This research has sought to explore and enhance the connection between sound and instrument, aiming to develop a musician’s ability to translate heard sounds into coordinated movements. Furthermore, it emphasizes integrating this skill with other musical abilities to nurture a balanced and holistic musician.
As a practical outcome, a series of foundational exercises are proposed in this work to train playing by ear in piano lessons. For instance, six exercises are presented: echo patterns, call and response, modeling, improvisation, playing with recordings and playing with peers. These are guided by a sound-first approach and aligned with Paul Harris’s concept of simultaneous learning. Having demonstrated their success in my own teaching practice, I hope they will serve as a valuable resource for other educators as well, leaving freedom to their own creativity as well. Building on that, a central conclusion is that experiential learning, with minimal explanation, engages the childlike joy within adults, connecting with the sound, where music remains a source of fun. Given that playing by ear can be daunting, it is essential as an instructor to strike a careful balance: offering challenges that are both stimulating and adaptable to the learner’s needs.
Addressing the research question of “how to develop the ability to play by ear” required exploring the definition of this skill and the processes involved. A key insight was understanding the brain’s dual pathways—ventral and dorsal. Beyond the left hemisphere (linked to cognition), activating the right hemisphere (linked to perception) is crucial for faster, more immediate sound-to-instrument connections. Equally important was identifying fundamental principles that process the ability of playing by ear, such as attention, tonal awareness, singing, memory or inner hearing, among others. These elements informed the creation of ear-based experiences in the lessons, designed to strengthen these skills. To understand how this ability fits within the broader framework of aural skills, various approaches, including those by Chenette, Kodály, and Gordon, were analyzed.
Towards Becoming “an integral musician”,it became clear that defining a linear sequence for developing aural skills is challenging. These foundational abilities arise from a complex interplay of interactions rather than a fixed progression. Therefore, rather than prescribing rigid steps, this research has aimed to offer a holistic understanding of how the capacity to play by ear functions, as well as how ear-based experiences can be designed in the lessons.For that reason, the research examined educational models that explore the integration of multiple skills. McPherson’s (2022) work highlights how playing by ear facilitates the coordination of auditory, visual, and motor skills, enabling students to translate both musical notation and inner hearing into expressive performance.
In conclusion, this study affirms that playing by ear is but one facet of musicianship—yet a profoundly influential one. It nurtures musical intuition, improvisation, responsiveness and memorization, among others, all while fostering enjoyment. Its development is intricately linked with numerous other musical skills, representing a direct and pure connection between ear and hand—a fundamental mode of music-making.
That said, I would like to echo the wisdom of Zoltán Kodály1 who asserted that a well-rounded musician must cultivate: