle that you cannot see without first having all the pieces laid out before you.  Once you have that, it is much easier to put that puzzle together to see the full picture.

But nobody thinks about the full picture

when they teach theory.  

Everything is a one-dimensional fact; delivered without any insights into motion.  However, music is not one dimensional!   All theories interact in concert.  You cannot realize those relationships by studying any one theory in and of itself.

There is an underlying river of motion beneath the surface that organizes all the moving parts.  For example:

Time signatures show the intent of a composer that most people don’t even realize is there. 


Written songs use note size-scales that give a good indication of implied speed.  Recognizing that innuendo is the skill of a play-by-ear master.  That's how they can interpret thousands of songs they’ve never seen before in fake books.

Then, there's counting.  

You must learn to count notes like an expert until you “get it.”  You “get it” when you can easily play a one-note melody line of a song you’ve never seen before; another skill of the play-by-ear master.

If you think what a seasoned musician knows is too vast for you to understand, you are wrong.  In the end, everything distills down to simplicity.  Even the most complex of concepts is rooted in one simple relationship of notes or another. 

Approach learning theory on a multi-level understanding with a higher goal in mind.  A pro's knowledge may be vast, but the categories are well-defined and limited.  Once you know those categories you have a proper syllabus to base your learning quest.

Always focus on inter-relational concepts beyond music theory.  The one-concept-at-a-time approach is flawed in that it doesn’t give the whole picture, reveal the end result or show the working machine in motion.

As far as I am aware, there is no inclusive goal to teach music theory as a unit in motion.  However, to become an expert quickly, you’ve got to be able to see this particular light.

You’ll never ever see it with one-dimensional thinking. 

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Joseph Pingel is a pianist, teacher and musicologist.  Click here to get the free companion book to this blog.  See his other sites at www.KeyedUpPiano.com and www.PlayByEarCentral.com. 

© 2011 Keyed Up Inc

Bach Was a Hack

Playing by ear is perceived as a hack skill.  You may not be able to sightread a technically-written concerto but still be able to play it by ear.

Knowing chords, you can play anything and that puts you right up there with the top players in the world.  What?  You and Herbie Hancock in the same league?  Maybe not skill-wise but I guarantee, Herbie knows his chords.

Knowing the chords is just your foot in the door to the Hidden Universe - the minimum plateau of membership.

I’m Better Than You

There’s no “who’s better or best” comparison between the classical pianist and the play-by-ear hack.  They both wish for the talents of the other but what they want most are the skills of the hack; to understand the instrument and be able to play by ear.

Embarrassment and Snubbery

A“hack” is one that lacks technical training.  Therefore, it is far easier for the classical pianist to master the hack’s skills than the other way around.

But it’s so embarrassing for some classical players to admit they lack in this area.  They can’t concede to learning anything of value from the rogue musicians on the other side of the tracks.

Instead, they snub and shudder at the very thought of even associating themselves with the word “hack.”  After so much academic breeding, to lower themselves to the teachings of a hack feels somehow demeaning.

Everyday, “Classical Rebels” are shedding their pride to become “closet” hacks. BUT WAIT!  You really don’t have to cover your face!

Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and all the longhairs were hacks too!

Hacks First and Composers Second

Imagine the music scene back then.  You’d go to a Mozart concert and he’d play variations of all his hits.  We tend to romanticize and marvel at Mozart's amazing abilities but how was he any different from the modern day rock star? 

Just like today's solo artists, all he was doing was jamming  an 18th-century-jazz style.  That's all it was, classical improvisation.

The composers of fame were far more than hacks but without that basic command of chords, they couldn’t have written anything.

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Joseph Pingel is a pianist, teacher and musicologist.  Click here to get the free companion book to this blog.  See his other sites at www.KeyedUpPiano.com and www.PlayByEarCentral.com. 

© 2011 Keyed Up Inc

The Black Hole in the Music Galaxy

Being able to play piano by ear is more than just playing the piano.  It is a science of numbers that lets you keep track of where you are and where you are going.  You play intelligently because you understand chords and how to put them together.

It really is that easy.  Knowing the basic 24 chords (Command) and how to build establishes a very high degree of proficiency way over and above 95% of all pianists.

When you know the chords, you’re good and you know it.  It's really not such a long ways off with a little focus.  What then?

Improvement is totally up to you.  Command of basic chords is the springboard that you base any improvements.  Command is a high degree of proficiency and knowledge, but really just the beginning of learning advanced skills. 

Chords Are The Great Equalizers

The path to learning chords paves the way to playing by ear; they're one in the same.  No matter how good you are, it's very difficult to play independently if you don't know chords.  Chords are the great equalizers that let all musicians operate on the same plane to create independently. From there, it's all practice and talent.

The Basic Chords Are The Starting Point

This is an absolute truth.  There is no other equivalent starting point to excellence for the masses to aspire to. You don't have to be a concert pianist to be good in the way you want to be good. 

When you concentrate on chords, learning piano seems more natural and makes more sense.  Chords are the most important factor to playing piano, PERIOD!  They are the foundations of all melody and a leading skill that unfortunately, many advanced sight-readers do not possess.

You Have a Lifetime To Learn Theory

You’ll spend your lifetime putting the music theory puzzle together.  It’s a black-hole puzzle that is infinite.  It will never be complete and in itself is the beginning and the end.  Imagine the black-hole puzzle as one that contains the entire universe of music (all melody and sound) and absorbing it into it’s infinite center.   This is a very apt metaphorical picture.

Music Is Infinite But The Border Is Defined

You’ll spend 25 years of searching on your own in the right places to define the border before you can see the Hidden Universe.  As sure as the nose on your face, it is there.

It is the wisdom of the master’s vantage point.



Chances are you can’t see it because it hasn’t yet sunk in.  Once you reach Command over your fingering, the next stop is to discover for yourself the Hidden Universe as quickly as you can.

To do that you must fast-track defining the border (that will otherwise take you 25 years to assemble).  The pros, over time analyze things and sometimes put it together immediately.  Some people instinctively know what the puzzle looks like and how to put it together from the start.  There's an X-Factor here for some.  But most of us need help in defining the puzzle border because we don’t know what it looks like.

However, you've got one great advantage; a picture of the puzzle on the box.  That's a great advantage but you’re still going to have to put it together.  When the border pieces are in place, music makes a lot more sense as you fill in the middle.

Music Is More Than Pitch, Tempo and Meter

We tend to define music as pitch, tempo, rhythm and meter but those are only the outcome of a  musical process; the sound-product of banging a drum or singing a song.  Music is a lot more than what you hear.

Under the surface, all the theories work in concert to put structure to the creation of music expression.  Conscious or unconscious, these interactions occur every time a song is played or written.

Theory is finite but music is infinite!  It is this gray area between the two concepts where the “Hidden Universe” lies.  Take a moment and think about this.  Ask yourself if you can believe there is something more to music than meets the ear. 

The Mind-Set

The“Hidden Universe” defines the Play By Ear Discovery mind-set.  You are seeking an encompassing awareness of musical insights that are years beyond your experience.  If you think it seems complicated, then put things in perspective.  Musical creation is complicated but managing it is simple in the Hidden Universe. 

Do you believe me?  If not, then come and see me again in 25 years. 

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Joseph Pingel is a pianist, teacher and musicologist.  Click here to get the free companion book to this blog.  See his other sites at www.KeyedUpPiano.com and www.PlayByEarCentral.com. 

© 2012 Keyed Up Inc

Fly Little Birdy - Start Improvising Music

This is a stark lesson of playing by ear.  When you're done taking lessons and know your chords, you'll settle down on a comfy perch atop your plateau of skill.


You aren’t seeking out advanced courses in styling or other courses and maybe don’t have the time.  You 're satisfied with how you play but know you could be a lot better.  C'est la vie.

What’s Holding You Back Little Birdy? 

See yourself 3 years down the road after learning this now.   An improvisation king you probably are not.  However, at this point you are definitely in command of chords and have advanced skills.  You can play a lot of songs -written or by ear- but may not play with much style.  If you’re not careful, you can stagnate in this state for 20 years.

During stagnation you play all your favorite songs like a juke box without deviation or improvisation.

These personal showcase tunes are your conquered standards that you tend to play over and over again.

Stagnation is the Curse of the 

Play-By-Ear Master

You give up style and improvisation in return for being able to play massive amounts of music without written music.  There's no time to bog yourself down to one written arrangement.  No time!  When you can play your own version of any song, you just want to get on to the next song.

At this point you've reached a high degree of stagnation. It is the stagnation of "sameness to your playing" from one song to the next.  You're good, no doubt but nothing's new.

Like an addict, you hunger for more songs to play, sacrificing style and improvisation for instant gratification.  When you straighten up, you ask yourself why in the world you can’t improvise after all these years of playing?   

I’m Going to Tell You Why

 Despite your skills and knowledge, you have not yet given in to the force of enlightenment.  This force is "one" with the infinite number of variations that can be played with JUST ONE SONG!  Again, one song can be played an infinite number of ways.  Slow it down or speed it up.  Use more or less notes.  Add a different rhythm.  Substitute a chord.  Combine different factors.  Anything!

All music exists in the infinite world of variations.  Improvisation begins with a strong realization of that concept of "infinite variations."  You conclude that if there are a million ways to play something, then why ever bother to play it the same way twice?   

Dig into your conquered standards and start there.  Pull them out fresh, dust them off and vow never again to play them the same way twice.  Your mind begins to expand when you start playing one variation after another of familiar songs.

Take little steps in rhythm, notes and chords and start exploring your options.  Focus in on the freedom you feel to express yourself emotionally.  Let you mind wander to play how you feel and let the music flow.

When you get that “freedom” mindset, it sets the stage for improvising.

Attack all your music like this.  Play anything, any way you want.  Take yourself to the next level and you’ll start to get it.

It's a much bigger galaxy of music out there than you can imagine.

Keep looking.

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Joseph Pingel is a pianist, teacher and musicologist.  Click here to get the free companion book to this blog.  See his other sites at www.KeyedUpPiano.com and www.PlayByEarCentral.com. 

© 2011 Keyed Up Inc

The End Of Piano Lessons - Graduation Day

We think of "Graduation" as the end of a grade level and diploma time.  However, in piano lessons language, that means graduating up to the next level of skills to a harder book or piece.

Traditional graduation doesn't really apply to piano lessons.  Just ask a piano teacher when you graduate and they're thinking something else.  Surely, you don't mean getting a diploma???  No, standard lessons are lessons without end. Therein lies the problem. 

A Set Time-Frame

 The whole dynamic of beginner lessons would change if there was a set time frame for completion followed by graduation.  It might cover a time standard of 2 years (or less) to achieve a specific level of proficiency skills and knowledge.  Imagine!  A two year course for which you would graduate!

At this level, you've learned your chords ("command") and know how to get around with or without written music.  "Diploma" means that lessons are over.  At that point you either take more lessons or take the next year or two off and really figure out what's going on on your own.

Standard Lessons Are Sort of 
False Advertising By Omission

Because there's no defined end to piano lessons, you have no other choice but to quit.  "Quitting" has a negative stigma.  "I've taken enough. It's not for me. I don't get it" people say.

After quitting, people are dumbfounded, wondering when in Sam-Hill the boat sailed by.  They didn't see no boat!  For many it is hard to continue after having such a numbing experience.  They become a "took lessons and quit" statistic.  There is something very wrong with this.

Wouldn't it be phenomenal to fuse extensive chord training into the first two years of standard lessons?  I mean really teach people how to play the instrument independently as a matter of course.  We don't do this but we really must.  We have the technology but do we have the will?

It's not going to be easy to change the world.  It's the "Civil" War

My graduation story is that my son graduated from 8th grade today.  I remember life at 14 idly thinking "Truly, the worst must be over."   

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Joseph Pingel is a pianist, teacher and musicologist.  Click here to get the free companion book to this blog.  See his other sites at www.KeyedUpPiano.com and www.PlayByEarCentral.com. 

© 2011 Keyed Up Inc

Thinking in the Music Galaxy

Playing by ear is easy after you learn command of the 24 basic chords and their inversions.  Keep adding new ones until you’ve gone through all 12 majors and minors.  It’s okay to play well in certain keys and not in others.

In the beginning, it’s more important to get a good feel for what it means to be good on the instrument.  Once you master a comfortable key, you are able to approach harder keys with greater confidence.

Make The Decision

The only thing standing in the way of your success is resolution to devote quality time to learning the basic chords.  You can do it in about a month if you put your mind to it.  To take control of your lifetime learning process, you’ve got to practice.  Do it everyday. 

Study the chords and their patterns.  Work on ones you don’t know and memorize the positions.  Test and drill yourself as you analyze what you are doing.  Work your own math, figure things out and ask yourself the hard questions.  Become a motivated, inquisitive student to learn what you must.  The answer is there and you've got to keep looking for it.  Always look for deep answers to simple questions.  Ask me anything if you get confused.

But it's totally up to you how motivated you are to MAKE THAT DECISION. 

When you reach command of the basic chords, you'll know you are good on the piano.  That’s when your entire world opens up.  At that point you realize you can get as good as you want (if you are willing).  Furthermore, you can go in any direction you want with confidence that otherwise would be empty without command.

Confidence Issues

People with command often underestimate their control over the instrument.  “I can’t improvise.”  is a common lament.  Improvisation comes with time, effort and experience.  Gauge your abilities on how long you've been in command.  Be aware of the accelerated type of knowledge you use to teach yourself to get better.  You are a rare person of exceptional potential because of what you know. 

Reread the previous post “The Musical Universe” and immerse yourself into that information.  You must keep this in the forefront of your mind and not allow yourself to backtrack to traditional trappings.  If you want to lead then you must follow the numbers path.  Learn this and the rest of your piano days will be bright and rosy.

People tend to get hung up on so many notes and keys to keep track of because they cannot shake “96-concept” thinking.  Discard your dependence on alpha tones and laser-focus only on the 8-note order.   That's what puts order to the Musical Universe.

"Exploded Engine," a sculpture by Rudolph de Harak,

Music theory is just like anything else you might not fully understand.  An engine, for example, is a bit complicated but -once broken down and explained- makes perfect sense.




There’s a technology to music the same.  While the product of music theory is infinite, the interactive components of the technology are concise and limited.

Numerically, all theories you use to keep track of where you are, are all rooted in 8-Concept thinking.  Transposing, modulation, key signatures, melody lines, progressions and more all use the same measure and rely on your insider view of the major scale.  Do not view any of the theories as singular to themselves, they are not.  They are merely tributaries to the major scale; offshoots totally dependent upon 8-Concept thinking as well.

Atlas Ability

It is very very powerful to realize you can control such a big instrument with proper 8-Concept thinking.  THAT, my friends is how playing the piano is easy.  You quickly get to a point where your mind plays better than your fingers do.  As you gain experience, the concept becomes a part of your being.  However, in the beginning you must continually look to the major scale for answers. 



Some think that piano talent is a kind of mystical “gift.”  Any play-by-ear, piano-bar musician out there knows how to get around.  Style aside, anybody that’s good knows the math of music.  It’s not a willy-nilly, just-get-a-feel-for-it kind of thing.  It’s a simple mathematical science that is the roadmap to getting around.

For most seasoned musicians it’s been a long road to 8-Concept awareness.  For you it’s a turbo-boost to your musicianship.

The only thing you have to do is realize it.

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Joseph Pingel is a pianist, teacher and musicologist.  Click here to get the free companion book to this blog.  See his other sites at www.KeyedUpPiano.com and www.PlayByEarCentral.com. 

© 2011 Keyed Up Inc